When Amazon announced that Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's beloved Good Omens was going to be adapted into a series written by Gaiman himself the internet went a little wild. For years both the authors and fans alike had dreamed of seeing the book adapted for the screen, and now it is finally becoming a reality. Unfortunately, Pratchett died in 2015, but with his blessing, Gaiman will helm what is sure to be a faithful (and very funny) adaptation.
The book takes place days before the apocalypse, with a demon and an angel wondering if they really want to bring about the end of the world after growing quite comfortable with their lives on earth. Also, they may have misplaced the Antichrist. And he may just be an ordinary boy who wants to stay in his small town with his gang of friends.
It's a hilarious misadventure full of unlikely allies, lessons about nature vs. nurture, and literal hells angels. Keeping in mind its status as a TV series, we picked the actors we would most like to see in Amazon/BBC's take on Good Omens. Since the source material (and humor) are both very British, we felt it only right to cast Brits in these parts.
Here is Good Omens: Casting The Amazon TV Show.
15. Warlock Dowling - Levi Miller
Warlock Dowling is the young boy everyone thinks is the Antichrist, but because of a mix-up caused at the hospital, he is really just an ordinary child. The angel and demon duo Crowley and Aziraphale do not know this until Warlock's eleventh birthday. They spend years shaping the boy's personality for what they believe will be his future.
As the son of the American Cultural Attache in London, Warlock has a very comfortable, if confusing childhood. He is influenced by both Crowley and Aziraphale in different forms, hoping to sway him to either the side of the angels or the devils in the upcoming war.
Levi Miller played Peter in the 2015 film Pan and is also set to play Calvin in the upcoming A Wrinkle in Time. Fans of Supergirl will recognize him as Cat Grant's (Calista Flockhart) son Carter, where he showed off his funny precociousness. He would be a good fit in the role of the kid who is raised to special, but in the end really isn't.
14. Adam Young - Louis MacDougall
Adam Young is the eleven year old boy at the center of Good Omens. He is the Antichrist, but has grown up in a small town in England away from influences, evil or otherwise. He has power without ever knowing it, but it mostly consists of protecting his small group of friends and providing his town with temperate weather conditions. Everyone from Crowley and Aziraphale to the four horsepeople are trying to warp Adam to their will.
Unlike Warlock, Adam is the chosen one, but he was not brought up to think he was anything but a regular child. This gives him a fierce independent streak and his own ideas about right and wrong.
Louis MacDougall appeared in Pan alongside Miller, but really broke out this year in A Monster Calls. His performance as a young boy dealing with his mother's death earned near unanimous praise. His ability to carry a film lends itself perfectly to a role in Good Omens as a child who has to stop the adults around him from ending the world. TV would also be a good place for MacDougall to grow and learn more as a budding actor, giving him a chance to develop a character over several episodes rather than a couple hours.
13. War - Natalie Dormer
War is one of the four horsepersons of the apocalypse who come to bring about the end of the world in Good Omens. In human form, she appears as a war correspondent named Carmine "Red" Zuigiber. She is admired and fought over by men and women alike, but has no regard for people. She considers humans mere playthings and takes joy in leaving destruction in her wake wherever she goes.
In Good Omens War is described as, "beautiful, but in the way forest fires were beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, not up close". This brings to mind a certain former queen of Westeros, Natalie Dormer. As Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones, Dormer had a bewitching charm and scheming agenda she used to win marriage to both both Joffrey and Tommen Baratheon. Dormer has an unconventional beauty and dangerous streak (as shown in her role on Elementary) that would make her a great choice to play War. Dormer is a person you could believe countries would come to bloodshed over.
12. Famine - Andrew Scott
In Good Omens, Famine appears as a "pleasant, successful businessman". On earth he goes by the name Dr. Raven Sable. He is always looking for creative new ways to deprive humans of nutrients. His methods include creating the latest dieting fads, inventing new French minimalist cuisine, and selling fast food that contains no actual food ingredients to the government.
Andrew Scott is Irish, but is too good to not consider for the part of Famine. As Moriarty on Sherlock he has proved his ability to play a character who is deliciously evil and who enjoys being so. He seems like the guy who would relish (pun intended) turning his position as a harbinger of the apocalypse into a lucrative business deal. Scott has the ability to disappear into his roles, which would be perfect for the moment when the horsepeople shed their human appearances and take on their actual forms.
11. Pollution - Stephen Merchant
Pollution has taken over for Pestilence, who has retired. He is less defined than his fellow apocalypse-bringers and does not have much of a human form or personality outside of his duty. He goes unnoticed because that's how his powers work; you don't realize something has gone wrong until there's a problem-- like an oil spill. He mostly enjoys just making things dirty and generating waste.
