It’s happening. Good Omens is coming to a TV near you.
Okay, it’s safe to say that this one has us excited. Neil Gaiman has confirmed that he is adapting his 1990 collaboration with Terry Pratchett for the small screen. Hell, and indeed, yeah!
Despite having previously ruled out adapting the novel without Pratchett’s input, Gaiman has confirmed that he will be writing the script for the adaptation. So, why the change of heart? Well, unlike previous about-faces in the entertainment industry, when previous etched-in-granite refusals have been overturned (Stone Roses reunion tour, I’m looking at you), it wasn’t about CASH. Rather, Pratchett asked Gaiman to do it without him.
Gaiman had persuaded BBC Radio 4 to adapt Good Omens in 2014, with both authors having cameo roles. Gaiman said at the time that he did it because: “I want Terry to be able to enjoy this while he’s still able to.” In one of their last meetings before Pratchett’s death last year, he urged Gaiman to adapt the book for TV. Gaiman refused, recalling his reaction:
“Absolutely not. Terry and I had a deal that we would only work on Good Omens things together. Everything that was ever written – bookmarks and tiny little things – we would always collaborate, everything was a collaboration. So, obviously, no.”
It was only after Pratchett’s death that Gaiman received a letter his friend had written for him, intending it to be delivered posthumously. In the letter, Pratchett asked Gaiman to write an adaptation by himself, with his blessing. “At that point, I think I said, ‘You bastard, yes,’” Gaiman recalled.
So, Good Omens, previously failing to make it to the big screen despite a Terry Gilliam pitch to Hollywood to make it a Johnny Depp vehicle, will now become a six-part TV series. No word on when or what network at this early date, but the most likely candidates are probably the BBC, given their history of adapting Pratchett’s books into audio format, and Sky, who produced three well received TV adaptations of Discworld novels a while back. More on this as and when we know anything.
[goes off into corner; squee’s self half to death; hopes there’ll be another two Moist von Lipwig adaptations coming up]
Source: The Guardian
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