Good omens

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Television series
German title Good omens
Original title Good omens
Good Omens.svg
Country of production United Kingdom
original language English
year 2019
Production
company		 BBC Studios
Narrativia
The Blank Corporation
length 51-58 minutes
Episodes 6th
genre Comedy , fantasy
Theme music Instrumental piece (David Arnold)
Director Douglas Mackinnon
idea Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett ( A good omen )
script Neil Gaiman
production Phil Collinson , Paul Frift , Josh Dynevor , Tim Bradley , Mike Treen
music David Arnold
camera Gavin Finney BSC ( DP )
cut William Oswald
Initial release May 31, 2019 on Prime Video

First publication in German		 May 31, 2019 on Prime Video
occupation
synchronization

Good Omens is a six-part comedy miniseries by the BBC in cooperation with Amazon Studios based on the 1990 fantasy novel A Good Omen by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman . Gaiman wrote the script himself after Pratchett gave him his posthumous blessing through a letter in his estate. Gaiman also oversaw the entire production as a showrunner . He also acted as managing director , a position he also shared alongside director MacKinnon with Pratchett's long-time manager and closest confidante Rob Wilkins.

The main roles were played by David Tennant (as the demon Crowley) and Michael Sheen (as the angel Erziraphael). The unlikely duo tearing in the Fantasy - Comedy together to them cherished Earth from the impending apocalypse to save. Other cast members include Anna Maxwell Martin , Jon Hamm , Benedict Cumberbatch (voice), Mark Gatiss , Derek Jacobi , Adria Arjona , Steve Pemberton , Michael McKean , Nick Offerman , Miranda Richardson and Nicholas Parsons . Filming lasted from September 2017 to February 2018. On May 31, 2019, the mini-series was first published worldwide in the online video library Prime Video . Public television broadcaster BBC Two began broadcasting on January 15, 2020.

The six-part series was nominated for three Saturn Awards (complete works, Tennant, Sheen) and three Emmy Awards (costumes, music, theme song) in the year of publication .

action

It is a very faithful adaptation of the novel by Neil Gaiman . The plot was moved from the year the novel was published (1990) to the year it was made in the film (2018). The main characters are the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale (Erziraphael in the German translation of the novel), who have got used to life on earth and together the end of the world and the last battle between heaven and hell (brought about by the coming of the Antichrist ) try to prevent.

background

Good Omens Panel iRd New York Comic Con (NYCC) 2019

Earlier attempts

Pratchett and Gaiman had planned a possible cinematic adaptation since the novel was published. Over the years they brought in various directors and scriptwriters, the respective projects repeatedly fizzled out. A script version of the novel lasted for several years and should be implemented in 2002 by Terry Gilliam . According to Gilliam, Johnny Depp and Robin Williams had already agreed to participate, but the necessary additional 15 million US dollars could still not be raised. In 2011 a television series penned by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott was announced, coverage of the collaboration ended at that point and no further projects in this regard were announced.

After Pratchett's death, Gaiman refused to try again without his friend and co-author. He only changed his decision when he received a letter from Pratchett's estate in which he encouraged him to complete the project and, if necessary, take the adaptation into his own hands.

production

After Pratchett had given him his explicit blessing posthumously through the found letter, Gaiman agreed to the adaptation. In January 2017, Amazon Studios announced that it would collaborate with the BBC and Pratchett's production company to produce a 6-part mini-series. Mini-series (serials) of six contiguous parts, each one hour long, is a very common format on British television. For German television, such mini-series are often cut into four-part pieces of 90 or occasionally three-part pieces of 120 minutes each.

Neil Gaiman wrote the script for his novel himself, he is also the showrunner and executive producer of the project. He repeatedly criticized the press for headlines like "Neil Gaiman's Good Omens" ( Variety ), recalling that it was not just his novel. Variety then changed the opening sentence of the online version accordingly.

In the summer of 2017 it was announced that David Tennant would play the demon Crowley and Michael Sheen the angel Erziraphael. Pratchett's spokesman and friend Rob Wilkins commented:

“I know that Terry would be over the moon. When we talked years ago about our dream cast of the two leading roles, David Tennant was there. "

Directed by Douglas Mackinnon, he also took over part of the management for the BBC. BBC Studios, The Blank Corporation (Gaiman's production company) and Narrativia (the production company founded by Pratchett has been in the hands of his daughter Rhianna since his death ) were responsible for production. The other managing directors were Gaiman himself and Narrativia Pratchett's assistant, manager and Friend Rob Wilkins (has always been responsible for Pratchett's official Twitter account “@terryandrob”).

