Fans of Good Omens have been waiting for nearly three years for Aziraphale and Crowley to fix the hearts they broke in that Season 2 finale. For a while it looked like we’d never get that closure, as Neil Gaiman exited the series amidst multiple sexual assault allegations. Instead of getting six episodes as Season 3 premieres on the 2026 TV schedule, we’re left with one 90-minute series finale. So what are the reviews saying about the conclusion to the ineffable husbands’ story?

We last saw Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) leaving Crowley (David Tennant) behind on Earth to replace Gabriel in heaven. Season 3 picks up years later, with the angel turning to the demon for help when Jesus goes missing ahead of the planned Second Coming. Lacy Baugher of RogerEbert says the actors’ chemistry sparkles as brightly as ever to ground the bittersweet finale. Her Good Omens 3 review reads:

Cheryl Eddy of Gizmodo empathizes with fans who have mixed feelings about Good Omens Season 3. Sure, we want to see our ineffable husbands again, but many fans have no interest in further supporting Neil Gaiman’s book-to-screen adaptation. It feels like a strange thing to celebrate — especially in its truncated form — but Eddy confirms a lot of the charm of the first two seasons still shines through. Her review reads:

Therese Lacson of Collider rates the series finale 6 out of 10 and says it’s unfortunate that one of the best shows on Amazon’s Prime Video has to end this way. There’s a lot of story to wrap up in 90 minutes, and combined with the obvious creative changes, Season 3 fails to reach the same heights as the previous two. Thanks to Michael Sheen and David Tennant, however, “the heart of Good Omens is still beating.” Lacson says:

Louise Griffin of Radio Times gives Season 3, aka the final episode, 3 out of 5 stars, saying it’s a fond farewell that deserves more. Griffin agrees with the other critics that storylines feel rushed, but those plots and side characters are rightfully sacrificed to give Crowley and Aziraphale an ending that’s justified. Despite its shortcomings, Griffin writes:

Dais Johnston of Inverse says it’s hard to ignore how many scenes and condensed subplots would have made for great episodes in a full season of the fantasy adaptation, so while it falls short of its potential as a Second Coming story, Johnston says Good Omens does Aziraphale and Crowley justice — and that’s all we really wanted anyway. The critic writes:

In today’s world of TV cancellations, Good Omens fans are frankly lucky to get an ending to this story at all, and it sounds like Michael Sheen and David Tennant made the most of the final 90 minutes. If you want to see how the final farewell plays out, Season 3 is available to stream now with a Prime Video subscription.

Among all of the premieres hitting the 2026 TV schedule, only one went through the very specific wringer that Michael Sheen and David Tennant’s Good Omens did. The fantastical comedy adaptation, which already took its story beyond the source material, was initially renewed for a third and final season all the way back in December 2023. But then a series of accusations were made against author and co-showrunner Neil Gaiman, causing the higher powers at Prime Video to scale the production back from six episodes to a single 90-minute special.

That update was possible the most disappointing of all the TV-related decisions made in 2024, albeit for understandable reasons, and it’s been a rough 18 months or so since that all went down. Thankfully, though, the finale special’s director Rachel Talalay spoke to SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend for the latest issue, and shared some details that have soothed some of my worries and sadness about losing so much screentime with Aziraphale and Crowley. Speaking to all of the story beats cut from the final product, the filmmaker says:

One of the biggest indicators that we’re living in a post-prestige TV world is the number of TV shows that, despite only being 8-10 episodes, are still weighed down by needless fluff that could have seemingly been trimmed out ahead of time. So in that respect, I am fully aligned with Rachel Talalay’s take. Not that I think there’s a conceivable possibility that even spending six hours in a single windowless room with Sheen and Tennant’s angels would be anything but heaven. But probably better as a podcast than a final season.

Talalay continued, pointing out that the polished-up finale has been viewed and given the thumbs up by others, as it focuses on the three core elements that the new screenwriters Michael Marshall Smith and Peter Atkins put the most focus on to close this story out. As she put it:

Indeed, as it has been teased (and anticipated since the dawn of man, or something), Good Omens Season 3 will bring about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, an idea that was conceived for use in the unwritten sequel that Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett were aiming to co-write. Rachel Talalay shared high praise for Jesus portrayer Bilal Hasna, whom she described as being a “fascinating, committed, versatile actor.” Not too shabby.

The director also had nothing but good things to say about production designer Michael Ralph, who once again takes viewers to other realms with Season 3, albeit on a smaller scale than what’s come before. Not that viewers will be able to pick up on that immediately. As Talalay shared:

Check out some of those visual splendors, as well as the bliss of Az and Crowley together again, in the official Season 3 trailer below.

Remember to get your fanciest crucifixes on hand, as Good Omens Season 3 will finally be available to stream via Amazon Prime subscription on May 13. It’s a Wednesday, and not a Sunday, so it feels like some easy marketing was lost there.

Good Omens fans were already bummed to learn that one of the best comedies streaming on Prime would be ending after three seasons, though I guess we were already lucky for it to have lasted longer than just a single outing. But now even that sense of anticipation has been shattered by the latest update: Good Omens Season 3 isn't technically happening anymore, and the show is wrapping up in a totally different way at some point in the 2025 TV premiere schedule.

Let's take a closer look at what's been reported about the book-to-TV adaptation below, including the latest on creator Neil Gaiman.

Good Omens Will Conclude With A One-Off Finale

Rather than having a variety of episodes to expand their fan-beloved relationship, David Tennant's demon Crowley and Michael Sheen's angel Aziraphale are only getting a single installment to clear up any lingering issues so that they can hopefully spend the rest of eternity together as a far more adorable version of The Odd Couple. That installment will be a 90-minute TV movie, according to Deadline.

While exact dates are yet to be announced, plans are now set in place for Tennant, Sheen, and the rest of the ensemble cast to return to this fantastical universe to film the feature-length finale in Scotland in early 2025.

Neil Gaiman Has Officially Exited The Series Following Allegations

Novel co-writer and now-former showrunner Neil Gaiman has officially stepped down from his various roles behind the scenes of Good Omens, and will not have an active role in the production of the finale movie. At this time, he will likely be credited with writing some of the finale, but will no longer have any input on the final product.

A new writer will reportedly be brought in to finalize the script, but it doesn't appear as if any deals have been made yet. It's also unclear if another production company will be brought in, as Gaiman's The Blank Corporation is also no longer involved.

Production on what would have been a third season was set to kick off earlier in 2024, but was delayed after two women accused him of sexual assault via a multi-part podcast series from Tortoise Media. One claims he assaulted her in New Zealand in February 2022 while she was working as his nanny, and the other says in 2003, he forced her to have rough sex that she didn't want, while engaged in an otherwise consensual relationship. Two additional women subsequently came forward with their own claims.