Stephen Merchant would be great for Pollution due to his physicality alone. Playing a character who is mostly ignored or only given a casual glance would be funny to see from someone so tall and gangly. Merchant skulking about in corners with trash around his ankles is a particularly funny image. He is also a talented and funny actor, director, and writer so he would be another triple threat who would be of great overall value to Good Omens. With his experience on the British version of The Office and Hello Ladies we already know he has great comedic timing combined with an awkwardness that's bound to make people laugh.
10. Death - Naveen Andrews
Death is the least human of the riders of the apocalypse. In appearance he looks not unlike the Grim Reaper with a skeletal face and a voice that sounds like, "a cold slab of sound, grey, and dead." Unlike his partners, who take human forms and engage in human pursuits, Death is hard at work 24/7. He is the most serious and respected of the horsepeople (with good reason).
Naveen Andrews has an onscreen presence that would make him perfect choice to play Death. He has both a seriousness about him and charm that seem necessary for the role. As Jafar on Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and to some extent with his role on Lost, Andrews has explored this villainous side. This role would really give him a chance to embrace that side in a larger than life way. Just give him a long black jacket and let his chilling voice do all the rest.
9. Sergeant Shadwell - Stephen Dillane
Sergeant Shadwell is one of the two last remaining members of The Witchfinders Army (and possibly its only true believer). He is an antisocial and grumpy man, who wants nothing to do with witches or the supernatural. Of course this means he gets swept up in stopping the apocalypse alongside Crawley, Anathema, and Madame Tracy.
Shadwell is a reluctant participant in preventing the end of the world. Who better to play a man with a gruff demeanor and mistrust of magic than Stannis Baratheon himself, Stephen Dillane? Despite his actions that wouldn't win him any father of the year awards on Game of Thrones, Dillane was a fan favorite. It would be nice to see Dillane take on a lighter, funnier role. Plus Good Omens would give him a chance to participate in a show he might actually enjoy being a part of. (Dillane said Thrones was, "pretty brutal" and "too tough" for him to watch.)
8. Madame Tracy - Carmen Ejogo
Madame Tracy is a woman of many jobs and talents, including acting as landlady (and basically receptionist) for Shadwell and the Witchfinder Army. Most of the time (except for Thursdays) she is a medium, helping clients speak to their departed loved ones. She gets involved with preventing the end of the world when Aziraphale takes over her body after losing his own earthly form. A patient and understanding woman, Madame Tracy is able to convince Shadwell to help Aziraphale and Crowley stop the four horsepeople of the apocalypse.
Carmen Ejogo was most recently seen as Seraphina Picquery, the president of the Magical Congress (MACUSA) in Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them. Despite her limited role in the film, Ejogo brought gravity to the character and has a monumental onscreen presence. She would give Good Omens some serious credibility. It would also be hilarious to see Ejogo acting like Ayoade, as Aziraphale temporarily takes over Madame Tracy's body. She definitely has the skill to pull it off.
7. Hastur & Ligur - Hugh Laurie & Stephen Fry
Hastur and Ligur are demons who serve as Dukes of Hell. They are sent down to earth first to give the Antichrist to Crawley, and later to punish him for misplacing said Antichrist. They don't trust Crawley or believe he acts the way a real demon should.
Hastur and Ligur come to earth together and act as a pair so it seems only fitting that another duo should play them. Hugh Laurie (best known for his role in House) and Stephen Fry (recently seen in Bones among many other things), are comedic actors with a long history. The actors are friends who had a 1990s sketch comedy show together called A Bit of Fry & Laurie. They have also starred side-by-side on a number of other TV shows. It would be hilarious to see these men as demons, causing acts of evil and making you laugh as they do it. It would fit the dark humor of Good Omens quite nicely.
6. Sister Mary Loquacious - Hayley Atwell
Sister Mary Loquacious is a member of the Chattering Order of St. Beryl. The nuns of this order must speak every thought that comes into their heads ceaselessly.
Sister Mary also happens to be a Satanist, and one with an important job-- she must place the Antichrist in the care of the American Cultural Attache as part of a plan that has been shaped for years. However, there is a mix up and the bumbling nun accidentally leaves the Antichrist with an ordinary British family, away from any demonic influences.
