A THIRD season has been commissioned for American Gods, starring Blackburn-born Ian McShane, it has been reported.

Initial episodes from the second season of the Neil Gaiman penned fantasy have been hitting Amazon Prime.

And now it has emerged that a third outing for the series, in which Lovejoy and Deadwood star McShane plays the mysterious Wednesday, is now in the pipeline.

In a statement, Gaiman said he was "thrilled" with the announcement, which brings a new showrunner, Chic Eglee, into the frame.

"Chic is the best partner-in-crime. We’ve been working for weeks now on the shape of the season and I’m delighted that he gets to carry the American Gods torch on to glory," he added.

McShane has been talking up the new episodes, which are being released every Monday.

He said: "I think season two actually is better than season one. I think you get back to the book more. There's a visual style which we have kept to but script-wise we've gone back to the book, expanded characters you know of, expanded the story. I''s still about immigration, it's about integration, it's about faith, it's about love, about people getting on with their lives in an extraordinary way."