Orlando Jones Talks About Neil Gaiman And Mr. Nancy’s Return In Anansi Boys
Orlando Jones is excited at the prospect of once again playing the African trickster god, Mr. Nancy, in a TV adaptation of the American Gods sequel.
Among the many colorful characters in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, one stands out more vibrantly than the rest. Mr. Nancy is an African trickster spider god, to be played by the most excellent Orlando Jones.
The character of Mr. Nancy mines the deep vein of West African myth that we never get to see on mainstream TV. Many Americans are wholly unfamiliar with these are narratives and characters, so Jones is very excited to share it all with us.
Check it out!
Anansi Boys
Anansi Boys weaves together related West African myths and folktales. In it, Gaiman tells the story of Mr. Nancy’s death and his estranged sons’ struggle to come to terms with his legacy. Orlando Jones and Mr. Nancy go way back. As he told Vanity Fair,
"I was born in Mobile, Alabama—the real home of the Mardi Gras. Anansi is one of those characters that survived the Middle Passage, began in western Africa, and made his way here and really proliferated throughout the southern United States. The Spider God, the Trickster God was part of stories that my great-grandfather would tell me …. He would tell me about the Trickster God and Dr. Buzzard—this guy who lives on this island who supposedly would grant all your wishes. I began hearing them from my great-grandfather when I was around seven, eight years old. Not in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever get to play one of them—but Anansi’s a huge character in African folklore, and African-American folklore as well."
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (Image by Morit Chatlynne/personal library)
The Return of Mr. Nancy?
So will we see a TV adaptation of Anansi Boys? Jones spilled to Vanity Fair that before getting the part of Mr. Nancy in American Gods, showrunners Michael Green and Bryan Fuller
"called me and asked me about playing the character and walked me through what they were thinking, [and] part of the discussion at that time was Anansi Boys, and that they wanted to spin it off and pursue that character."
Because of that and Gaiman’s recent first look deal with FreemantleMedia, I’m pretty certain we will see more of the original trickster god on the small screen.
Next: American Gods Teasers Show Shadow Moon And More
Orlando Jones and I have a prayer for the gods of entertainment, both old and new. Please bless us all with a TV adaptation of Anansi Boys. Loki is overexposed. We need more Mr. Nancy and more African stories.