Amazon’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s fantasy novel Good Omens premieres in May, but a new trailer for the six-part series offers a preview of the end of the world as we know it — and it looks better than fine.
The limited series is a co-production of Amazon and BBC Studios and stars Masters of Sex actor Michael Sheen and former Doctor Who star David Tennant. Sheen and Tennant play the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley, respectively, who team up in order to prevent Armageddon from ruining the lives they’ve grown accustomed to on Earth.
Good Omens is penned by Gaiman and directed by Douglas Mackinnon (Sherlock, Doctor Who), with the former serving as showrunner. Along with Sheen and Tennant, the cast of the series is comprised of Jon Hamm as Archangel Gabriel, Anna Maxwell Martin as Beelzebub, Josie Lawrence as the witch Agnes Nutter, and Adria Arjona as Nutter’s modern-day descendant. Additional supporting cast members include Michael McKean, Jack Whitehall, Miranda Richardson, and Nick Offerman.
Although they aren’t expected to appear in the series in character, Frances McDormand and Benedict Cumberbatch play the voices of God and Satan, respectively.
A multiple award winner when it was published in 1990, Gaiman and Pratchett’s original novel was titled Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. The book went on to be included in various lists of the best fantasy novels ever published and was subsequently adapted for both radio and as a stage play. The six-part radio adaptation of the story was broadcast in December 2014, with Mark Heap and Peter Serafinowicz playing the lead roles.
A big-screen adaptation of Good Omens was rumored for years but stalled out over time in the development phase.
Gaiman first announced he was penning the series in 2016, a year after the death of Pratchett. Reluctant to take on the series without his co-author on the novel, Gaiman was convinced to do so in a letter Pratchett wrote him before his death, urging him to work on the project without him.
Good Omens will launch May 31 with all six episodes available on Amazon Prime Video.
