‘Good Omens’ Finds Its Good, Evil Leads in David Tennant, Michael Sheen
Comedy fantasy series based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is set to debut in 2018
Carli Velocci | August 14, 2017 @ 4:35 PM
Last Updated: August 14, 2017 @ 4:37 PM
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Ready to send out the end of the world in style and with humor? The two leads for the “Good Omens” television adaptation have been cast.
David Tennant, best known for “Doctor Who” and “Jessica Jones,” will play Crowley, a demon who was responsible for making Eve eat the apple and is Hell’s representative on Earth. Michael Sheen, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his starring role on Showtime’s “Master of Sex,” will be playing Aziraphale, an angel.
The casting was confirmed by Neil Gaiman, who co-authored the book that the series is based on. The news was first reported by Variety.
You go down to the bottom of the garden to write, and leave your phone behind, and then something like this happens. #GoodOmenshttps://t.co/RYDgwy6Ph7
The other author, Terry Pratchett, died in 2015 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Gaiman originally wasn’t going to continue working on the adaptation, which, at one point, was conceived as a TV movie. However, he received a posthumous letter from Pratchett urging him to keep going. Gaiman is now also serving as the series’ showrunner and lead writer.
“Almost thirty years ago, Terry Pratchett and I wrote the funniest novel we could about the end of the world, populated with angels and demons, not to mention an eleven-year-old Antichrist, witchfinders and the four Horsepeople of the Apocalypse. It became many people’s favorite book. Three decades later, it’s going to make it to the screen. I can’t think of anyone we’d rather make it with than BBC Studios, and I just wish Sir Terry were alive to see it,” Gaiman said at the time of the series’ announcement.
The 1990 comedic novel, which is set at the end of the world and involves a prophecy, two angels and a mix-up involving the Antichrist, will be adapted into a six-part miniseries set to debut in 2018.
BBC Studios is co-producing the series with Narrativia (the independent company that holds the rights to Pratchett’s works) and The Blank Corporation, in association with BBC Worldwide for Amazon Prime Video and the BBC.
One of Gaiman’s other novels, “American Gods,” was also recently given the TV treatment, with an eight-episode first season on Starz. The show is set to return for a Season 2. In addition, “Hamilton” producer Jeffrey Seller and his producing partner Flody Suarez are producing an adaptation of Gaiman’s “Interworld” for Universal Cable Productions.
8 Questions We Need Answered in 'American Gods' Season 2 (Photos)
The first season of "American Gods" was full of strange moments as gods both ancient and modern revealed themselves as living among mortals. But after eight episodes, there are plenty of dangling threads we're still waiting to see completed. Here are eight questions we want "American Gods" to answer when it comes back in Season 2.
Starz
8. What is Bilquis’ role in the war? The New Gods have successfully recruited love goddess Bilquis, and in the Season 1 finale, Technical Boy seems to send her to take on Wednesday and (probably more likely) Shadow. Do they intend for Bilquis to try to seduce either the Old God or his bodyguard to take them out of the war? It seems pretty likely that if anybody is in Bilquis’ sights, it’s Shadow.
Starz
7. What’s Mr. Wednesday’s goal? He’s readying for a war with the New Gods, but what does that even really mean? Mr. Wednesday seems to suggest that war is coming, war is already here, and that war is inevitable, but after a while you’d think maybe some of the other gods might ask, “What’s in it for you?” If we think back to the very first “coming to America” story of the series, in which Vikings fought each other just to appease their god, the answer may well be that Odin wants war for war’s sake.
Starz
6. What happens when Salim finds the Jinn? They had a passionate night together and the Jinn managed to improve Salim’s life significantly by giving him a fresh start. But what happens when the mortal finally catches up with the demigod? Seeing as things don’t always go so well for the mortals (or for several gods) on “American Gods,” one has to wonder if this is going to be a happy ending.
Starz
5. Is Mad Sweeney falling for Laura? Sweeney wants his lucky coin back, but it’s powering Laura’s undeadness. In the finale, we saw an important, character-building moment in which Sweeney willingly gave the coin back to Laura so she could pursue trying to get herself permanently resurrected. But what did that mean for the two of them in the future? Shadow has said he’s over Laura, but she’s apparently not going anywhere -- and in fact, she's more drawn to Shadow than ever thanks to supernatural forces outside of her control.
Starz
4. What’s it going to take to save Laura? After a tough finale episode and a tangle with the pavement, Laura lost that lucky coin that brings her to life. But Mad Sweeney returned it to her, with the plan of getting her to Easter and getting Laura permanently resurrected. That plan didn’t work out, since there are greater rules of being-killedby-a-god at play. So what’s it going to take to bring back Laura, and is that even possible? With the rate the flies are circling, it’s a valid question to ask whether Laura is actually doomed to die — permanently this time.
Starz
3. What’s the deal with Shadow? It’s obvious there’s more going on with Shadow than we’ve been told so far. What’s with the gold glow, and why are all the gods concerned with him? Fans of the “American Gods” novel from which the show is adapted know there’s more to Shadow than meets the eye, but we’ll have to wait to see what direction “American Gods” takes in Season 2.
Starz
2. Who, or what, is the Buffalo (and also the Orchard of Bones)? In addition to being a target of the gods when he's awake, Shadow has been having some weird dreams. He's repeatedly pulled into a strange orchard made of bones, where he's greeted by a huge buffalo with flaming eyes. We know the buffalo is voiced by Ian McShane, but does that mean it's Mr. Wednesday, getting into Shadow's head? Or is there another god trying to make contact with Wednesday's man?
Starz
1. When’s Audrey coming back? Laura and Shadow’s best friend is also among the show’s funniest characters. Audrey also has shown herself to be one of the most interesting non-god characters to show up on the show so far, especially when interacting with undead Laura. “American Gods” left Audrey mostly out of its first season, except for a couple great appearances — hopefully she’s a bigger, funnier part of Season 2.
Starz
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We know a lot about where the gods came from, but not a lot about where they’re headed
The first season of "American Gods" was full of strange moments as gods both ancient and modern revealed themselves as living among mortals. But after eight episodes, there are plenty of dangling threads we're still waiting to see completed. Here are eight questions we want "American Gods" to answer when it comes back in Season 2.
Starz
Starz