This Good Omens decision comes a month after Gaiman, who has denied the allegations made against him, offered to step back from his creative role in the show. And it happened just over a year after former co-showrunner and executive producer Douglas Mackinnon, who also directed, exited the series.

Crowley And Aziraphale Deserve More Than Just A 90-Minute Sendoff

While I can 100% understand and support the moves made to sideline Neil Gaiman in the midst of troublesome allegations, and I also understand that he was a major piece of Good Omens' creative backbone, I feel like the show could have still continued for a full multi-episode arc with someone else steering the ship. Even if only to chop out any excess plotting in order to focus entirely on getting Crowley and Aziraphale to a comfortable and shared place.

I'd imagine that it would take at least 90 minutes of storytelling to follow up on the pair parting ways in the Season 2 finale, with Az being tasked with helping bring about the Second Coming. Which is already going to likely be a huge high-stakes story that will require lots of moving parts and angels and demons and so on, without being able to devote nearly enough time to their adorbs relationship.

We can only hope that the revised creative team figures out a way to clear up the Second Coming business in 25 minutes or so, with the last hour filled with snarky witticisms and playful bickering. And obviously smooches galore.

Good Omens Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream in full with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Good Omens arrived on Amazon Prime Video back in 2019 as a fairly faithful adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's novel of the same name and quickly became one of the best Prime Video shows. Following a second season in 2023, the series is set to return for one last batch of episodes. With the 2024 TV schedule approaching its fall leg and the 2025 TV schedule on the way, the wait is on for Good Omens Season 3 to finish the divine comedy/drama, let's look at what we know to this point about the end.

What Is Good Omens Season 3's Premiere Date?

At the time of writing, no premiere date for Season 3 has been set for viewers with an Amazon Prime subscription. Just over four years passed between the premieres of Good Omens' first two seasons, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the soonest Season 3 could premiere is 2027. While Season 2 did launch before the beginning of the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike in 2023, the entertainment industry as a whole was largely at a standstill during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Short of any massive delays, the final season could arrive after a shorter break this time around. Amazon Prime Video renewed Good Omens for Season 3 back in December.

What Good Omens Season 3 Will Be About

Crowley and Aziraphale's Season 2 story came to a heartbreaking end in the finale, with Aziraphale deciding to take Gabriel's place in Heaven to reshape it in a way that he wanted, and the way that he wanted was by restoring Crowley to angel status to work by his side. For his part, Crowley immediately refused and decided to stay on Earth as a demon. Despite a desperate last grand gesture of planting a kiss on Aziraphale, the two parted ways. According to Metatron, there's already a big project for Aziraphale to work on in Heaven: the Second Coming.

It seems like a pretty safe bet that Good Omens' version of the Second Coming isn't quite in sync with the story in the Bible, but Metatron didn't drop any big clues about what to expect, and it's worth noting that Jesus Christ did get a cameo in Season 1 when Crowley and Aziraphale both attended his crucifixion.

Neil Gaiman shed more light than Metatron did on what comes next, revealing at the time of the Season 3 renewal that Crowley and Aziraphale will "deal once more with the end of the world." According to the novel's co-author/Prime Video series' co-showrunner, "only Crowley and Aziraphale working together can hope to put it right. And they aren't talking."

David Tennant And Michael Sheen Will Lead The Cast Returning For Season 3

Details are scarce about the cast of Good Omens Season 3, but David Tennant and Michael Sheen are confirmed to be returning to reprise their roles as Crowley and Aziraphale. Sheen even posted a photo of socks in Aziraphale's signature tartan on social media over the summer, to the delight of fans:

Given how Season 2 ended with the state of Heaven above and the bookshop below, it seems likely that at least Derek Jacobi will be back as Metatron and Quelin Sepulveda will be back as Muriel. Gabriel and Beelzebub were key characters in the first two seasons, but how they were written out for a happily-ever-after in the Season 2 finale may mean that Jon Hamm and Shelley Conn won't make the cut.

Nina Sosanya and Maggie Service both appeared in the first two seasons, but played different characters each time. Whether they'll return in Season 3 remains to be seen, along with the rest.

Production On Season 3 Was Delayed In September 2024

Production for the third season was already in progress over the summer, but work halted in early September. Deadline reported at the time that discussions were happening about possible changes to production, although an official spokesperson did not comment on the situation.

News of the production halt arrived amidst growing controversy surrounding Neil Gaiman due to allegations of sexual assault. Gaiman has denied the allegations and there were reportedly multiple factors behind the decision to pause work on Good Omens.

The team behind the scenes had already gone through a major change for Season 3, as executive producer and co-showrunner Douglas Mackinnon confirmed on Instagram that he has "moved on front Good Omens" and had "no information regarding the status of [Season] 3."

Neil Gaiman Offered To Step Down Over Misconduct Accusations

Days after the news that production had halted on Season 3, Deadline reports that Neil Gaiman offered to step down from Good Omens. This would be a significant shift, as he penned the original novel with the late Terry Pratchett, wrote or co-wrote every episode of the first two seasons, and served as executive producer and co-showrunner.

According to the outlet, Gaiman made the offer to step down to Amazon as well as other producers on the show to allow work to continue rather than remain stalled. The author/EP/co-showrunner's offer reportedly is not an admission of guilt regarding the allegations of sexual assault.

While Amazon was said to be considering the offer in early September, no decision has since been announced. The series is still in early stages of pre-production, with filming originally not expected to begin until January 2025 in Scotland.

What Neil Gaiman Previously Said About Good Omens Season 3

When Good Omens was renewed for Season 3 in December 2023 to guarantee a future for the angel and demon, Neil Gaiman shared his thoughts via this statement:

The renewal announcement also revealed that the third and final season will bring to life a conversation between Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett that occurred nearly 35 years ago about what would happen next for Crowley and Aziraphale. Gaiman previously stated that the "biggest challenge" of adapting the Good Omens novel was "the absence of Terry Pratchett from this world."

Where To Watch Good Omens Seasons 1 And 2

Fortunately, it's not hard to find the first two seasons of Good Omens to watch and rewatch. Both seasons, each of which runs for six episodes, are available streaming with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. If the wait for Season 3 is anywhere near as long as the four years between Seasons 1 and 2, then there should be plenty of time to rewatch the highs and lows of Crowley and Aziraphale's journey so far.

Doctor Who is a British institution, and while it’s made household names of the actors who take on the mantle of The Doctor, it’s also cast many stars in guest roles. So, with that in mind, we took a journey through the iconic modern era run of the beloved BBC show, and found 32 famous actors who played a minor role in this time lord’s journey. 

Jonathan Bailey

While we know and love Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton on one of Netflix’s best series, Bridgerton, and as Fiyero in the Wicked cast, you might not be aware that he was in Season 8 of Doctor Who in the episode “Time Heist.” He starred alongside Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, playing the hacker Psi. 