Sister Mary Loquacious is not the brightest of her order, but she does mean well. It would be great to see Hayley Atwell cast as Sister Mary because it is unlike anything we've seen in her do before. Atwell is known for playing the very competent and tough Peggy Carter on Marvel's short lived Agent Carter and most recently a reformed party girl/first daughter on the also short lived Conviction.
Fans of Atwell have come to love her for her characters as well as her fun loving off-screen (watch any of the videos from dubsmash wars she took part in to see for yourself). Playing a more comedic part would allow Atwell to show off another side while also giving her a role in a show that's almost sure to not be canceled.
5. Newt Pulsifer - Matthew Lewis
Newt Pulsifer is a guy just looking for some excitement in his life. He decides to join the Witchfinder Army in hopes it will keep him active and give him something to do, not realizing what the job really entails. Things also get a little complicated for him when he ends up meeting a real (cute girl) witch and ends up realizing their histories may be intertwined in more ways than one.
Newt is a lovable nerd who just happens to get swept up in preventing the apocalypse. Dev Patel would make a wonderful Newt, but with his Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated performance in Lion, he may be too famous now to play a supporting role on television. Matthew Lewis, of Harry Potter fame, would make a good alternative. We already saw him play the lovable geek who helps save the day as Neville Longbottom, but this time we would get to see him more involved in the action, rather than on the sidelines.
4. Agnes Nutter - Louise Brealey
Agnes Nutter is the witch who wrote The Nice and Accurate Prophecies. It is the only book to correctly predict the events leading up to the apocalypse, but since she only wrote about her direct descendants, it isn't much help to anyone outside of Anathema. Agnes does not appear in the main story itself, but acts as more of a narrator and guide.
While Agnes is not part of the events that take place during Good Omens, her presence is felt all the same. Louise Brealey would make for a great Agnes because she already has experience playing a character who doesn't always get her due as Molly Hooper on Sherlock. Giving Brealey the role of the woman who accurately predicts the end of the world (and helps save the day) would give her the chance to shine. Brealey also has Gaiman experience: she previously appeared in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Good Omens as Sister Mary Loquacious.
3. Anathema Device - Anna Popplewell
Anathema Device is a distant descendant of Agnes Nutter and a witch herself. She is the owner of The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, a book with vague but true predictions about the end of the world and the events leading up to it. It is Anathema's job to decipher these predictions with help from Newt.
Anathema is an intelligent and strong-willed young woman who is invested in her family's history (and saving the world) through Agnes' book. With her experience as the eldest Pevensie daughter in The Chronicles of Narnia films and as Lady Lola on the CW's historical drama Reign, Anna Popplewell has both the heart and the quiet strength to play Anathema. The role would allow her a chance to break out of period costumes and play a more modern character. Good Omens would also provide Popplewell with a chance to reach a wider audience and become more of a household name.
2. Crowley - Riz Ahmed
Crowley is a demon who is has grown to enjoy his life on earth. He drives around a 1926 black Bentley, he has a luxuriously furnished apartment, and his idea of wreaking havoc is causing traffic jams (fair). Over time, Crowley has developed a friendship with Aziraphale, an angel. As they decide to work together to prevent the end of the world, their odd-couple relationship provides much of the book's humor.
In Good Omens, Crowley is described with "dark hair" and "good cheekbones" so obviously Riz Ahmed comes to mind. Sure his star is rising after appearing as the Imperial-pilot-turned-rebel Bodhi Rook in Rogue One, but that hasn't stopped him from working in TV. He starred in The Night Of, was last seen in Netflix's The OA, and is also set to appear in the final season of Girls. Playing Crowley would give Ahmed another chance to show off his charisma and stretch his funny bone.
1. Aziraphale - Richard Ayoade
Aziraphale is Crowley's angelic counterpart, another being who has found comfort in his life on earth. He is described as "English" and "intelligent" with a fierce love of books. In fact, Aziraphale owns a bookshop, but it is more of a place to keep his personal collection than an actual place of business. He always seems reluctant to work with Crawley, but mostly because he doesn't want to admit how much he really needs (and likes) the demon.
Actor, writer, and director Richard Ayoade has the perfect disposition to play Aziraphale. From his role playing Moss on The IT Crowd, we know he has the droll sense of humor and the intelligent geekiness down. It's easy to imagine Ayoade wanting to stop the end of the world because he would rather stay on earth with his books. His shyness would make a great foil for Ahmed's swagger. It would be enjoyable watching the two banter back and forth about the problems of humans and the meaning of life. You know, normal friend stuff.
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Good Omens will premiere on Amazon Prime in 2018.
Who would you like to see as the dramatis personae of Good Omens? Let us know in the comments.