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Good Omens 3 Director Talalay Offers Silver Lining to 90-Minute Finale

Prime Video's David Tennant & Michael Sheen-starring Good Omens 3 director Rachel Talalay offered a silver lining about the 90-minute finale.



Article Summary

  • Good Omens 3 director Rachel Talalay says the 90-minute finale brings a tighter, more cohesive story to Prime Video.
  • Talalay admits losing six hours of material hurts, but says the film keeps focus on Aziraphale, Crowley, and the mystery.
  • Co-writer Peter Atkins reveals Good Omens 3 was first written as a six-episode season before being distilled into one finale.
  • The shift to a 90-minute Good Omens 3 ending came amid wider context around Neil Gaiman's reduced role and personal/legal issues.

With less than three weeks to go until the final chapter of Prime Video's David Tennant and Michael Sheen-starring adaptation of Neil Gaiman and the late Sir Terry Pratchett's Good Omens hits our screens, we've been getting a chance to hear from some of the folks who worked some amazing magic to transform a six-hour final season into a final, 90-minute film. Of course, we're talking about Good Omens 3 co-writers Michael Marshall Smith and Peter Atkins, and director Rachel Talalay. For this go-around, Talalay spoke with SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend about what went into maintaining the series's core vision, even while trimming so much story.

"I was involved in taking it down to the 90. That was producer-driven to start with. There's something really, really great about the 90 minutes. I mean, of course, I'm heartbroken that bits and pieces of the six hours will not be filmed. But at 90 minutes, we can just focus on one incredibly strong story. Sometimes with six parts, you just go off [on a tangent], and it's fun, but often I hear people say, 'You know, I didn't like that episode as much because it wasn't really about [the main characters]," Talalay shared.

The director continued, "Now, I love those random things, but we didn't have space for that. So it became a very much a cohesive story. People I've talked to who have seen the 90 minutes have said how brilliant it is that it became one really strong, cohesive story. So yes, I would have liked to have done the random bits and pieces of comedy. It's really random bits and pieces of comedy that dropped out for a story that concentrates on those things that I talked about – a really good, strong mystery, the Second Coming, and Aziraphale and Crowley."

Good Omens 3 Official Trailer: Heaven & Hell Can't Keep Them Apart
GOOD OMENS 3 (Image: Prime Video Screencap)

Now that he's free to discuss the finale, Atkins took to Bluesky to officially introduce himself and to let everyone know exactly how much script-writing magic Smith and Atkins had to pull off to go from a season to basically an extended special episode. "The IMDB page having been updated, I'm finally allowed to say that I'm 1 of the 3-person writing team on [Good Omens 3]. We wrote a full 6-episode season & then distilled it down to the 90-min. finale, which is full of fabulous actors in the directorial hands of the equally fabulous [Rachel Talalay]."

Good Omens 3
Image: Prime Video

Here's a look at Atkins post, introducing himself as one of the co-writers of the big wrap-up:

The IMDB page having been updated, I'm finally allowed to say that I'm 1 of the 3-person writing team on #GoodOmens3. We wrote a full 6-episode season & then distilled it down to the 90-min. finale, which is full of fabulous actors in the directorial hands of the equally fabulous @racheltalalay.com

Peter Atkins (@peteratkins.bsky.social) 2026-04-17T21:57:45.736Z

Good Omens 3 picks up where the ineffable story left off in Season Two as the beloved and unlikely duo – angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley return to face their most epic and personal adventure yet. Their millennia-long friendship has been fractured ever since Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) accepted the offer to return to Heaven, leaving Crowley (David Tennant) behind. Now, as the newly appointed Supreme Archangel, Aziraphale is tasked with overseeing the Second Coming, a monumental responsibility that weighs heavily on him, and is made worse when his plans cause some consternation among the other angels. Meanwhile, heartbroken Crowley finds himself at rock bottom, wandering the streets of Soho.

As the fate of the universe hangs in the balance, Aziraphale and Crowley must confront their relationship, heal old wounds and rediscover their bond. From navigating London's gangsters to thwarting Hellish threats, they face personal betrayals and the complexities of their own emotions in this timeless expedition. Together, they must decide whether their friendship – and the world itself – is worth saving. Also reprising their roles are Doon Mackichan as Michael, Gloria Obianyo as Uriel, Liz Carr as Saraqael, Paul Chahidi as Sandalphon, Quelin Sepulveda as Muriel, and Sir Derek George Jacobi as The Metatron. Bilal Hasna joins the cast as Jesus. Rob Wilkins of Narrativia, representing Pratchett's estate, and BBC Studios Comedy's Chief Creative Officer, Josh Cole, serve as executive producers alongside Rachel Talalay, who directs the finale. Sarah-Kate Fenelon and Chris Newman serve as producers.

Good Omens 3 Director Talalay Offers Silver Lining to 90-Minute Finale
Image: Prime Video

The decision to end the series with an extended episode came after reporting over the course of the past year from Tortoise Media, NY Magazine, and Vulture, which cited allegations of abuse by a number of women against Gaiman. Gaiman has denied anything non-consensual, with a Variety piece reporting that same month that Gaiman had contributed to the writing of Good Omens 3 but would not be involved with the production and would not be listed as an executive producer on the finale.

As reported by Bleeding Cool in October 2025, US District Judge James D. Peterson dismissed Scarlett Pavlovich's 2025 lawsuit against Gaiman, accusing him of sexual assault and human trafficking, citing that the case should be litigated in New Zealand, where the alleged events were alleged to have occurred, instead of Wisconsin. The court made clear it was not evaluating the truth of the allegations. After the decision was rendered, Pavlovich's legal team filed a motion to appeal. It's important to note that the case was dismissed without prejudice, giving Pavlovich the opportunity to refile in New Zealand. Should Gaiman refuse to be legally served, the case could be moved back to the U.S. and reopened. Gaiman has recently returned to social media to once again deny the allegations.


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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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