Shooting began in September 2017 and lasted until February 2018, with post-production until the end of the year. The film was shot in South Africa, in and around London and in Surrey .

publication

Amazon secured the first publication right and will first show the mini-series worldwide via Prime Video from May 31, 2019. All six episodes were published simultaneously. The public service British Broadcasting Corporation (co-producer) then aired the six-part series in weekly episodes from January 15 on in the second program ( BBC Two ). BBC Worldwide will probably be responsible for the television premieres in other countries as well as the further marketing of the miniseries. The announcement of a German-language television broadcast is still pending. The series has been available on DVD in a German version since November 15, 2019. From the beginning, Amazon also made the trailer for the miniseries available in a synchronized version.

reception

Reviews

Good Omens was received very positively by the audience and critics. In its summary of 79 film reviews by internationally recognized reviewers, Rotten Tomatoes calculates an approval rate of 84% (“Fresh” seal of approval). The 79 reviews received gave an average of 7.15 out of 10 possible points / stars. In a consensus summary of the critics it says:

"A smörgåsbord of heavenly imagery and irreverent hilarity, Good Omens works thanks to Michael Sheen and David Tennant's very-nearly-holy (or maybe unholy?) Chemistry - though, at only six episodes long, it's a rare adaptation that may have benefited from being a little less faithful to the good book. "

- Rotten Tomatoes: Critical consensus

On Metacritic , 19 reviews collected resulted in an approval rate of 66%, the six-part group thus received the label "Generally Favorable Reviews" ( mostly positive reviews ).

A group of American fundamentalist Christians reportedly collected 20,000 signatures in a petition against the production and publication of the series by Netflix. The petition was part of a so-called "Return to Order campaign" ( return-to-order campaign ) of the unspecified organization. The signatories turned against content-related aspects of the program and criticized, for example, the “irreverent treatment of the program with topics such as Satanism and the devil” and the choice of a woman to speak the voice of God. The petition has since been removed from the website and put online again in a corrected version (not Netflix produced and published the series, but Amazon).

Awards

Saturn Awards ( 2019 ; TV block , streaming productions division )

  • Best Sci-Fi, Action or Fantasy Series ( Good Omens , nominated)
  • Best Actor (David Tennant, nominated)
  • Best Supporting Actor (Michael Sheen, nominated)

Primetime Emmys ( 2019 , Block Creative Arts Emmys , Costumes and Music )

  • Outstanding costumes for a fantasy or sci-fi production (Claire Anderson, Bobbie Edwards, Beth Lewis)
  • Outstanding new composition for a miniseries, a television film or a special (David Arnold)
  • Outstanding Theme Music (David Arnold)

Cast and dubbing

Stefan Krüger was responsible for the script and dubbing, while Sonja Müller was in charge of production for Splendid Synchron.

