Long-Awaited American Gods Spinoff Anansi Boys Gets Update From Neil Gaiman – Armessa Movie News

Prime Video’s long-awaited television adaptation of the American Gods spinoff novel Anansi Boys has gotten a new update from original author Neil Gaiman. Following the story of the twin sons of the Ghanaian trickster god Anansi, or Mr. Nancy (previously played by Orlando Jones in Starz’s American Gods adaptation), filming on the new show officially began in January 2022. However, updates regarding its progress have been sporadic.

On Thursday, Deadline reported that former Good Omens co-showrunner Douglas Mackinnon also reportedly exited Anansi Boys in November last year just as it entered post-production. Despite the setback of losing Mackinnon, Gaiman had some positive news regarding the project’s progress when a fan recently reached out to ask about the upcoming show.

Pointing out that filming on Anansi Boys was being filmed at the same time as Good Omens season 2, Gaiman was asked if he had any further news regarding the show’s release date. While the author did not provide a concrete response, he did reveal that the show’s episodes were “picture locked” while he was recently on strike with the Writers Guild of America, and the show is now having its visual effects completed.

Will Anansi Boys Continue Neil Gaiman’s Streaming Television Streak?

Between the overwhelming successes of shows like Prime Video’s Good Omens and Netflix’s The Sandman, adaptations of Gaiman’s works are quickly coming to dominate the landscape of streaming television. Already lauded as one of the most successful fantasy authors of the modern age, studios and streaming services are increasingly turning toward Gaiman’s impressive back catalog to mine for their next potential hit.

While various attempts at bringing his work to the screen have had varying degrees of success over the years, with many projects like the original plans for a Sandman movie famously stalling for decades, more recently Gaiman seems to be increasingly bouncing from one streaming success to the next. It is a trend that has also been significantly buoyed by his own direct involvement in some of the latter and more successful projects, which helped to ensure far more faithful interpretations of his original concepts.

With Gaiman both co-writing and having served as co-showrunner with Mackinnon before his own departure, it would seem Anansi Boys has the potential to continue his impressive streak of successful shows. Moreover, his decision to co-write the series with comedian Lenny Henry, who originally helped inspire the story and also provided the narration of the official audiobook, promises audiences an interesting addition to Gaiman’s ever-growing list of shows.

Source: Neil Gaiman/Tumblr, Deadline