The pantheon from The World Before Time continues to grow. Amazon Studios has revealed that Whoopi Goldberg will be joining the cast of Anansi Boys, the upcoming adaptation of the beloved Neil Gaiman novel of the same name. Goldberg will be playing Bird Woman, God of Birds, and one of the many animal gods from the pantheon of The World Before Time.
Goldberg is a fan of the Anansi Boys novel, and was eager to be a part of its adaptation. In response to being cast as Bird Woman, one of the series antagonists, Goldberg said, “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.”
Said Gaiman of Goldberg‘s casting:
“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 favourite books. Sometimes things feel planned and inevitable, and we are incredibly lucky. She’s going to be scary.”
Anansi Boys, which stars Malachi Kirby in the dual roles of Fat Charlie and Spider, is currently filming in Scotland on a newly-build LED volume stage which will help bring the globe-trotting adventure to life. The story follows Charlie, who learns that his recently-deceased father (Delroy Lindo) was actually the Trickster God Anansi. The sudden arrival of Spider, the brother he never knew, throws Charlie’s life into chaos.
In addition to Goldberg, Amazon also announced casting for the rest of the pantheon of gods, including Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Tiger, Emmanuel Ighodaro as Lion, Cecilia Noble as Elephant, Ayanna Witter-Johnson as Snake, and Don Gilet as Monkey. Each of the gods has their own relationship to Anansi, and not all of them are positive, which is likely going to add even more turmoil to Charlie’s upended life.
The cast also includes the already-announced Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Grace Saif, Jason Watkins, Fiona Shaw, CCH Pounder, L. Scott Caldwell, Joy Richardson, and Lachele Carl. Gaiman and Douglas Mackinnon serve as co-showrunners, and as executive producers alongside
There is currently no release date for Anansi Boys.
via Collider