role actor Voice actor Role info Episodes
Crowley David Tennant Gerrit Hamann A demon (fallen angel) who has lived on earth since the beginning of time. Original name: Crawly ( creeper ). In the form of a snake, he seduced Eve of the biblical creation story to pick the apple from the tree of knowledge . 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Erziraphael ( eng.Aziraphale ) Michael Sheen Wolfgang Wagner An angel who, like Crowley, has lived on earth since its inception. In the novel, Erziraphael (Aziraphale in the original) was the angel who was charged with guarding the eastern gates to the Garden of Paradise. He and Crowley represent heaven and hell on earth. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Voice of god Frances McDormand Heath Bartholomew 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Adam Young ( Antichrist ) Sam Taylor Buck Jonah Kruger The Antichrist grows up free and undisturbed in a loving English family after the infant mix-up and develops into a kind-hearted boy by his eleventh birthday even without the intervention of Erziraphael and Crowley. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Pepper Amma Ris Sarah Tkotsch Them: Friends of Adam, later entourage of the Antichrist 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Brian Ilan Galkoff Finn Posthumus 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Wensleydale Alfie Taylor Ben Hadad 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Madame Tracy Miranda Richardson Karin David Part-time medium and courtesan 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
(Though-Shalt-Not-Commit-) Adultery-Pulsifer / Newton Pulsifer Jack Whitehall ,
Rocco Wright (child) 		Peter Lontzek ,
Maximilian Fuchs (child) 		Adultery-Pulsifer: Witch hunter who burned Agnes Spinner at the stake ; Newton: his descendant, allies with Spinner's descendant Anathema to prevent the end of the world 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Anathema Apparat ( Eng.Anathema Device ) Adria Arjona ,
Reagan Osman (child) 		Giuliana Jakobeit ,
Maria Hönig (child) 		Agnes Spinner's last descendant; also a witch; joins Crowley and Erziraphael in their mission towards the end of the world. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Witch hunter Shadwell ( eng.Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell ) Michael McKean Rainer Gerlach The last sergeant in the once proud witch hunter army 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Deirdre and Arthur Young Siân Brooke and Daniel Mays Susanne Geier and Uwe Büschken Parents of Adam (the Antichrist), biological parents of Warlock 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Gabriel Jon Hamm Sascha Rotermund Leader of the powers of heaven. Gabriel is only mentioned once in the novel, but the character should be more in focus in the never-ending sequel to A Good Omen . Gaiman therefore incorporated parts of the plot still sketched with Pratchett into his script. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Sandalphon Paul Chahidi Martin Schubach 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Archangel Michael Doon Mackichan Denise Gorzelanny 1, 3, 4, 6
Uriel Gloria Obianyo Nurcan Ozdemir 1, 3, 4, 6
Metatron Derek Jacobi Axel Lutter 4th
Hastur Ned Dennehy Felix Spit Duke of Hell 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Ligur Ariyon Bakare Tobias Kluckert Duke of Hell 1, 2, 4, 5
Beelzebub Anna Maxwell Martin Julia Biedermann Leader of the powers of hell. 1, 5, 6
Dagon Elizabeth Berrington Claudia Gáldy 5, 6
Disposable Demon (Eric); 1st / 2nd / 3rd Junior Demon (Demon # 1-3) Paul Adeyefa Patrick Keller 1, 4, 6
delivery boy Simon Merrells Christoph Banks Postman commissioned with the worldwide delivery of various packages to the riders of the apocalypse 2, 3, 4, 6
War (Eng. War ), aka Rose Mireille Enos Antje von der Ahe Horsemen of the Apocalypse 2, 3, 5, 6
Hunger (eng. Famine ) Yusuf Gatewood Jaron Lowenberg Horsemen of the Apocalypse 3, 5, 6
Pollution (eng. Pollution ), also known as White Lourdes Faberes Diana Borgwardt Horsemen of the Apocalypse 4, 5, 6
Death (eng. Death ) Brian Cox (voice),
Jamie Hill (actor) 		Uli Krohm Horsemen of the Apocalypse 4, 5, 6
Agnes Spinner ( Eng.Agnes Nutter ) Josie Lawrence Kerstin Sanders-Dornseif A witch who lived in the 17th century and predicted today's events in her book The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch - the only absolutely error-free prophecy book ever written; Agnes fell victim to the Inquisition and was executed at the stake 2, 4, 5
RP Tyler Bill Paterson Hans Bayer 3, 5, 6
Warlock Samson Marraccino (11 years),
Rocco Day (5 years) 		Oskar Hansch (11 years),
Nikita Stein (5 years) 		Child of British parents, grew up after being mistaken for diplomatic parents; is mistaken for the Antichrist up to the age of eleven and is raised by Aziraphale and Crowley as godparents (or gardener and nanny ). 1, 4
Thaddeus and Harriet Dowling Nick Offerman and Jill Winternitz Matthias Klages and Nicole Hannak Warlock's parents, Thaddeus is the US Ambassador and Advisor to the President. 1, 4
Virtue apparatus (eng. Virtue Device ) Bryony Corrigan Alma Maja Ernst 2, 6
John Apparat ( Eng.John Device ) Dan Antopolski Jan Andreesen 2, 6
Sister Maria Redeviel (Eng.Sister Mary Loquacious ) / Mary Hodges Nina Sosanya Ilka Teichmüller One of the nuns of the Chattering Order of St. Beryl, a satanic religious order tasked with exchanging a baby for the Antichrist. 1, 2
Mother Superior (eng. Mother Superior ) Susan Brown Nina Herting Superior of the satanic religious order 1
Sister charm (eng. Sister Grace voluble ) Jasmine Hyde Anja Nestler 1
Sister Theresa ( Eng.Sister Theresa Garrulous ) Maggie service Sabine Mazay 1
Newt's mother Nicola Harrison Anja Rybiczka 2
Anathema's mother Gabriella Cirillo Carolina Vera 2
Satan Benedict Cumberbatch (voice) 6th

