Neil Gaiman, co-author of Good Omens and now showrunner, joined the Amazon Prime Showcase panel at San Diego Comic-Con and brought forth some news about the new series including a behind-the-scenes featurette and the voice of God.
The upcoming series is based on the best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, which ees The End of the World is nigh. This means a fussy Angel and a loose-living Demon who’ve become overly fond of life on Earth are forced to form an unlikely alliance to stop Armageddon. But they have lost the Antichrist, an 11-year-old boy unaware he’s meant to bring upon the end of days, forcing them to embark on an adventure to find him and save the world before it’s too late.
After a teaser for Season 2 of The Tick, the focus was turned to Gaiman’s upcoming Good Omens and naturally attendees assumed they would be treated to a trailer. However, a voice came down from the heavens and the voice of God belonged to none other than Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). “Do not show any footage, we have talked about this,” the voice said.
Gaiman responded with, “If i don’t show them something, there will be riots. There will be blood on the floor, possibly mine.” Thankfully, the voice of God relented and allowed a one and a half-minute long featurette to be shown which featured concept art, behind the scenes action, and interview with actors Michael Sheen, David Tennant, and Jon Hamm. In addition to this featurette, attendees were also treated to a short scene between Sheen and Tennant, who play angels Aziraphale and Crowley, about how Tennant’s character fell from heaven. After the end of the videos, McDormand’s voice spoke once more. “You’ve earned a place in Heaven,” she said. “I’ll have my people talk to your people.”
During the panel, Gaiman relayed how he managed to nab the recently Oscar-winning Frances McDormand. Apparently she had called Gaiman to borrow his house in Scotland, and Gaiman jokingly “blackmailed” her that she could have the house if she played God, as he knew from the star the role had to be played by a woman.
The series stars Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex), David Tennant (Doctor Who), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Adria Arjona (Emerald City), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter), Jack Whitehall (Bad Education), and Michael McKean (Better Call Saul).
The six-part adaptation will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in 2019.
