After years of stalled attempts at adapting Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s novel Good Omens, the pair’s 1990 story about an angel and a demon attempting to prevent the end of the world is finally headed to the screen — and it has one heck of a cast assembled to tell the story.
Joining the star-studded group is Parks and Recreation and Fargo vet Nick Offerman. The actor is taking on the role of the U.S. Ambassador, Variety reports. In the book, his character is the father of Warlock, a boy mistakenly believed to be the Antichrist. It sounds like an awkward position to be in, so perhaps there is no one better than Offerman to bring it to screen. The actor is, as Gaiman pointed out, among the best at deadpan delivery.
“He’s a terrific performer and has to say a lot of things in Good Omens that are humanly impossible to deliver with a straight face,” Gaiman told Variety. “Fortunately, Nick is not entirely human.”
For his part, Offerman is as thrilled about his casting as Gaiman is. The actor said he is “still giggling at the luck of it.”
That luck includes getting the chance to work with Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Baby Driver), whose casting was revealed in October. The Amazon and BBC Two miniseries also star David Tennant (Doctor Who, Jessica Jones) and Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex, The Special Relationship), who are set to play the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale, respectively.
Gaiman and Pratchett’s tale chronicled the efforts of Crowley and Aziraphale to sabotage the impending apocalypse due to their affinity for life on Earth among humans. After learning of the birth of the Antichrist — the herald of the end of the world — the unlikely partners are determined to prevent the prophecies of the “End Times” from coming true and preserve their comfortable existence on Earth.
The adaptation of Gaiman and Pratt’s novel will unfold over six episodes and is already in production. The series is directed and executive produced by Douglas Mackinnon, who won an Emmy for directing 2016’s Sherlock: The Abominable Bride television movie and also directed episodes of Doctor Who and Outlander.
The miniseries will premiere on Amazon Prime in 200 countries in 2019, and will later air on BBC Two in the U.K.
Updated on March 7: Added Nick Offerman’s casting.