Brett Goldstein

Brett Goldstein appeared in the Season 11 episode “The Tsuranga Conundrum '' alongside Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor. During the episode that saw The Doctor and co. stuck on a spaceship while an enemy tries to destroy it, and the Emmy-winning actor played the head nurse Astos. Then, two years later, Goldstein became a household name when he joined the Ted Lasso cast as the beloved grouchy player-turned-coach Roy Kent. 

Carey Mulligan

Before Carey Mulligan starred in movies like Drive, Promising Young Woman and Maestro, she played the young Sally Sparrow in the Season 3 episode “Blink.” Not only is this episode one with some of Doctor Who’s best quotes, but it’s also one of the most iconic stories in the show’s history as David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor took on the Weeping Angels. 

Olivia Colman 

In one of Doctor Who’s best episodes, and Matt Smith’s first as the Eleventh iteration of the time lord, Olivia Colman played “Mother,” a woman who is taken over by Patient Zero in “The Eleventh Hour.” After that, the actress, of course, went on to win an Oscar for The Favourite, and she starred in various other successful projects including the film The Lost Daughter, and the series Broadchurch and The Crown. 

James Corden

Long before James Corden was hosting The Late Late Show, he guest starred in two of Matt Smith’s episodes as his pal and flatmate Craig, most notably in the Season 5 episode “The Lodger.” 

Andrew Garfield

He may be best known as The Amazing Spider-Man and for films like The Social Network and Tick, Tick…Boom! but before all that, Andrew Garfield starred alongside David Tennant in two Doctor Who episodes, “Daleks in Manhattan” and “Evolution of the Daleks.” He played Frank, a boy who gets the Doctor to help get rid of the Daleks. 

Bill Nighy 

In one of the most moving episodes of Doctor Who, “Vincent and The Doctor,” Bill Nighy plays Dr. Black, who works at the museum where Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portrait is held. Before starring in the emotional Matt Smith-led episode all about the aforementioned painter, Nighy was best known for movies like Love, Actually and Pirates of the Caribbean. Since then, he’s been in films including About Time, Emma. and Living, which he got an Oscar nomination for. 

Daniel Kaluuya

You know Daniel Kaluuya? That’s right, the star of Jordan Peele’s movies Get Out and Nope and the man who won an Oscar for Judas and The Black Messiah. Well, before all of that, he played Barclay in Season 4 of Doctor Who in the episode “Planet of the Dead,” where he helped the Tenth Doctor fix an engine after a double-decker bus they were on got stuck in a very sandy place.  

Felicity Jones

Before she entered a galaxy far, far away in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story or received her Oscar nomination for The Theory of Everything, Felicity Jones guest starred on Doctor Who. In 2008, she played Robina Redmond opposite the Tenth Doctor in the episode “The Unicorn and the Wasp,” which was a fun take on Agatha Christie and her mysteries. 

Ian McKellen

While you don’t see Sir Ian McKellen in Doctor Who, his voice is undeniable, as he was the man behind The Great Intelligence in Matt Smith’s 2012 Christmas special  “The Snowmen.” This special appearance was just another feather in this iconic British actor’s cap in the world of genre as he’s best known for playing Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films as well as Magneto in the X-Men movies. 

Maisie Williams

Obviously, we know Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, an integral character in the Game of Thrones cast. However, she also starred in another series that’s considered a British institution when she appeared in four of Peter Capaldi’s Season 9 Doctor Who episodes – “The Girl Who Died,” “The Woman Who Lived,” “Face the Raven'' and “Hell Bent” – as Ashildr (AKA Me) the immortal Viking. 

Michael Gambon 

In Doctor Who’s 2010 Christmas special, “A Christmas Carol,” the Eleventh Doctor finds himself with a very Scrooge-like character named Kazran Sardick, played by the late Michael Gambon. The actor also played the antagonist’s father Elliot Sardick. Of course, before this, he also starred in another tentpole fantasy franchise by playing Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter movies. 

John Hurt 

In the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, John Hurt joined Matt Smith and David Tennant as a regeneration of the time lord named the War Doctor, who lived between the eighth and ninth versions of The Doctor. He was, of course, played by the late great John Hurt, who was known for iconic films like Alien and The Elephant Man. He was a legendary British actor, and he played a pivotal role in the long-running BBC series.

Gemma Chan

From the beloved and star-studded rom-com Crazy Rich Asians to Marvel’s The Eternals, Gemma Chan’s star has grown immensely over the last few years. However, before that, she played geologist Mia Bennett in the 2009 episode “The Waters of Mars” alongside David Tennant’s Doctor. 

Michael Sheen

David Tennant plays the demon to Michael Sheen’s angel in Good Omens, but before they shared the screen together, the Aziraphale actor voiced a House on the show that made his co-star a household name. During Matt Smith’s run as The Doctor during the episode “The Doctor’s Wife,” the actor known for Frost/Nixon and Masters of Sex voiced the evil entity that lived just outside the universe. 

Richard E. Grant

With over 140 credits to his name, including Gosford Park and Hudson Hawk, Richard E. Grant is a legendary British actor. In Doctor Who he played an equally iconic role as the antagonist Dr. Simeon in the Eleventh Doctor-led Christmas special “The Snowmen.” After that, the actor who played a variant of Loki in Marvel’s most timey-wimey show, returned to Dr. Simeon for the Season 7 episode “The Name of the Doctor.” 

Jonathan Groff

As one of the first big actors to guest star in Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the Fifteenth Doctor, Jonathan Groff joined the cast for a Regency-era episode. Before making a brief appearance on Doctor Who, Groff made a name for himself on Broadway in shows including Merrily We Roll Along and Hamilton. He also voiced Kristoff in both Frozen films, and starred in David Fincher’s series Mindhunter. Talk about range. 

Stephen Fry

During the Thirteenth Doctor’s run, Stephen Fry played a role in the Season 12 episode “Spyfall" as C, the head of MI6. An iconic character actor, Fry has over 190 credits to his name, and he is best known for films like Wilde and V for Vendetta. 

Simon Pegg

Long before he was choosing to accept missions with Tom Cruise in the Mission: Impossible movies and leading Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy – which is Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End – Simon Pegg guest starred on Doctor Who. He played The Editor in Season 1 of the modern era, and went up against Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth generation of the time lord. 

Kylie Minogue

Yes, you read that right, Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue, singer of “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” and “Chiggy Wiggy,” did star in a 2007 episode of Doctor Who titled “Voyage of the Damned.” During Season 4, she was featured alongside Tennant’s Doctor as Astrid, an alien waitress. 

Helen McCrory

Helen McCrory played Rosanna in the 2010 Doctor Who episode “The Vampires of Venice.” The Peaky Blinders star joined Matt Smith’s Doctor as the leader of the Saturnyns. Along with the two iconic BBC shows, the actress also played Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies and starred in The Count of Monte Cristo. 

