"I'd been a fan, I read the book when it came out over a decade ago, and loved the playground that Neil Gaiman created," Fuller told Digital Spy. "I think there's a fantastic opportunity for great imaginative television there."
Fuller went on to explain that the renewal of Hannibal for a third season had enabled him to commit to American Gods, which will begin production next year.
"Hannibal's ratings on NBC are not remarkable, so we never knew if we were going to come back for a third season or not," he recalled. "So I had started talking to Neil Gaiman and Fremantle about the possibility of doing American Gods, and just got really excited about the project.
"Then, when Hannibal got picked up, that's my first priority. But I was able to partner with Michael Geen on American Gods, so I would be able to participate in both worlds.
"The production on American Gods wouldn't even begin until well after we've wrapped prodctuion on season three of Hannibal."
Fuller and his writing team are currently breaking the fourth episode of Hannibal's third season, which will premiere on NBC in 2015.
Source
Lol, so he was kinda looking for another job thinking Hannibal might be canceled?