Playing Bird Woman in the Amazon adaptation

Whoopi Goldberg has been cast as Bird Woman in the Amazon Studios adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel Anansi Boys.

The six-episode series stars Malachi Kirby and is  set in contemporary London – although the story stretches to Florida, the Caribbean, and the mythical World Before Time.

The series is currently filming in Scotland and will premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

It revolves around Charlie Nancy who, on his father’s death. discovers he was the trickster god Anansi. While Goldberg’s role of Bird Woman, God of Birds, is one of the show’s key antagonists.

She 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.

Goldberg joins a newly announced cast playing the rest of the animal gods from the World Before Time including Hakeem Kae-Kazim  as Tiger; Emmanuel Ighodaro as Lion; Cecilia Noble  as Elephant; Ayanna Witter-Johnson as Snake and Don Gilet.

Gaiman, who is also co-showrunner on the new series said: said: "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.’

Other previously announced cast includes Jason Watkins, Fiona Shaw and Delroy Lindo.

Published: 7 Apr 2022