Toby Jones

In the episode “Amy’s Choice,” Toby Jones played the Dream Lord. This spooky villain that comes from the darker side of The Eleventh Doctor is another fun character in Jones’ cap, as he also voiced Dobby in the Harry Potter films and played Dr. Zola in the Captain America movies as well as Claudius Templesmith in The Hunger Games. 

Neil Patrick Harris

Joining the episode of the three-part 60th Anniversary special, Neil Patrick Harris played the Toymaker and witnessed the historic bi-generation. The How I Met Your Mother alum faced off against David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor as well as Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. 

Timothy Dalton

Yep, you read that right, James Bond was in Doctor Who too. Timothy Dalton – who played 007 in License to Kill and The Living Daylights – guest starred in the Tenth Doctor’s 2009 episodes “End of Time” parts one and two where he played The Narrator and Lord President Rassilon, the founder and first leader of The Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey. 

Brian Cox

In “End of Time,” Brian Cox wasn’t seen on screen with David Tennant, however, you can hear him, because he voiced Elder Ood, who is of an alien race the Doctor works to protect. While you don’t see Cox physically in the episode, you can see him as the patriarch of the Succession cast, Logan Roy, and you can check out movies of his, including Troy and Manhunter. 

Letitia Wright

Letitia Wright’s future is as the Black Panther, but prior to playing Shuri in the MCU and starring in other fun projects, she appeared in the Season 9 episode “Face the Raven” with Peter Capaldi’s Doctor. In Doctor Who, she played Anahson, an orphan looking for her mother. 

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

While Gugu Mbatha-Raw is best known for travelling through time and space as Ravonna Renslayer in Loki, she also played Tish Jones in four episodes of Doctor Who’s fourth season alongside David Tennant. The actress who played Martha’s sister in these episodes then went on to star in many films, including Belle, and series like The Morning Show. 

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

You likely know Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the kid from Love, Actually or from his work in The Maze Runner movies and The Queen’s Gambit. However, he also starred in a pair of Doctor Who episodes in Season 3 alongside David Tennant as Tim Latimer, a schoolboy from 1913.  

Alan Cumming

The host of The Traitors and star of The Good Wife, Alan Cumming starred as King James I in the Season 11 episode “The Witchfinders.” In the episode featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, this star of stage and screen played the king of a nation that was in the midst of a witch trial when the time lord showed up. 

Iain Glen

Iain Glen played Octavian in the 2010 Doctor Who episodes titled “The Time of Angels” and “Flesh and Stone.” While the actor made a name for himself on Game of Thrones as Jorah, Daenerys’ protector, he was trying to protect his team and The Doctor from the Weeping Angels in this set of Matt Smith-led episodes. 

Anthony Head

Anthony Head played Rupert Giles in 123 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Uther Pendragon in 43 episodes of Merlin. He also portrayed the evil headmaster Lassar in one episode of Doctor Who – “School Reunion” – back in its second season alongside David Tennant. 

Jacob Anderson 

You likely remember Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm from Game of Thrones or Louis de Pointe du Lac in the series Interview with a Vampire. In the midst of all that, he joined Season 13 of Doctor Who for a recurring role as Vinder, a pilot and guardian who watches from Observation Outpost Rose and worked with the Thirteenth Doctor across seven episodes. 

As you can see, the list of actors who have made minor appearances on Doctor Who is long and wickedly impressive. From legendary actors like Ian McKellen and Olivia Colman and modern TV staples like Jonathan Bailey and Brett Goldstein, it’s hard to believe that all these folks aided (or tried to stop) The Doctor on their wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey journey through time and space, but they all did!

It’s time to rejoice and cry both tears of happiness and sadness for the beloved Amazon Prime series Good Omens. Following the tragic events of Season 2, David Tennant and Michael Sheen will return one final time as the demon Crowley and angel Aziraphale in the third and final season of the book-to-screen adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s beloved book. 

Like the title Good Omens implies, this Season 3 news is both good and bad. However, all things considered, we need to take a minute to celebrate Crowley and Aziraphale's final adventure.  

The Good News For Good Omens 

Neil Gaiman, who co-wrote the novel and serves as executive producer, writer and showrunner on the series, broke down why he’s so excited for Season 3 of Good Omens, and it’s got me all kinds of hyped. He said, via press release:

Considering Season 2 of Good Omens ended with the tragic separation of Crowley and Aziraphale, I think we were all hoping Season 3 would happen. However, a backup plan was in place if Amazon didn’t pick it up. No matter what happened at Prime Video, Neil Gaiman was ready to “write a novel” so our favorite angel and demon could get the ending they deserved. However, luckily, it got renewed, and Tennant and Sheen are returning as their iconic characters!

One word that was used over and over again in the press release from Amazon was “joy.” The people behind the show and those who watch it really, really love it, and they can’t wait to bring the conclusion of Crowley and Aziraphale's story to life.

However, all good things must come to an end, which brings us to the bad news.  

The Bad News For Good Omens 

Even though this conclusion was expected, and it’s good in the sense that Gaiman and co. will tell the exact story they want to, there’s no denying how sad this news is. Good Omens has proven to be one of Prime Video's best shows, and I could spend an eternity watching Aziraphale and Crowley’s adventures.  

David Tennant and Michael Sheen have undeniable chemistry, and Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s world is so creative and beloved, it’ll be tough to see the show come to an end. 

However, as I stated, all good things must come to an end, even for immortal beings. Hopefully, this bad news will end up actually being good, because the show will come to a close on its own terms. Sheen and Tennant said Aziraphale and Crowley got “everything” they wanted after Season 1. However, the end of Season 2 set the stakes for an epic finale that will hopefully, ultimately bring the angel and demon back together. 

At the moment, we have no idea when Good Omens Season 3 will drop. There was a four-year wait between Seasons 1 and 2, so who knows how long we'll have to wait for Season 3. However, the release stated that production is set to begin soon in Scotland. So, maybe we’ll get the next (and final) adventures of Crowley and Aziraphale on the 2024 TV schedule. 

No matter what, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on the third and final season of this fantastical comedy, and in the meantime, you can stream Seasons 1 and 2 of Good Omens with an Amazon Prime subscription. 

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS are ahead for all six episodes of Good Omens Season 2 on Prime Video.

The long-awaited second season of Good Omens finally arrived for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the 2023 TV schedule, and the new batch of episodes had to tell a story beyond the pages of Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett’s original book. With Gaiman on board as a co-showrunner, executive producer, and writer, the series was in the right hands to pick up where Season 1 left off, complete with the author creating new characters for returning stars. Season 2 ended on some game-changing choices from Crowley (David Tennant) and Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) that would certainly mean a drastically different Season 3.

Unfortunately, Good Omens has not yet been renewed for a third season, and the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA strike means that the stars could only promote the new episodes giving Crowley and Aziraphale everything they wanted early on. The demon and angel got more than they bargained for by the time the final credits rolled, so as the wait begins for news on Season 3, let’s look at the ending and what it means for the future!

