How about my avatar for Anansi ?
patrick trueman from british soap - Eastenders
He's got a lovely Carribean voice too
The other choices are absatively spot on

This is just my taste fellas, but I would love to see Grahame Coats played by the guy who played Shaun in 'Shaun of the Dead.' I think he could play serious and then cheezy sleaze bag at the drop of a green fedora. I agree with the aforementioned Mos Def as Spider. I see Rosario Dawson more as Daisy. Not realy as Rosie. What would you guys think if Neil, himself, made a cameo maybe as one of the animals at the Beginning of the World. Like Monkey...maybe...what do you think?

o m g Cab Calloway = the perfect Anansi, and mos def = the perfect spider...

did someone already suggest Jeffrey Wright as Fat Charlie?



of course, since this pic is from Shaft it's after Fat Charlie became Charlie

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I'm going to respond to this assuming most of the main characters are black. But I'd like some confirmation on that. It never says it actually but there are pretty strong indications, like most of the white people are described as "white". Maybe it's Gaiman's sly stab at the common practice of white authors mentioning black characters as black but white characters aren't mentioned as white.

Anansi:
Eddie Murphy, Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington (washington would be amazing. He's very funny if he wants to be, and has that air of danger. Anansi has to be goofy but dangerous at the same time), Bernie Mac would be good too.

Charlie:
Chiwitel Ejiofor ( I need to think about this some more) Terrence Howard with a British accent maybe.

Spider:
I like Mos Def but there are others. Jamie Foxx would be great for Spider. Chris Rock could play either.

Rosie:
Sophie Okenedo, Rosario Dawson

Daisy:
Naomie Harris, Thandie Newton

Graham Coats:
Ricky Gervais, Rowan Atkinson, whose that really great comic who cross dresses but's not gay......

Rosie's Mom:
Eartha Kitt

And what about Mrs Livingstone? I kept picturing Ellen Burstyn in Requiem For A Dream...

Okay, can we get more of an age reference here? I feel like some people are just throwing out names of black actors and actresses for no reason other than to entertain the thought.

Charlie, Rosie, Daisy, and Spider are in their late 20's/early 30's.

Livingstones are middle-aged.

Everyone else, besides extras and minor characters, are just old.

Now that we have that clear, Charlie is a dupe in the beginning and a "fly guy" in the end. If you think within that frame, suddenly actors like Chris Rock and Denzel Washington are just totally inappropriate, no?

But whatever, it's all in speculation and good luck if they make this movie. I think it would make an amazing film. Also, Mos Def simply IS Spider. There is no debate about it! ^^

Quite a few good suggestions have been put up here. Not yet sure who I would cast, a friend and I who worked together once spent about a month coming up with various ideas on casting every character ever present in the Sandman series as well as ways to interpose various eople as Morpheus himself with interludes and different directors for different storylines. Casting Gaiman should not be taken lightly.

What I am concerbned about is the fact that no one seems to know who Lenny Bruce is. I am speechless...

Lenny Bruce

I'd like to join the movement for Morgan Freeman as Anansi...he's a great actor, he's old enough and he has a TON of charm. And any actor playing Anansi has got to have charm in spades! Can I see him singing karaoke and putting the moves on young blondes? You bet I can!
PS: Hi. I'm new.

I took this picture a year ago... and then I was reviewing it... and I thought "omg that's anansi."

I don't know about a cast... but morgan freeman is ok... i guess... i don't knwo. =-\

I listened to the recorded version of this book read by Lenny Henry and I just can;t imagine anyone else being Fat Charlie.

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quote:

Graham Coats:
Ricky Gervais, Rowan Atkinson, whose that really great comic who cross dresses but's not gay......

Eddie Izzard?

I've always pictured Anansi as Morgan Freeman. Or the other way around.

I'd say...
Charlie: Noel Clark - British, and wide-eyed innocence.
Spider: DB Woods, cool and smooth
Graham: Ricky Gervais, excellent; or Philip Seymour Hoffman
Rosie: Aisha Taylor
Rosie's mum:Eartha Kitt

i say lenny henry as both fat charlie and anansi, mos def as spider, and chris morris as graham coates, watch him in the IT crowd and you will agree.

The above poster who suggested that Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje play Tiger had it right on. If you have any doubts, check him out in Oz. Wow. If you could have anyone from all time play Ananasi i think the absatively perfect choice without a doubt would be Redd Foxx. The man IS ananasi. Also what about Damon Wayans for Spider? I know he's a bit old and not british... ahh nevermind Eddie Murphy if he were younger would be great for the part to. I was thinking that Tim Curry would be great as Graham Coates... but i'm rereading it and realized that Graham is rather short, something that Mr Curry while being great for the part, is not.

I will suggest:

Daisy: Allison Mack



Rosie's mother: Sigourney Weaver

Maeve Livingstone: Jamie Lee Curtis

Grahame Coats: Terry O'Quinn (Locke in Lost)

How about......

Anansi:James Earl Jones

Charlie:Mos Def

Spider: Chris Rock

Rosie: Halle Berry

Daisy: Vivica A. Fox

Graham Coats:John Cleese or Ricky Gervais

I always pictured Coats being in his fifties, but on thinking about it, Gervais would make a good villian. Simon Pegg was a great villian in that episode of Black Books he was in, too. Gaiman's said that it was always Lenny Henry's voice he had when he wrote Charlie, but I'd have thought he's getting too old to play him.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Sorry, can't spell for toffee) would be a fine Charlie, or Spider (he can play good or bad) and for me, Mos Def saved H2G2 from disaster (or simply from Sam Rockwell, whatever you prefer), so I'd be more than happy to see him play one of the brothers.

Anansi = Morgan Freeman, Harry Belafonte, (It's a shame Roscoe Browne kicked it),

Fat Charlie = Donald Faison

Rosie = Essence Atkins

Daisy = Kimberly Brooks

Spider = Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Grahame Coats = John Cleese

Callyanne Higgler = Ja'Net Dubois


That's it for me.

Adrian Lester (Primary Colors) as Charlie
John Cleese as Graham Coats
Mos Def as Spider
thats all I have.

i imagined both spider and fat charlie to be neil. except wearing different clothes.
bit odd that. but still.