The pantheon from The World Before Time continues to grow. Amazon Studios has revealed thatWhoopi Goldbergwill be joining the cast ofAnansi Boys, the upcoming adaptation of the belovedNeil Gaimannovel 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 theAnansi Boysnovel, 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 conceivedAnansi 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 theGood Omensteam at New York Comic Con. At which point she mentioned that she had just finished listening to Sir Lenny Henry’s reading ofAnansi 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.”
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Anansi Boys, which starsMalachi Kirbyin 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, includingHakeem Kae-Kazimas Tiger,Emmanuel Ighodaroas Lion,Cecilia NobleasElephant,Ayanna Witter-Johnsonas Snake, andDon Giletas 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-announcedAmarah-Jae St. Aubyn,Grace Saif,Jason Watkins,Fiona Shaw,CCH Pounder,L. Scott Caldwell,Joy Richardson, andLachele Carl. Gaiman andDouglas Mackinnonserve as co-showrunners, and as executive producers alongside