How Good Omens Season 2 Resolved The Gabriel Mystery

The central mystery for Good Omens Season 2 concerned the Supreme Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) and why he turned up on Aziraphale's doorstep naked, alone, memory-free, and with Buddy Holly’s “Everyday” stuck in his head. There were plenty of subplots that included Crowley and Aziraphale going back and forth on how to handle the amnesiac archangel, the duo trying to set two humans up to fall in love, and the demons laying siege to the bookshop to get them to “surrender the angle,” but the mystery was all about Gabriel. 

As it turned out, the resolution to the mystery had nothing to do with Gabriel wanting a second try at Armageddon after Heaven and Hell were thwarted in Season 1. No, Gabriel had fallen in love with Beelzebub (played by Bridgerton’s Shelley Conn with a very different look) over the course of their clandestine meetings as representatives of Heaven and Hell, and the fly that had been buzzing around the bookshop all season contained his memories. Their story ended when they decided to run off to Alpha Centauri to be together forever, with the knowledge that they could never come back. 

And that would have been a very unexpected but pretty happy ending to Season 2… if the final credits had rolled then, but the power vacuums in Heaven and Hell had to be addressed with Gabriel and Beelzebub gone, and that’s where Crowley and Aziraphale – spectacularly lacking in self-awareness even after seeing another angel and demon acknowledging their love for each other – made their game-changing decisions ahead of the reveal of what could go down in Season 3. 

Aziraphale Is Taking Gabriel’s Place In Heaven

The departure of Gabriel meant that the angels had to decide who would take his place in charge of Heaven, with Michael (Doon Mackichan), Uriel (Gloria Obianyo), and Saraqael (Liz Carr) in the mix, while Muriel (Quelin Sepulveda) was clearly not in the running. The Metatron’s (Derek Jacobi) arrival put an end to their debating, as he had a different candidate in mind to run Heaven's "enormous projects" with "huge plans afoot" as the new Supreme Archangel: Aziraphale himself. 

And bless his little angelic heart, Aziraphale could only see the positives of this offer and the opportunity to reshape Heaven in the way that he wanted… with Crowley by his side, as an angel again. Season 2 had revealed that the two knew each other before Crowley sauntered vaguely downward and was cursed with his snake eyes. In some truly unfortunate timing, the angel excitedly dropped the bombshell just as Crowley was ready to declare his feelings.

Crowley didn't even need a moment to think about the offer and immediately wanted to hear that Aziraphale had turned Metatron down, but Aziraphale was set on the decision, even after Crowley planted a big kiss on him in a grand (and possibly ill-advised in light of the timing) gesture. Aziraphale ended the season returning to Heaven and leaving his bookstore in the hands of Muriel, without the support of the one being who'd been around him for more than 6000 years. What would Jane Austen say?!

Crowley Is Staying On Earth

For his part, Crowley was getting a lecture from Nina (Nina Sosanya) and Maggie (Maggie Service) about his relationship with Aziraphale while the angel was getting the offer to run Heaven from Metatron. The two humans convinced him that he and Aziraphale finally needed to have a real conversation with each other, and – in possibly Crowley’s bravest move of the entire series – he immediately tried to have it as soon as the angel returned to the bookshop. 

Aziraphale was too busy failing to read the room to register what Crowley was saying, and the mood turned as soon as the demon heard that Aziraphale planned to take the offer to rule Heaven and wanted to reinstate him to angel status to work by his side. Presumably motivated by more than just not wanting to wear the same kind of angel uniform that he did during his undercover mission Up with Muriel, Crowley refused flat out. He did make one last-ditch effort to convince Aziraphale to run away together and then planted a kiss on him, and only got an “I forgive you” in response. 

So, as Aziraphale joined Metatron in the elevator to return to Heaven and take Gabriel’s place, Crowley returned to the Bentley, free to use his flat again with Shax (Miranda Richardson) taking over for Beelzebub, but no longer able to rely on Aziraphale on Earth. While Season 1 ended with Crowley and Aziraphale toasting the world together at the Ritz while “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” playing over the soundtrack, Season 2 ended with Crowley bitterly listening to the same song in the Bentley while Aziraphale went Up, then switching the radio off. If ever he could have used some Freddie Mercury to cheer up!

The Second Coming May Be Nigh

While the biggest game-changer of Good Omens Season 2 was undoubtedly the split between Crowley and Aziraphale, the final conversation between Metatron and Aziraphale set up what could be an epic third season. When Aziraphale asked about the projects that needed his attention in Heaven, Metatron previewed that they're working on “The Second Coming,” and there is plenty to speculate about from that tease for however long the hiatus lasts before (hopefully) Season 3!

Although the finale ended without giving any further explanation, “The Second Coming” seems most likely to refer to the second coming of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith and/or a particular poem by William Butler Yeats. In Christianity, The Second Coming is the idea that Jesus will return to Earth after his ascension to Heaven following his crucifixion, but Good Omens actually showed the crucifixion of Jesus back in Season 1. It was notable enough that both Crowley and Aziraphale were present, but neither gave any sign that there was anything particularly divine about him. 

Besides, Good Omens tends to draw on stories from the Old Testament, such as Noah's Ark in Season 1 and the Trials of Job in Season 2. It seems most likely to me that a Good Omens version of The Second Coming would involve a second attempt at the apocalypse via an Antichrist, since Adam didn’t exactly work out in Season 1. That was Hell's effort, so it’s hard to guess what Heaven’s attempt would be. 

The mention of “The Second Coming” could also be a nod to the poem of the same name by William Butler Yeats. Written in the aftermath of World War I, the poem involves apocalyptic imagery to go along with the line that "Surely the Second Coming is at hand." Basically, Yeats’ version of The Second Coming evokes terrifying end times more than Heaven on Earth, and that sounds like something that Good Omens would lean into... and somehow make funny.

If a second apocalypse is planned for Season 3, the bad news is that Crowley and Aziraphale aren’t on the same page. As much as their incompetence in Season 1 was entertaining enough to make my list of things I wanted to return in Season 2, that was when I assumed they’d always be on the same team! 

Is The Love Story Over? 

As much as a second apocalypse is a scary prospect (particularly in light of the even scarier fact that Good Omens is not yet renewed for Season 3), the biggest emotional blow of the finale was the split between Crowley and Aziraphale. Their farewell was all the more painful after they started the season as a mostly united front, even if they didn’t entirely agree about Gabriel or – on a smaller scale – how to get Nina and Maggie to fall in love. Just look at how David Tennnant and Michael Sheen described Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship at the beginning of Season 2 to CinemaBlend, prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike: 

• DAVID TENNANT: "Well, they've only got each other now because they don't have their respective head offices. They are so reliant on each other, and they are the only other person who can really understand what it is to have this existence. And really, I think they're quite content with that, to an extent, and keeping their heads down is obviously the super objective to just get by. So when everything unravels, it's far from ideal."
• MICHAEL SHEEN: "And of course, this third character comes along, Jim, angel Gabriel, with no memory. And so inevitably, they start to be like the parents to this errant exasperating child who shows up. And so that kind of the sense of them being in this sort of marriage is obviously made more extreme by the fact that they have to look after this strange child."

