Whoopi Goldberg to star in new adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys

Whoopi Goldberg will star as Bird Woman in Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series Anansi Boys.

The Emmy and Academy Award-winner will star in a six-episode adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 2005 popular novel of the same name, it was revealed today (April 7).

Featuring Malachi Kirby playing both leading roles of brothers Fat Charlie and Spider, the show tells the epic stories of a cast of characters, spanning the UK to Florida, the Caribbean, and mythical “World Before Time”.

The show’s official logline reads: “Anansi Boys follows Charlie Nancy – sometimes known as Fat Charlie (it was his father’s nickname for him; he’s not fat) – a young man who is used to being embarrassed by his estranged father. But when his father dies, Charlie discovers that he was Anansi: Trickster God of stories.”

It continues: “And he learns that he has a brother. Now that brother, Spider, is entering Charlie’s life, determined to make it more interesting – but making it a lot more dangerous instead.”

Goldberg’s Bird Woman, God of Birds, is the show’s primary antagonist.

Goldberg has said that she has “been a fan of this book for a very long time” and she did everything she could “to be part of it to help make people aware of Anansi and all his magic”.

Additional cast members include Delroy Lindo, Amarah-Jae St Aubyn, Grace Saif, Jason Watkins, Fiona Shaw, CCH Pounder, L Scott Caldwell, Joy Richardson, and Lachele Carl.

Gaiman is the series’ co-showrunner, writer, and executive producer, alongside executive producers Lenny Henry, Douglas Mackinnon, Hanelle M Culpepper, Hilary Bevan Jones, and Richard Fee.

Writers also include Henry, Arvind Ethan David, Kara Smith, and Racheal Ofori. Paul Frift serves as producer.

Anansi Boys is currently being filmed in Scotland and will premiere on Amazon Prime Video.