It’s a good time to be a Neil Gaiman fan! Good Omens has been renewed for season 3, while The Sandman is currently filming its second batch of episodes. Meanwhile, a Prime Video adaptation of Gaiman’s Anansi Boys is reportedly on the way. But when is it actually coming out?
Neil Gaiman’s 2005 novel Anansi Boys tells the story of Charles “Fat Charlie” Nancy, a Londoner who finds out that his late father was actually the trickster god Anansi. Charlie also finds out that he has a twin brother he never knew about, and the novel follows the two brothers as they learn about their heritage.
In May 2020, Prime Video announced that it was adapting Anansi Boys into a six-episode miniseries. The book had previously been optioned for a BBC series, but that series was never produced, and parts of it were incorporated into Starz’s adaptation of American Gods.
Now, though, Anansi Boys is actually in the works. In October 2023, Neil Gaiman told a fan on Tumblr that production was finished, and VFX work was being done on the series.
What’s the plot of Anansi Boys?
Right now, there are no details on any ways that the plot of the Prime Video adaptation might diverge from the book. We can assume that the series will more or less follow the same story as the novel.
Who’s in Anansi Boys?
Since production is finished, we have a more or less full cast list for Anansi Boys. Malachi Kirby will play the parts of Charlie and his identical twin brother, Spider. Delroy Lindo will play Mr. Nancy—a.k.a. Anansi. Whoopi Goldberg will play Bird Woman, a spirit who agrees to help Charlie and Spider.
The following cast members are also confirmed:
- Lachele Carl as Miss Noles
- L. Scott Caldwell as Mrs. Dunwiddy
- Don Gilet as Monkey
- Emmanuel Ighodaro as Lion
- Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Tiger
- Yvonne Mai as Kayla
- Cecilia Noble as Elephant
- CCH Pounder as Mrs. Higgler
- Joy Richardson as Mrs. Bustamonte
- Grace Saif as Daisy Day
- Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn as Rosie Noah
- Fiona Shaw as Maeve Livingstone
- Jason Watkins as Grahame Coats
- Ayanna Witter-Johnson as Snake
When is Anansi Boys coming out?
There’s been no word on a release date for Anansi Boys. However, with production having finished up several months ago, a release window of 2024 seems likely.
(featured image: Neilson Barnard/Getty)