literature

  • Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett; Andreas Brandhorst (ex.): A good omen: the friendly and accurate prophecies of the witch Agnes Spinner . Rogner and Bernhard at Zweiausendeins, Hamburg 1991, ISBN 3-8077-0247-4 .
  • Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett: Good omens: the nice and accurate prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch . Workman Pub., New York 1990, ISBN 0-89480-853-2 (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Joe Otterson: Michael Sheen, David Tennant to Star in Neil Gaiman's 'Good Omens' at Amazon (en-US) . In: Variety , August 14, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017. 
  2. ↑ Ben Allen: Jon Hamm joins David Tennant and Michael Sheen in Neil Gaiman's Good Omens (en) . In: Radio Times , December 2, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017. 
  3. ^ A b Sian Cain: Good Omens: Neil Gaiman to adapt Terry Pratchett collaboration for TV In: The Guardian, April 15, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  4. ^ Sian Cain: Good Omens: Neil Gaiman to adapt Terry Pratchett collaboration for TV (en-GB) . In: The Guardian , April 15, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2017. 
  5. ^ Morgan Jeffery: 'Good Omens' TV series in development? . Digital spy . February 8, 2011. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.
  6. ↑ Neil Gaiman adapted Good Omens for Amazon Studios and the BBC. In: screenread.de. January 3, 2017, accessed January 28, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Neil Gaiman: @Variety: Psst. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens. Article comment, posted to Twitter August 14, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  8. ↑ Alison Flood: Good Omens: David Tennant and Michael Sheen to save the world in TV adaptation In: The Guardian, August 15, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  9. ^ Neil Gaiman: They are amazing. This is them in the opening scenes, 11 years ago, in St James's Park. David and Michael, demon & angel. #GoodOmenspic. ( en ) September 18, 2017. Accessed November 20, 2017.
  10. ^ Francesca Perryman: David Tennant and Michael Sheen spotted filming in Surrey . In: getsurrey , October 25, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017. 
  11. ↑ First broadcast season 1. Accessed April 10, 2019 .
  12. ↑ Jake Kanter: 'Good Omens': BBC Sets Premiere Date Nine Months After Drama Dropped On Amazon. In: Deadline Hollywood. December 19, 2019, accessed May 31, 2020 .
  13. ↑ a b c d e f Erik Pedersen: 'Good Omens': Amazon & BBC Two Cast Their Beelzebub & Horsemen Of The Apocalypse (en-US) . In: Deadline , October 31, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017. 
  14. ↑ a b c d e f Stewart Clarke: Jack Whitehall, Michael McKean, Miranda Richardson Join Amazon's 'Good Omens' (en-US) . In: Variety , September 15, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017. 
  15. ↑ Good Omens: Miniseries . Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  16. ↑ Good Omens . Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  17. ^ Religious Group Mistakenly Petitions to Get Amazon Prime's 'Good Omens' Removed From Netflix . Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  18. ↑ Christian Group Admits to Error in Thinking Good Omens Was on Netflix, Redirects Petition to Amazon . Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  19. ↑ Vinnie Mancuso: 'Avengers: Endgame', 'Game of Thrones' Lead the 2019 Saturn Awards Nominations . July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  20. ↑ , Variety Staff Emmys 2019: List of Nominations ( en ) July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  21. ↑ Good Omens. In: synchronkartei.de. German dubbing file , accessed on June 1, 2019 .
  22. ↑ a b c d Dana Schwartz: 'Good Omens': Everything You Need to Know About Amazon's Neil Gaiman Series (en) . In: EW.com , September 18, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017. 
  23. ↑ a b c Anna Maxwell Martin joins Good Omens . November 1, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  24. ^ Hillary Lewis: Jon Hamm to Play Archangel Gabriel in Neil Gaiman's Amazon Series 'Good Omens' . In: The Hollywood Reporter , October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017. 
  25. ↑ Neil Gaiman: @neilhimself at Twitter ( en ) December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017: “Here is a photograph of the Metatron's trailer. Next to it is a very rumpled showrunner. Next to it is our Metatron, an unrumpled Sir Derek Jacobi. "It's not every day you get to play the Voice of God," he said. "
  26. ↑ Stewart Clarke, 'Parks and Recreation' star Nick Offerman joins Amazon's 'Good Omens' . In: Variety . March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.