It looks like Neil Gaiman's relationship with Amazon Studios just expanded a bit. Fresh off the announcement that Good Omens would be returning, another Gaiman story is headed to Prime Video. Amazon announced today that a limited series adaptation of Anansi Boys would begin filming in Scotland later this year.
If you're not familiar with the story, the bestselling novel follows: "Charlie Nancy, a young man who is used to being embarrassed by his estranged father. But when his father dies, Charlie discovers that his father was Anansi: trickster god of stories. And he learns that he has a brother. Now his brother, Spider, is entering Charlie’s life, determined to make it more interesting but making it a lot more dangerous."
Gaiman will, of course, serve as executive producer. Joining him will be Sir Lenny Henry, Douglas Mackinnon, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Hilary Bevan Jones (Endor Productions) and Richard Fee (Red Production Company). Gaiman and Mackinnon will serve as co-showrunners, with Gaiman and Henry writing the series. The writer's room will also include Arvind Ethan David, Kara Smith, and Racheal Ofori. In case you were wondering, this will not be a sequel or a spinoff to the recently canceled American Gods.
There was a rather long statement from Gaiman in today's press release from Amazon. Here it is: "Anansi Boys began around 1996, from a conversation I had with Lenny Henry about writing a story that was diverse and part of the culture that we both loved. I wrote a novel, an (I hope) joyous and funny book about a dead god and his two sons, about birds and ghosts and beasts and cops, based in Caribbean and African tales. It was my first number one NYT Bestseller, and went on to become a beloved and award winning book.
Anansi Boys as a TV series has been a long time coming -- I first started working with Endor and Red on making it over a decade ago. We needed Amazon Prime to come on board and embrace our vision, we needed a lead director with the craft and vision of Hanelle Culpepper, we needed the creative and technical wizardry of Douglas Mackinnon (who worked out how we could push the bounds of the possible to shoot a story set all over the world in a huge studio outside Edinburgh), and we needed the rest of the amazing talents that nobody knows about yet.
I am thrilled that Sir Lenny Henry is one of our executive producers. He was there when it was conceived, he narrated the audiobook and he has kept the heart of the production true.
We are trying to make a new kind of show with Anansi Boys, and to break ground with it to make something that celebrates and rejoices in diversity both in front of and behind the camera. I'm so thrilled it's happening and that people will be meeting Mr. Nancy, Charlie and Spider, the Bird Woman and the rest of them."
Since filming doesn't begin until later this year, we probably won't have any updates for a while. Check back for any casting news and first looks at they become available.
Photo Credit: Amazon Studios