Additionally, Neil Gaiman has said many times (including on Twitter) that Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship on Good Omens’ is a love story, so if I’m confident of anything for Season 3, it’s that their love story isn’t over despite their schism at the end of Season 2. I have to take Crowley's side when it comes to the argument with Aziraphale, but surely they can resolve their fight! Gaiman just needs to channel his inner Jane Austen. 

You can find all six episodes of Good Omens Season 2 streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription now, as well as the full first season, while waiting for some (hopefully good) news about the future of the series! 

The days are counting down until Good Omens returns to Prime Video with new episodes for the first time since 2019. Season 2 brings back Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale and David Tennant as the demon Crowley, although this time the show will pick up with them dealing with semi-retirement instead of a looming armageddon. The two stars spoke with CinemaBlend about how their characters have coped with the freedom they gained to be together on Earth at the end of Season 1… and the problems on the way with naked Gabriel, a.k.a. Jon Hamm.

Season 2 will arrive for Amazon Prime subscribers in the 2023 TV schedule on Friday, July 28. When fans last saw Crowley and Aziraphale in Season 1, the demon and angel were celebrating their liberty from Heaven and Hell (as well as averting the apocalypse) over drinks at the Ritz. When speaking with the stars (prior to the SAG strike) about how Season 2 picks up with their characters, I asked how angelic/demonic retirement works, and it turns out that old habits die hard. Michael Sheen previewed:

Aziraphale is still able to do everything that made him want to save the world in the first place back in Season 1, but he can’t count on Gabriel or Michael or any of the other angels anymore. For all that Crowley has a place on Michael Sheen’s list of what Aziraphale wanted, he’s not exactly an angelic ally who will provide some structure! In fact, David Tennant shared that Crowley is facing the same conundrum with his old ties to Hell, saying: 

The political machinations of Season 2 may not involve trying to end the world like what happened in Season 1, but the archangel Gabriel disappearing from Heaven and then turning up at Aziraphale’s door with no memory is bound to cause trouble with both sides. The Good Omens Season 2 trailer also revealed that amnesiac Gabriel involves naked Jon Hamm, with the actor covered by nothing but a blanket for at least one scene in the bookshop. 

When I noted to Michael Sheen and David Tennant that being pulled back into Heaven and Hell’s messes seems to involve some naked Jon Hamm, Sheen responded:

Gabriel was a big fan of human clothes back in Season 1, which could make it all the funnier that he apparently isn’t wearing anything when he pays Aziraphale a visit. No memory and no clothes, but plenty of mystery! The trailer shows that Crowley at least will be very (and hilariously) alarmed at finding the archangel in the bookshop. Take a look at the footage: 

Crowley yelping and jumping backwards at seeing Gabriel is both a great gag and a throwback to what happened the last time that he encountered the archangel. At the time, Crowley was disguised as Aziraphale in Heaven, and Gabriel told him to “shut your stupid mouth and die already” in some hellfire. Of course, Gabriel himself presumably doesn’t remember that or anything else that happened in Season 1 that Season 2 could bring back!

Fortunately, the wait for new episodes is nearly over. All six episodes of Good Omens Season 2 will release on Prime Video on Friday, July 28. You can also revisit the first season streaming now!

The second season of Prime Video’s Good Omens is on the way, just over four years after the first season premiered to introduce David Tennant as the demon Crowley and Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale. The first season was based on the beloved book of the same name by Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, with readers having a pretty good idea of what would happen in the show. The second season is heading into uncharted territory without a book to use as guide, and the newly-released opening credits sequence could reveal a lot about the plot that will bring the stars back to their roles… whether or not we can interpret the clues yet. 

The Season 2 Opening Credits

Prime Video had a heavenly treat for fans of Good Omens with the release of the opening credits sequence for Season 2, when the first episode of the new season won’t premiere for viewers with Amazon Prime subscriptions until July 28 in the 2023 TV premiere schedule. Clocking in at almost two minutes, the new credits reuse the same theme tune and figures for Crowley and Aziraphale, but just about everything else is very different. Take a look:

Now, as somebody who has read the Good Omens book and considers the series to be among the best Prime Video shows, I couldn’t tell you what most of that means, but I sure am excited! The Heaven and Hell imagery isn't surprising, but a vat of pickled herring in a graveyard that includes the headstone for Jane Austen? A zeppelin and propeller planes that look right out of World War II? A trip to outer space? Rabbits and hearts falling from the sky? They could mean anything! In fact, Neil Gaiman took to Tumblr to confirm to a fan that there’s a lot packed into the intro for Season 2: 

There are some identifiable reveals in the opening, such as “The Arrival” as the title of the first episode and members of the cast who will be returning. I’m also guessing that the gravestone marked “HERE LIES THE FORMER SHELL OF BEELZEBUB” is a nod to the fact that the role of Beelzebub will be played in Season 2 by Bridgerton’s Shelley Conn instead of Season 1 actress Anna Charlotte Martin reprising her role. The WWII imagery also suggests that we'll get some Crowley/Aziraphale flashbacks again, but as for why the Season 2 opening could probably reveal a whole lot… well, let’s look back to 2019 for that. 

The Season 1 Opening Credits

Prime Video also released the opening credits to Season 1 back in 2019, and any reader who knew the Good Omens book well could have explained the apple tree in a garden, the burning bookstore, the spaceship, and even the fish falling from the sky. Once you know the events of the book and/or have seen the full first season, it’s clear that the credits tell a lot of the story. It all makes sense in hindsight, and I'm guessing that the same will be true for Season 2! Take a look back at the Season 1 opening, if you’re in the mood for a refresher: 

If Season 2’s opening is packed with “more Easter Eggs than a fancy Easter Egg shop,” as Neil Gaiman phrased it, then it seems like a safe bet that everything is important to the story… but we just won’t be able to figure everything out until the episodes release. Given that Prime Video hasn’t even released a trailer yet to show whether the stars recaptured the Season 1 chemistry that Gaiman praised in 2019 or if there will be plenty of Queen songs to get stuck in our heads all over again, there’s only so much speculation we can do!

For now, we can all at least revisit the first season streaming with Amazon Prime Video as the weeks count down to Season 2, and hope that whatever comes in the next batch of episodes will be as entertaining as the end of the world was in Season 1.  

Doctor Who: Flux recently ended, which means there are only a few specials left before Jodie Whittaker officially exits Doctor Who. The Doctor’s regeneration will bring a new actor into the starring role, and while the speculation mill has been teasing many popular actors for the character, the only information fans have gotten as of late is who won’t be doing it. Now, there’s another name we can add to that list, as a popular frontrunner for the next Doctor, AKA actor Michael Sheen, recently confirmed he won’t be the new Doctor. Yes, I'm very bummed. 

