Though she spends more of her screen time these days voicing opinions on US talk show The View (and occasionally getting into hot water for it), Whoopi Goldberg still keeps her hand in on other TV and movies. And now she's joining the already-impressive cast of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys adaptation.
Anansi Boys follows Charlie Nancy (Malachi Kirby) – 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 (Delroy Lindo). But when his father dies, Charlie discovers that he was Anansi: Trickster God of stories. And he learns that he has a brother. Now that brother, Spider (also Kirby), is entering Charlie’s life, determined to make it more interesting—but making it a lot more dangerous instead...
Goldberg will be Bird Woman, a key antagonist in the series. She’s the embodiment of birds. Not just beautiful stately birds in flight. Anyone who’s had a close encounter with a seagull knows that some birds are more dangerous than others, and Bird Woman is the most dangerous of them all. Long ago Anansi did her wrong. Now may be her chance to turn the tables.
“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,” Goldberg says.
And Gaiman confirms that: "When I first conceived Anansi Boys, decades ago, I imagined Whoopi Goldberg as Bird Woman," he says. "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."
Goldberg is just the tip of the latest casting iceberg for the show, which Gaiman is running alongside Omens' Douglas Mackinnon.
Hakeem Kae-Kazim will be Tiger. He’s still angry with Anansi for stealing the stories, for making fun of him, and for coming out on top. Tiger (it’s the name of any Big Cat in the Caribbean) is a dangerous enemy to Anansi and all his bloodline.
Emmanuel Ighodaro is Lion. He’s proud and noble and has no time for Anansi. Cecilia Noble, meanwhile, has been cast as Elephant. She’s old and wise, and hates Anansi. Ayanna Witter-Johnson has scored the role of Snake. She’s beautiful and deadly and hates Anansi.
Finally, Don Gilet will play Monkey. He’s terrified of Anansi, keen on food—particularly fruit—and has the attention span of, well, a monkey.
Anansi Boys is shooting now in Scotland but doesn't have a launch date set for Prime Video just yet. Goldberg also recently revisited one of her iconic roles, playing Guinan on Star Trek: Picard's second season.