Exclusive: Neil Gaiman's Unprecedented Revelation on the Failed Good Omens Studio Note

Summary

Neil Gaiman shares failed attempts to respond to a studio note on an earlier Good Omens adaptation, highlighting the challenges in bringing the book to screen.

With Gaiman's aspiration for creative autonomy, he decided to step back from television endeavors, paving the way for his current triumph in supervising Good Omens as a television series. Terry Gilliam's envisioned Good Omens film would have followed a distinct path, incorporating possible casting selections and alterations to the plot. Nevertheless, the show's fidelity to the original material has played a significant role in its accomplishment.

Good Omens co-creator Neil Gaiman has shared his unsuccessful attempts to address a studio note regarding previous plans for a live-action adaptation of the book he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett. Terry Gilliam, an alum of Monty Python, had envisioned his own Good Omens movie in the 1990s, but the project was unable to secure funding. Despite hopes to revive interest in the film following the success of Gaiman’s 2007 movie Stardust, it never came to fruition.

In a recent interaction with a fan on Tumblr, Gaiman disclosed that he had once received a studio note regarding David Tennant’s character, Crowley, and why he didn't have a human job like Aziraphale. This note was received during Gaiman's initial attempt at writing a script.

Acknowledging the studio's desire for Crowley to have a new job and for Aziraphale to have a more favorable occupation than a bookseller, Gaiman made an effort to incorporate these requested modifications into his subsequent draft. However, as a novice in the realm of scriptwriting, Gaiman confesses that his attempt was lacking persuasiveness.

Why It’s A Good Thing The Good Omens Movie Never Happened

Gaiman, widely regarded as one of the most influential fantasists of modern times, initially faced challenges when delving into the world of film and television. Although he contributed initial drafts for a Good Omens film, his first real venture into television writing was the British fantasy show Neverwhere in 1996. However, he became disheartened with the creative limitations imposed on him during the production, leading him to withdraw from another television project. His decision stemmed from a strong desire for greater control over his work, which was not often granted to writers in the industry.

Today, Gaiman enjoys the creative control he once craved in the 1990s. However, if Gilliam had succeeded in bringing his plans for a Good Omens movie to fruition, the final product would likely have differed significantly from the original book. Gilliam reportedly considered casting Johnny Depp and Robin Williams as Crowley and Aziraphale, which would have resulted in a distinctly different dynamic and onscreen chemistry compared to the portrayal by Tennant and Michael Sheen. Additionally, to fit a typical movie duration, much of the book's plot would have needed to be condensed and simplified.

The primary reason for the enormous success of Good Omens can be attributed to the decision to turn it into a television show, with one of its original authors in charge of the creative direction. While it is intriguing to speculate on what Gilliam's movie adaptation of Good Omens might have been like, the show on Prime Video stays true to the source material in a manner that a film could never achieve.