Adapting Neil Gaiman books seems to be a popular business at the moment. We have Bryan Fuller’s American Gods TV series for Starz and the star-studded radio play of Neverwhere, Sandman is on-again, off again (last word was that Joseph Gordon-Levitt had dropped out of the film production), children’s story Fortunately, The Milk is also on its way to the screen, and The Graveyard Book is reportedly due a movie. Now, it looks like another book will make the transition across the medium, with Gaiman’s co-penned book with the late great Terry Pratchett reportedly on its way to the screen in the form of a 6-part series.
Having already been adapted for Radio 4 in 2014, the story already has prior form, although its path to the screen has been an unlikely one. Gaiman previously quashed any rumours that he would adapt the novel, saying he would only do so with Pratchett. But a letter written by Pratchett and given to Gaiman posthumously has given him the green light, so now the project is going ahead, with Gaiman himself penning the script.
Gaiman’s first novel, Good Omens presents a more comedic approach to the apocalypse, telling of the coming of the birth of the Antichrist and all this entails. However, Earth-dwelling angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley have become accustomed to the life they lead in the mortal world in rural England, and do their best to stop it.
Mixing Gaiman’s classical fantasy sensibilities with Pratchett’s gleefully irreverent sense of humour, it’s something we’ve been secretly hoping would see the light of day for a while now, and we’re pleased that it’ll apparently get the chance to hit the small screen, with Gaiman’s involvement making us even more confident.
You can buy Goon Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett from Amazon now. For more news about the latest TV series, pick up the new issue of SciFiNow.