Michael Sheen has been one of a handful of names believed to be a favorite by The BBC to play the next Doctor, though it looks like his official odds will decrease now the actor has spoken on record about Doctor Who. Sheen talked to Metro and other outlets about the speculation and confirmed he won't be the 14th Doctor, saying: 

Well, I guess that’s another prospective Doctor Who candidate that oddsmakers can mark off the list. Michael Sheen not only said he’s not playing The Doctor but that those responsible for the series haven’t even contacted him. Typically actors who may be involved don’t outright deny or comment on the matter, so I’m inclined to believe Sheen’s genuine in saying that. Or, I suppose he really could just be that good when it comes to acting, but I'm guessing no and that I'm right to be bummed out. 

It’s not at all surprising the Welsh actor’s been rumored for Doctor Who, though, considering he’s one of the more prolific television actors from Europe with an international appeal--that's one of the reasons he seemed like such a good fit in the first place. I also had high hopes he might be an option given that Sheen's Fox series, Prodigal Son, was canceled earlier this year. With that said, Sheen probably has no shortage of projects coming his way, so he should end up somewhere soon enough, even if the folks at Doctor Who aren’t calling. I guess I'll have to content myself with that. (Still bummed.) 

To note, Michael Sheen had a very brief role in Doctor Who as he appeared in the 2011 episode “The Doctor’s Wife,” in a very unique way. In the episode, Michael Sheen voiced a character called House but didn’t appear in live-action for the role. It’s worth noting that it wouldn’t have jeopardized his chances of playing the Doctor if he had portrayed a past character, as Peter Capaldi proved with his casting as the Twelfth Doctor. 

With Michael Sheen out of the running, fans will continue to wonder who Russell T. Davies will bring in as his new Doctor. Hopefully, we find out in the coming months, as speculation will get out of control if The BBC makes its fans wait until Jodie Whittaker’s actual regeneration episode. 

Doctor Who will return to BBC America on New Year’s Day with a new episode. Tune in to see the beginning of the end of the Doctor’s final run and to see the new Doctor revealed!

While The BBC has not explicitly confirmed that Jodie Whittaker will depart Doctor Who sometime after Season 13, there have been enough rumors to indicate the series will be in search of its 14th Doctor soon enough. Recasting the lead role of the sci-fi series is nothing new, and there's no shortage of names already in the mix for who could take up the mantle.

So, who looks most likely to play The 14th Doctor in Doctor Who? There's a lot of interesting names in the mix we'll get into below, and no, Olly Alexander is not one of them. This list is comprised of some of the more popular names speculated by the internet and ones we'd love to see step into the role.

Jo Martin

When it comes to theories surrounding who will take Jodie Whittaker's place in Doctor Who, this feels like the most likely candidate. Jo Martin was introduced in Season 12 as The Doctor, though we don't know yet where she fits in the Doctor's lifespan chronologically. It's possible she's the 14th Doctor, though the fact that she didn't immediately recognize her past self when she was brought back has led some to believe she's not the next incarnation.

I've watched Doctor Who enough to know that the writers can write just about any plot device they need to fit the situation they'd like, so I'm not ruling out Jo Martin as the 14th Doctor. She'd be an easy replacement for Jodie Whittaker, and one that could've been secured long before the rumors of Whittaker's departure. Martin is my personal favorite pick for the mantle for that reason because I need to know how she got caught up in a situation with actual living Time Lords?

Richard Ayoade

Richard Ayoade's name seems to pop up every time Doctor Who casts a new Doctor, and it isn't hard to see why. He's a prolific television actor over in the UK, and someone well known by American audiences. Doctor Who is an internationally acclaimed series, so it would make sense that whoever takes on the 14th Doctor be someone with recognition both at home and overseas.

Doctor Who has yet to cast a Black male as The Doctor, so Richard Ayoade's casting would be a historic moment if he replaced Jodie Whittaker. Whether or not he'll actually get the role is another matter entirely. As I've mentioned before, his name has surfaced in the past. He didn't get the role those past times, so perhaps we shouldn't be so willing to believe he's any closer this time around.

Michaela Coel

Michaela Coel is another big name that's risen to prominence as a frontrunner in the 14th Doctor betting pools for Doctor Who, and it totally makes sense. She's a British internationally renowned actress (up for an Emmy this year) with shows like Black Mirror, Chewing Gum, and I May Destroy You under her belt. It would be crazy for The BBC not to consider her as a replacement for Jodie Whittaker, but can the rumors be trusted that she's most likely to take the role?

As I've stated before, The BBC has done a great job of keeping the identity of the next actor to play The Doctor until just days before the announcement. Current rumors about Michaela Coel taking the role feel just as valid as every other rumor floating out there, though there's no denying her star power would bring a spotlight to the long-running series. She'd certainly be a casting that Doctor Who fans would surely be excited about, especially given her past experience with science fiction on shows like Black Mirror.

Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen is a Welsh actor that needs no introduction, considering the numerous acclaimed series and films he's been a part of. He's even been a part of Doctor Who, where he voiced House in the episode "The Doctor's Wife." Now there are odds that say he could be the 14th Doctor and replace Jodie Whittaker, and the idea isn't as crazy as it sounds.

At 52 years old, Michael Sheen would be slightly younger than Peter Capaldi was when he took over for Matt Smith as The Doctor. Another fun fact is that Capaldi also had a credited appearance in Doctor Who as an entirely different character before his casting, so it's easy to use Capaldi as the justification behind why Sheen could be the next Doctor. He'd certainly be a solid choice for the job, but given his busy schedule, one has to wonder if he'd slow down enough for the type of stint that Doctor Who often demands.

Kris Marshall

Much like Richard Ayoade, Kris Marshall is a name that's sprung up a couple of times in the past when chatter for a new Doctor pops up. In fact, he was said to be the favorite to take over Doctor Who after Peter Capaldi exited, but as fans know, the role went to Jodie Whittaker. Now he's back in the list of favorites to replace her, and fans once again have hope that the veteran actor from Love Actually and many other projects. may become The Doctor.

Kris Marshall would be one of the older Doctors in the modern era, though younger than someone like Peter Capaldi or Michael Sheen. The fact that he's been a frontrunner in the past may feel positive for some that his time has come, but we really don't know how close he was to the role, if at all. Still, he'd be a strong candidate for the position, which may be why he continues to pop up.

Kelly Macdonald

Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald is another famous woman floated as a replacement for Jodie Whittaker as the 14th Doctor, and her resume is staggering. She's an Emmy-winning actress with credits in movies like Trainspotting and No Country for Old Men, and she had a five-season stint on the acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire. She's familiar with staying on a television production for an extended period of time, so it stands to reason she's ready for all that comes with Doctor Who.

