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NYCC: Neil Gaiman gives ‘Good Omens 2’ release info and promises love stories
Michael Sheen also had his zoom appearance crashed by both David Tennant and Jon Hamm.
Ineffable things are afoot once again. Neil Gaiman has already adapted his co-written novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch into a miniseries, and Douglas McKinnon directed the delightful affair. Good Omens was better than we ever could have hoped, but what we didn’t dare hope for was a second season. Good Omens 2 is coming nonetheless.
The original novel was co-written by the dearly departed Sir Terry Pratchett, but it has no sequel. How will this streaming series continue the story? Gaiman and McKinnon came to New York Comic Con 2022 today to tease the upcoming Amazon streaming series, alongside author (and longtime Pratchett collaborator) Rob Wilkins. SYFY WIRE was there to brace for another armageddon.
The panel presentation included Gaiman (executive producer and writer), McKinnon (director), Wilkins, and returning actors Maggie Service (Sister Theresa Garrulous), Nina Sosanya (Sister Mary Loquacious), and incoming Season 2 addition Quelling Sepulveda (Muriel). Service and Sosanya will not reprise their roles from the first season; they will be playing new characters.
Because of the pandemic, this is one of the first times that this crew has been able to get together and publicly celebrate the show. Sosanya and Service are thrilled to be returning, and Sepulveda is equally happy to be joining the world of the show. She was a fan of the show already, and said that being on set was like “an out of body experience.” Working with series leads Michael Sheen (Aziraphale) and David Tennant (Crowley) was a big deal.
The magic hasn’t dimmed for Sosanya; as she said, “It’s magic to step into a book.” Gaiman pointed out that Sosanya was originally cast as Sister Mary because she wasn’t “trying to be funny.” Gaiman noted this to the casting directors, telling them “this is what we want.” Casting for the leads was not as straightforward as some think, as it turns out. Sheen was originally meant to play Crowley, until Gaiman saw Tennant. He realized that he wanted Sheen to play Aziraphale instead, opposite Tennant as Crowley. Wilkins pointed out, “Neil Gaiman is Crowley,” when asked about the original book inspiration, and Gaiman talked about how Pratchett worked on the character in the beginning.
“Terry took the things that I did that he thought were hilarious, like wearing sunglasses indoors when I didn’t need to…” Gaiman said. “...he put a lot of me into Crowley.” He added that both Pratchett and Gaiman had both Crowley and Aziraphale inside of them.
Wilkins is more than happy to carry on the legacy of Pratchett. “I want to bring Terry to set every day, but it’s not a difficult task…” he said, adding, “…it’s my job to be there just for Terry.” McKinnon noted that Pratchett’s presence had not dimmed on set at all. His hat and scarf are still hung up in Aziraphale’s book shop.
Who are Sosanya and Service playing this time around? Gaiman named their new characters “Maggie” and “Nina” because he knew that he wanted to bring both actors back from the start. The names did not change. “They quite liked being Maggie and Nina,” Gaiman said, with McKinnon joking, “I think it was a bit lazy.”
“Writing Maggie and Nina was an absolute dream,” Gaiman said. Maggie is the owner of a record shop, which is located right next to Aziraphale’s book store. Nina owns a coffee shop called “Give Me Coffee Or Give Me Death” and it is located close to Maggie’s shop. “You get all sorts,” Sosanya said of her character. “She’s not afraid of dealing with people.”
Sepulveda will be playing “an angel called Muriel” in Good Omens 2, according to Gaiman. “One thing we didn’t have in heaven… were any nice, well-meaning angels. All we had were bastards,” he said, in terms of the first season. “Muriel has spent about 6,000 years or more in the same office, in heaven… just filing things, reading things… but Muriel is very well meaning.” Sepulveda referred to her as both “gullible” and “chatty.”
As for the story, Gaiman joked that “it’s about six episodes.” Aziraphale and Crowley are both confirmed to return of course.
“There are some love stories in it,” Gaiman teased. “You will learn a lot about Jane Austen that you didn’t know before. There’s a lot more heaven, there’s a lot more hell.”
Though the journey of Miranda Richardson’s character concluded, Gaiman didn’t want to lose Richardson. “So I just wrote a new part for Miranda,” he said. She will now play a demon who is sent to Earth to “replace” Crowley.
A clip from the series was shown, though it was exclusive to those in the room. Sosanya featured in it, as did a new character called “Mrs. Sandwich” played by Donna Preston (Despair in The Sandman). Muriel also shares a scene with Aziraphale where she enjoys “a quick look at a cup of tea” before Crowley walks in, still upset with his plants.
Based on this clip alone, it is very clear that fans will be more than satisfied. The magic is still there, and it might be stronger than ever.
Sheen himself appeared via Zoom, but he wasn’t alone. Tennant crashed his party, and the audience went berserk. “I’m the Doctor,” Tennant said, much to the annoyance of Sheen. Jon Hamm (Gabriel) also joined via video, touting his “brand recognition in America.”
The three of them went crazy with banter, though Sheen added how important the spirit of Pratchett was to the series. Before they vanished, Hamm spilled that Gabriel will walk “nude down the street” in the second season.
Good Omens 2 will drop in the summer of 2023. The first season is streaming on Amazon Prime right now.
Click here for all of SYFY WIRE’s continuing overage of New York Comic Con 2022.
Looking for more fantasy adventure? The entire Harry Potter film saga is streaming now on Peacock.
