Host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg, will join the cast of Amazon’s upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel, Anansi Boys. The series will follow two brothers, the sons of the American Gods character Mr. Nancy who discover their common heritage after being separated at birth. Goldberg will play Bird Woman, an ancient goddess of birds who serves as one of the series’ prime antagonists.
The six-episode series will span the globe and include locations in London, Florida, the Caribbean, and the mystical World Before Time. Goldberg joins an already star-studded cast featuring Delroy Lindo, Malachi Kirby, CCH Pounder, and Fiona Shaw. Anansi Boys will follow the two brothers, both played by Kirby, after it is revealed that their father was the African trickster spirit Anansi. Goldberg’s Bird Woman will seek to revenge herself on the brothers for a slight against her committed by their father long ago.
Showrunner Neil Gaiman, who has been friends with Goldberg since meeting in 2018 during press duties for Good Omens told Deadline that he had Goldberg in mind while writing the part for his 2005 novel.
“When I first conceived Anansi Boys, decades ago, I imagined Whoopi Goldberg as Bird Woman. I wasn’t able to meet her until 2018 when she interviewed me with some of the Good Omens team at New York Comic-Con. At which point she mentioned that she had just finished listening to Sir Lenny Henry’s reading of Anansi Boys, and that it was one of her favorite books. Sometimes things feel planned and inevitable, and we are incredibly lucky. She’s going to be scary.”
Goldberg is indeed a fan, and commented, “I have been a fan of this book for a very long time and when Neil Gaiman told me it was being brought to the screen, I did everything I could to be part of it to help make people aware of Anansi and all his magic.”
Joining Goldberg in her role as Bird Woman are several other actors who will portray her fellow gods and spirits of the World before time — all of whom have less than the highest opinion of Anansi. They include Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Tiger, Emmanuel Ighodaro as Lion, Cecilia Noble as Elephant, Ayanna Witter-Johnson as Snake, and Don Gilet as Monkey.
Gaiman has written the series script alongside Lenny Henry, Arvind Ethan David, Kara Smith, and Racheal Ofori. Gaiman, Henry, Douglas Mackinnon, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Endor Productions’ Hilary Bevan Jones, and RED Production Company’s Richard Fee will serve as executive producers. Mackinnon will share showrunner duties with Gaiman.
The series will be released on Amazon Prime. Filming began in Scotland in November of 2021.