Nearly thirty years ago, authors Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett teamed up to write the funniest novel they could about the end of the world. The result was Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, a book that spans the universe and the entirety of time, featuring angels, demons, a preteen Antichrist, witchfinders, and the Four Horse(people) of the Apocalypse. Good Omens is now set to become what "may be the largest story ever told on television", as Amazon Studios has given the greenlight to a six-part limited series adaptation of the novel.
Gaiman has written the adaptation himself and will serve as showrunner. The story
takes place in 2018 when the Apocalypse is near and Final Judgment is set to descend upon humanity. According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.
So 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 Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming war. And… someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.
As BBC Studios' Head of Comedy Chris Sussman says, "It feels like a good time to be making a comedy about an impending global apocalypse."
Good Omens will be co-produced by BBC Studios, Narrativia, and The Blank Corporation, in association with BBC Worldwide. The series will premiere on Amazon Prime Video sometime in 2018, and will also be broadcast on the BBC in the UK.
Gaiman