Whoopi Goldberg has officially joined Neil Gaiman’s series adaptation of his novel Anansi Boys as the antagonist Bird Woman. She’s set to star in the Prime Video series opposite Malachi Kirby (Curfew) and Delroy Lindo (The Good Fight).
“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 in a statement.
Bird Woman is considered an amalgamation of all birds and the embodiment of the species’, at times, threatening spirit. Per the official description, Goldberg’s God of Birds is the most dangerous bird of them all, and she does not like Anansi (Lindo), the trickster God of Stories.
“When I first conceived Anansi Boys decades ago, I imagined Whoopi Goldberg as Bird Woman,” says co-showrunner, writer, and executive producer Gaiman. “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.”
Goldberg’s role was announced along with a jungle full of other animals who will appear in the series. The official descriptions for each of them follows, per Deadline:
Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Hotel Rwanda) as Tiger. He’s still angry with Anansi for stealing the stories, for making fun of him and for coming out on top. Tiger—the name of any Big Cat in the Caribbean—is a dangerous enemy to Anansi and all his bloodline.
Emmanuel Ighodaro (The Queen and I) as Lion. He’s proud and noble and has no time for Anansi.
Cecilia Noble (The Lady in the Van) as Elephant. She’s old and wise, and hates Anansi.
Ayanna Witter-Johnson (The Collaboration) as Snake. She’s beautiful and deadly and hates Anansi.
Don Gilet (Sherwood) as Monkey. He’s terrified of Anansi, keen on food—particularly fruit—and has the attention span of, well, a monkey.
Wow, this Anansi—not a well-liked dude.
In addition to Kirby and Lindo, the rest of the cast is made up of Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Grace Saif, Jason Watkins, Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), CCH Pounder, L. Scott Caldwell, Joy Richardson, and Lachele Carl.
No release date has been set for the series.