Whoopi Goldberg, a legend of stage and screen, continues to choose interesting projects. According to a press release provided to The Root, the award-winning actress has been cast as the Bird Woman in Prime Video’s Anansi Boys. The View co-host joins previously announced stars Delroy Lindo, Malachi Kirby, L. Scott Caldwell and CCH Pounder in the six-episode series based on the Neil Gaiman novel.
Per the official synopsis, Kirby is Charlie Nancy, “a young man who is used to being embarrassed by his estranged father. However, after his father dies, “Charlie discovers that he was Anansi: Trickster God of stories (Delroy Lindo). And he learns that he has a brother. Now that brother, Spider (also played by Kirby), is entering Charlie’s life, determined to make it more interesting—but making it a lot more dangerous instead.”
Bird Woman, God of Birds, “is the embodiment of birds,” both beautiful and dangerous. She has a score to settle with Anansi, which should lead to some fun scenes between Goldberg and Lindo. A mysterious elder who doles out advice or threats depending on the situation, is right in Whoopi’s wheelhouse–so we know she’ll make this one a scene-stealer. Like most Gaiman stories, this all sounds wild and fantastical, but once you dive into the world it begins to make slightly more sense.
“When I first conceived Anansi Boys, decades ago, I imagined Whoopi Goldberg as Bird Woman,” Neil Gaiman, who serves as co-showrunner, writer and an executive producer on the series, said in a statement. “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.”
Fans of the Starz series American Gods will remember Orlando Jones’ unforgettable entrance and portrayal of Anansi. Let’s be honest, the reduction in his character’s storyline and subsequent exit signaled the beginning of the end for American Gods. But now we get more of Mr. Nancy’s fascinating journey, and the legendary Delroy Lindo is bringing him to life.