According to Variety, Michael Sheen (Passengers) is slated to play the meticulous angel Aziraphale, while David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame) will play the demon Crowley in the Amazon adaptation of Good Omens.
The miniseries will consist of six one-hour episodes, written by Neil Gaiman.
Written by Neil Gaiman (American Gods) and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch takes place in 2018 when the Apocalypse is near and Final Judgment is set to descend upon humanity. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, and tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan — except a somewhat fussy angel, and a fast-living demon are not looking forward to the coming war, and someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.
“I first read Good Omens as a teenager and it’s been one of my favorite stories ever since,” Sheen said in a statement to Variety. “To be part of the team entrusted with bringing it alive on screen is a bit of a dream come true to be honest. To work alongside Neil, who I think is one of the greatest storytellers of all time, is incredibly exciting. And, just like the rest of the world, I’m a huge fan of David’s so I relish trying to save it with him.”
“Almost 30 years ago,” explains Gaiman when the series was first announced, “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 11-year-old Antichrist… It became many people’s favorite book. Three decades later, it’s going to make it to the screen… I just wish Sir Terry were alive to see it.”
Good Omens has had a long road to adaptation since being published in 1990. A film, directed by Terry Gilliam, was planned back in 2002 with a rumor that Johnny Depp was cast as Crowley and Robin Williams as Aziraphale.
In 2011, it was reported that a television adaptation may be produced, with Terry Jones (Monty Python) and Gavin Scott (The Mists of Avalon) were in talks to write an adaptation.
Good Omens was finally adapted as a radio drama by BBC Radio 4 in 2014, with Peter Serafinowicz (The Tick) and Mark Heap in the cast.
