It’s hard to imagine anyone else but Michael Sheen and David Tennant as the Good Omens’ leads, but there was a time when neither of them was part of Neil Gaiman’s vision.
Good Omens, co-authored by Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, has been a worldwide sensation for decades. The writers have tried to get the live-action adaptation off the ground ever since the novel’s release in 1990, but to no avail until 2019.
In 2019, Good Omens season 1, starring David Tennant as Crowley and Michael Sheen as Aziraphale, debuted on Prime Video to immense success. Four years later, the audience finally got the sequel season, and there are even hopes for a potential season 3.
Tennant and Sheen’s portrayals of their characters have earned praise from critics and viewers alike – the roles seem to have been written specifically for them.
However, the show’s creator Gaiman has actually revealed that this dream duo hasn’t always been his first choice for the iconic ineffable husbands.
In fact, believe it or not, Sheen was originally supposed to play Bentley-driving demon Crowley, as the writer wrote on his Tumblr page. Gaiman seems to believe that Crowley would’ve been “a lot more sinister” in Michael’s interpretation.
Turns out, when the showrunner wanted Sheen to play Crowley, none other than Hugh Grant was the top contender for innocent bookseller Aziraphale in his head.
Grant has a wide range when it comes to bringing characters to life – though he is way more believable as a baddie, so we would’ve thought that Crowley would’ve been more appropriate for Grant.
Anyway, Gaiman got to writing Good Omens season 1 episode 3, the beloved demon transformed into Tennant’s version, Sheen was suddenly more suited for Aziraphale, and the rest is history.
Good Omens hasn’t been renewed for season 3 yet, but fans are hoping it will. After all, according to Gaiman, season 2 was just a premise for the events of season 3, which is supposed to be based on the unfinished sequel to the original novel. Once the strikes are resolved, viewers might be hearing some good news. Fingers crossed!
