Benedict Cumberbatch to play Satan in Neil Gaiman's 'Good Omens'

Amazon Prime Video’s long-awaited TV adaptation of Sir Terry Pratchett’s novel Good Omens will arrive in May, the streaming giant has announced. Benedict Cumberbatch will play Satan in the show.

The six-part series, featuring an ensemble cast including David Tennant, Michael Sheen and Jon Hamm, Frances McDormand, Nick Offerman, Jack Whitehall and more will premiere on 31 May.

Speaking at a Television Critics Association panel in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday, Neil Gaiman, the show’s executive producer and co-author of the book – alongside Sir Terry – revealed all six episodes will arrive at the same time. He added: “Plan for your binge dropping then.”

Discussing the casting process and the long list of big-name actors in the series, Gaiman said Nick Offerman was a late addition after a cast member pulled out following a “family tragedy”.

Oscar-winning American actress Frances McDormand will play God in the show, and executive producer Douglas Mackinnon said they needed a performer who could give her a “run for her money” in the role of Satan.

Joking they had found a young British actor who “needed a lot of direction”, he revealed for the first time that Cumberbatch is in the role.

Good Omens will launch globally on Prime Video in over 200 countries and territories in 2019 including in the UK, where it will also air on BBC Two at a later date.

Synopsis: The End of the World is coming, which means a fussy Angel (Michael Sheen) and a loose-living Demon (David Tennant) who’ve become overly fond of life on Earth are forced to form an unlikely alliance to stop Armageddon. But they have lost the Antichrist, an 11-year-old boy unaware he’s meant to bring upon the end of days, forcing them to embark on an adventure to find him and save the world before it’s too late.

The series, based on the beloved book by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, stars David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm, Frances McDormand, Nick Offerman, Jack Whitehall, Miranda Richardson, Adria Arjona, Michael McKean, Anna Maxwell Martin, Mireille Enos, among others, and is produced by Amazon Studios, BBC Studios, Blank Corporation and Narrativia. Neil Gaiman, Douglas Mackinnon, Chris Sussman, Simon Winstone and Rob Wilkins serve as Executive Producers.

Amazon also released the show’s opening titles, which you can watch below.

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