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It took a little while for Sandman visionary Neil Gaiman to make the transition from top comic book writer to accomplished novelist and hot Hollywood property, but the man who reinvented the four-colored wheel has finally hit the ground running in the often-times kooky world of Hollywood with such hits as American Gods, Coraline, Stardust and Lucifer now forever etched into the bedposts of studio moguls. A new notch has recently been added with the upcoming Amazon Studios’ adaptation of Gaiman’s popular fantasy novel Anansi Boys. Life is good for this prolific wordsmith, and according to our pals over at The Hollywood Reporter, it just got a whole lot better with the casting of two stalwart actresses in leading roles for Anansi Boys.
Actresses extraordinaire Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn (Lovers Rock, Small Axe) and Grace Saif (Night Out, The Visit) will be rounding out a stellar cast which includes the likes of the always phenomenal Delroy Lindo and Malachi Kirby in Amazon’s new six-part adaptation of Anansi Boys.
Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys is a fantasy about two separated brothers who have no idea of one another’s existence. It turns out their father is Mr. Nancy, an incarnation of a West African trickster god who goes by the moniker of Anansi. The story itself is a loose continuation of Gaiman’s earlier American Gods.
In a press release announcing the casting of Saif and St. Aubyn, Anansi Boys brain-trust Neil Gaiman said that “When you are casting something on the scale of Anansi Boys you need female leads who are as accomplished, charming, and brilliant as, well, Malachi Kirby in both his incarnations. Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn and Grace Saif are those women. (They’re) both funny, honest, brilliant actresses, and you will fall in love with both of them.”
Anansi Boys is currently shooting in Scotland and is being executive produced by a bevy of talent including Neil Gaiman, Sir Lenny Henry, Douglas Mackinnon, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Hilary Bevan Jones and Richard Fee. Gaiman will appropriately enough also serve as one of the show’s scribes alongside Sir Lenny Henry. On top of that, Gaiman will also serve with Douglas Mackinnon as a showrunner for the six-part series. The brilliantly named Hanelle M. Culpepper (it’s a name out of Dickens, don’t you think?) is signed to direct the pilot.
We’re looking forward to Anansi Boys in our little corner of the world, and we hope all of you True Believers are, too! Keep your eyes peeled to this space for news on an official release date for this Amazon Studio’s extravaganza!
