STARZ much anticipated series American Gods, adapted from the works of Neil Gaiman, announced today that Orlando Jones (Evolution, MADtv, Drumline) will be portraying fan favorite character, Mr. Nancy.

Aggressors, at long last we have our Mr. Nancy! As you well know, I’m a huge fan of the book and I’ve been speculating on who would do the role justice since the series was announced. What actor would be talented enough to step into the 8 shoes of the trickster god himself, Anansi the spider? I had an idea that Orlando Jones would be great in the role then, and I am delighted to say that I can’t wait to see him in the series!

Orlando Jones is well known for his work in television and film, and his impressive online presence – he is known for engaging with his fans far more than many actors of his caliber and in 2015 he was awarded MTV’s “King of Fandom” for the same reasons. I can hope that we will be seeing more of the same when he takes his turn as the storytelling Mr. Nancy.

In American Gods, Mr. Nancy is one of the oldest gods brought to America and his relationship with Shadow is definitely a compelling one. Mr. Nancy is actually the ancient African trickster god, Anansi the Spider, and indeed his character was so well beloved in the novel American Gods, that he later went on to star in his own story. The aptly named, Anansi Boys, is set in the same universe as American Gods but can be read without too many spoilers for the up and coming television series.

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Demore Barnes will be playing Mr. Ibis in the upcoming Starz series “American Gods”

other name to the growing Pantheon, Demore Barnes (12 Monkeys) will be filling the role of Mr. Ibis. Ibis is the ancient Egyptian deity, Thoth – the god of knowledge and writing, and these days he is running a funeral parlor in Cairo, Illinois.

Aggressors I know, it’s spectacular storytelling, even Mr. Ibis would think so. In fact, when he is not working at his funeral parlor, Mr. Ibis writes short stories in his spare time and I can think of no better creator of short stories than the god of writing, can you?

Jones and Orlando will be joining Ian McShane (Game of Thrones, Deadwood) and Ricky Whittle (The 100) to bring to life Neil Gaiman’s award winning novel American Gods – the story of immigrants in American and all the gods they brought with them to start new lives.

All of the casting news coming out of Starz about American Gods has made me beyond excited, I’m practically vibrating with anticipation. As a fan of the book and all of Neil Gaiman’s work, I cannot wait to see these characters come to life!

Stay tuned for more American Gods news as it unfolds!

 

ABOUT >> Gwendolyn Reza
  • ACCOUNT NAME >> gwendies
  • BIO >> Gwendolyn Reza is a lifelong science fiction and fantasy lover based out of San Francisco, California. She loves books, both comic and otherwise, punk rock and all things wild.
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