Post-production on Prime Video‘s TV limited series based on Neil Gaiman‘s novel Anansi Boys is moving right along.
Gaiman recently responded to a question about the show’s status on Tumblr. “The episodes were ‘picture locked’ while I was on strike, and the VFX work is now being done,” the author wrote. Production on Anansi Boys began in late 2021 and wrapped in mid 2022. At the time, Gaiman explained that post-production would likely take a while. Since he is a writer on the show (in addition to being the author behind the original novel), Gaiman was unable to work on Anansi Boys during the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike from May 2023 to September 2023.
What is Anansi Boys about?
Spinning out of Gaiman’s novel American Gods, Anansi Boys focuses on the son of the African spider god Anansi. Charlie Nancy, who will be played by Malachi Kirby in the TV adaptation, is a gentle, bumbling Englishman who is unaware of his godly heritage until shortly after his father’s funeral. He discovers he has a magical, mischievous brother called Spider, who will also be portrayed by Kirby in the series. The series will not cross over with the TV adaptation of American Gods.
The gods in the cast of Anansi Boys also include Tiger (Hakeem Kae-Kazim), Lion (Emmanuel Ighodaro), Elephant (Cecilia Noble), Snake (Ayanna Witter-Johnson), Monkey (Don Gilet), and the Bird Woman (Whoopie Goldberg). Delroy Lindo will portray Anansi himself.
On the human side, the show also stars Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn as Rosie Noah, Grace Saif as Daisy Day, CCH Pounder as Mrs. Higgler, Jason Watkins as Graham Coates, and Fiona Shaw as Maeve Livingstone.
Gaiman is co-showrunner on Anansi Boys, alongside Douglas Mackinnon. Both will also serve as executive producers, with Hilary Bevan Jones, Richard Fee, Lenny Henry, and Hanelle M. Culpepper. Prime Video has not yet announced a release window for the series.