Posted in: Amazon Studios, Good Omens, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: amazon, good omens, Good Omens 2, neil gaiman, prime video

Good Omens 2: Neil Gaiman Defends Peter Davison, Ty Tennant Casting

On his Tumblr page, Neil Gaiman defended casting Peter Davison & Ty Tennant for Good Omens 2 and addressed hypothetical casting rumblings.

With only a little more than two months to go until Amazon's second season of its series take on Neil Gaiman & Sir Terry Pratchett's Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch hits our screens (otherwise known as Good Omens 2), Gaiman is finding himself in the odd position of having to defend two excellent casting decisions and two hypothetical casting decisions for a season that doesn't even exist. Yup, you read that right. Back in March, we learned that "Doctor Who" icon Peter Davison and Ty Tennant (HBO's House of the Dragon) had joined the cast of the David Tennant & Michael Sheen-starring series. Now, for those of you who don't know, Davison is Tennant's father-in-law (Tennant is married to Davison's daughter, actress Georgia Tennant), and Ty Tennant is Tennant's son. Well, someone on Gaiman's Tumblr page addressed the perception of nepotism that they claim some fans have been rumbling about on social media. And then there was the matter of reports that Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg – partners with Tennant & Sheen, respectively – would be joining the cast for a reported third season of the Prime Video/BBC streaming series. Once again, the individual addressed the issue of nepotism but also added the concern that their casting – long with Tennant & Sheen – would take viewers out of the series and thinking of the series they all star in together (Staged) too much. Well, Gaiman addressed those "concerns" – beginning with some background on how Davison & Ty Tennant earned their roles and then following up with more than enough points to end the conversation.

"I thought we were lucky to get Peter Davison in 'Good Omens 2.' (He didn't audition. We offered him the part, as I've been a fan of his since 1978, and 'All Creatures Great and Small.' He crushes it and is heartbreaking, funny, and still somehow the moral compass of the episode he's in)," Gaiman began his response. "Ty Tennant auditioned, along with a number of other actors, and got the part because he did it best. (I didn't know who his family was when we cast him. I just liked the audition tape.)" From there, Gaiman goes on to proudly offer another example of family connections before

"I'm sorry you're worried about Peter and Ty's performances, although I promise you have nothing to worry about, and I'm sorry that you worry that our possibly casting Georgia and Anna in a hypothetical and not-yet actually a real thing Season 3 might make people think of 'Staged' and make them not able to enjoy 'Good Omens' any longer. (Had I known people were this easily shaken I wouldn't have appeared in Staged either, in case my name at the front of 'Good Omens' shattered the fragile illusion and revealed to people that the David Tennant and Michael Sheen who play Crowley and Aziraphale are actors)," Gaiman continued, making the point that we're talking about actors and acting – that taking on different roles and portraying different characters is literally what they do for a living – and this shouldn't be any different. And then, Gaiman offers a very relevant "cautionary tale" about how wrong fans can be when they assume that they know who should portray who.

"Starting in 2017, I was the recipient of mind-mangling quantities of Tumblr abuse for casting David Tennant and Michael Sheen as Aziraphale and Crowley, which was, many people made very clear to me, the worst casting in the whole entire utter history of casting, and something that 'Good Omens' would never recover from, because for a start neither of them looked like the versions in people's heads, and I'd also miscast them badly because everyone knew that if you had to cast Sheen and Tennant, Michael had to play Crowley and David had to put on some weight and play Aziraphale. (It wasn't until May 2019 that people stopped grumbling)," Gaiman shared as a reminder. But, hey… if nothing else? If you're one of those "people worrying I'm going to cast Anna and Georgia in a season that hasn't even been commissioned in parts that haven't been written," you're brining a smile to Gaiman's face. Here's a look at the post:

Good Omens 2: Here's a Look at What's Ahead

Set for July 28th, the six-episode second season explores storylines that go beyond the original novel to continue the adventures of our favorite angel & demon. Having been on Earth since The Beginning, and with the Apocalypse thwarted, Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and Crowley (David Tennant) are getting back to easy living amongst mortals in London's Soho when we rejoin them this season. Until an unexpected messenger presents them with a rather surprising mystery. Along with new key art, we also have the very unique "announcement video" that was released in honor of the novel's anniversary…

Returning with Tennant & Sheen for the season is Jon Hamm as the archangel Gabriel, Doon Mackichan as the archangel Michael, and Gloria Obianyo as the archangel Uriel. Returning in new roles are Miranda Richardson as demon Shax, Maggie Service as Maggie, and Nina Sosanya as Nina – with new faces Liz Carr as angel Saraqael, Quelin Sepulveda as angel Muriel, and Shelley Conn as demon Beelzebub helping to round out the cast. Of course, Gaiman & the team weren't going to roll out the big announcement in any kind of ordinary way – not when they can collaborate with superfans Hilly & Hannah Hindi (The Hillywood Show) for a fan-funded parody video that sees Gaiman tapping into his "master thespian" skill and the season premiere date officially revealed:

Gaiman continues as executive producer and co-showrunner along with executive producer Douglas Mackinnon, who also returned to direct all six episodes. Rob Wilkins of Narrativia, representing Pratchett's estate, John Finnemore, and BBC Studios Productions' head of comedy Josh Cole also executive produce, with Finnemore serving as co-writer alongside Gaiman. Amazon's Prime Video series Good Omens is based on the beloved internationally best-selling novel by Pratchett and Gaiman, with the upcoming season produced by Amazon Studios, BBC Studios Productions, The Blank Corporation, and Narrativia.

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