There’s only a couple months left until American Gods premieres, but already another of Neil Gaiman’s properties is coming to television. Amazon Studios has announced it has acquired his and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens novel to adapt as a miniseries. It will premiere in 2018 on Prime Video for six episodes and will be released globally and exclusively on Amazon.
BBC is teaming up with Narrativia and The Blank Corporation to bring the series to life. Gaiman is set to produce with Narrativia’s Rod Brown and Rob Wilkins with Doctor Who‘s Caroline Skinner and Fleabag‘s Chris Sussman. Gaiman will also write the miniseries himself.
“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,” said Gaiman. “It became many people’s favourite 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.”
John Lewis, Amazon’s Head of Comedy and Drama, also made a statement, saying: “Spanning not only the universe but also the entirety of time, Neil Gaiman has created a story that may be the largest ever told on television. We’re excited to be working with BBC Studios to bring Neil and Terry Pratchett’s incredible book to life and to Prime members everywhere.”
Sussman, Head of Comedy for BBC Studios, added: “Good Omens has always been one of my favourite books, and it’s hugely exciting not just to be able to bring it to life, but to do so with scripts from Neil Gaiman himself. It feels like a good time to be making a comedy about an impending global apocalypse.”
The synopsis for the Good Omens novel reads:
According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch – the world’s only totally reliable guide to the future, written in 1655, before she exploded – the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just after tea…
People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons – well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel – would quite like the Rapture not to happen.
And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist…
Originally published January 19, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