Kelly Macdonald is an option that absolutely echos the initial decision to cast Jodie Whittaker and would track with past Doctor reincarnations that went from David Tennant to Matt Smith. Certainly, a good choice if showrunner Chris Chibnall is looking to maintain the same tone as Seasons 11 and 12, which he may be trying to do.

Ultimately, it may be a while before we know who the next Doctor is, as Doctor Who has yet to officially announce whether Jodie Whittaker is leaving. Keep an eye on CinemaBlend for updates on the situation, and try to find a new show to get into with our 2021 fall TV schedule.

Spoilers ahead for the Season 2 finale of Prodigal Son, “The Last Weekend.”

The finale of Fox’s Prodigal Son aired Tuesday night and, just as the promo promised, it had a killer ending. While the series was sadly cancelled by the network due to low ratings, the show’s creators are now revealing the plans they had for a potential third season.

The final minutes of Prodigal Son's Season 2 finale included Tom Payne’s Malcolm Bright and his serial killer father, Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen), in a father-son standoff in the woods after finding a missing woman. Martin ran away once again but, when Malcolm caught up to his father, he realized his endgame: Martin was going to kill him. Before he had a chance to stab his son though, Malcolm turned the knife on Martin and stabbed him instead. Co-creator Sam Sklaver told TVLine that the aftermath of this event was going to be a massive storyline, and it would tackle how each character and their relationships would have fared following the event:

Martin’s death was just the beginning of what could have been in Season 3. Although fan-favorite actor Michael Sheen was not featured as much in Season 2 due to him having COVID-19 and recovering from it, co-creator Chris Fedak revealed a surprising detail about the third season that gives fans something more to think about after the finale:

By the sounds of it, it seems Season 3 would have upped the stakes even higher. Despite Fox cancelling the series, fans and the cast have stopped at nothing to get the show picked up by a different network, or even streaming service. Maybe it’ll get the Brooklyn Nine-Nine treatment and head to a different network. Or better yet, it could get the Lucifer treatment, in which a streaming platform like Netflix or HBO Max will pick it up so fans can see what happens next.

While you theorize all the possible Season 3 ideas, you can stream Season 1 of Prodigal Son on HBO Max and check out Season 2 on Hulu.

With all the bubble TV shows waiting to hear about renewals and cancellations, it's easy to take for granted this interim time where a show's fate is still unknown. Unfortunately for the manic drama Prodigal Son, Fox revealed its doomed fate this week, cancelling the Tom Payne and Martin Sheen series just two episodes away from Season 2 wrapping up, which felt like a harsh way to go about it. To be expected, the cast was bummed to hear the news, but still kept their heads high in sharing messages with fans on social media.

Tom Payne, who went through a pretty gnarly character death on The Walking Dead before making the shaven leap to Prodigal Son, took to Twitter to share his reaction to the cancellation news. And there didn't seem to be a lick of sadness in the post, with Payne choosing to celebrate his time in the role of Malcolm Bright, and to get fans pumped about the final episodes.

By all means, Prodigal Son was probably as slick and stylish a series as one could put together with so much horror-tinged sociopathy and father-son drama involved, and Catherine Zeta-Jones' arrival in Season 2 only helped that factor. Alas, its story won't continue on Fox, though fans are definitely hoping for another network or streaming platform to swoop in and save Prodigal Son.

While father figure Michael Sheen doesn't appear to have made any public comments about the cancellation, star Bellamy Young, who plays Malcolm's mother Jessica, did hop onto social media to share the below message with Prodigal Son fans, and she also hyped up these final two episodes as being must-watch installments.

Beyond portraying Lt. Gil Arroyo, star Lou Diamond Phillips earned the chance to get behind the camera to direct for Season 2, which was an experience he adored. Phillips also shared some positivity with his post-cancellation message, but not before making it quite clear how big of an emotional blow Fox's decision was.

As Det. Dani Powell, Aurora Perrineau remained a highlight throughout both seasons of the show, and while the actress is definitely sorry to see her character go, she's just as grateful to the fans and the Prodigal Son team for keeping her around as long as she was.

And while she wasn't part of the cast, executive producer Sarah Schechter has been a big Prodigal Son promoter from the start, and she was also extremely broken-hearted by the news, as indicated in her post below.

Prodigal Son joins a list of many different shows that are ending in 2021 for one reason or another, though fans will likely keep the call alive for the killer drama to get renewed for Season 3 somewhere other than Fox. Let us know in the poll below if you'd like another season or not!

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Before Underworld, never had the fantastic world of victorian horror been so… Matrix. That is, by no means, an indictment on the 2003 thriller that brings the mythical conflict between werewolves and vampires to modern times. Other than its bleak color palette, stylized choreography, and dress code that favors skin-tight leather, Len Wiseman’s feature-length directorial debut is unique in its own ways with much to admire, especially making a household name out of Kate Beckinsale.

What about the rest of the cast from Underworld and its three follow-ups with a prequel right in the middle? I can think of a couple other well-known efforts from Scott Speedman, the male lead of the first two films, but, additionally, I would not be surprised if some of you forgot about some of the bigger names who would join the cast later.

In that case, how about we go take a look at the most notable actors known for joining the war between the two most notorious species of the undead? These are the current whereabouts of a handful cast members since rising above the Underworld.

Kate Beckinsale (Selene)

After gaining notoriety in Pearl Harbor and Serendipity, to name a few, playing Selene, the face of the Underworld franchise, made Kate Beckinsale one of the most sought after action stars in Hollywood, but she was sure to never limit herself to just one genre. In between reprising her role as the vampire warrior three more times, the British beauty would take on the affections of the eccentric Howard Hughes in The Aviator, a husband obsessed with an enchanted remote in Click, a sadistic hotel manager in Vacancy, and even more vampires and werwolves alongside Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing. 

Beckinsale has also voiced Queen Ayrenn in two iterations of the online role-player The Elder Scrolls, and will return to action in Jolt and comedy in director Charlie Day’s El Tonto, both of which are in post-production.

Scott Speedman (Michael Corvin)

Selene would find a love interest in medical student Michael Corvin after he becomes a hybrid of the two warring creatures at the story's center, thanks to a bit from her and a lycan named Lucian (a little more on him soon). One of Scott Speedman's more notable roles after starring in two Underworld films saw him, with onscreen wife Liv Tyler, facing off a different kind of monster in the 2009 home invasion thriller The Strangers and later, a creature even more obscure, but equally malevolent, in a small role from the A24 creature feature The Monster. 

The British former Felicity star made his most recent return to television in a recurring role on TNT's series of adaptation of Animals Kingdom and will make in a rare appearance in a comedy, alongside Aubrey Plaza and Michael Caine, Best Sellers, which is now in post-production.

Michael Sheen (Lucian)

As Lucian, the progenitor of the lycan race, Michael Sheen had the advantage of playing both an antagonist in the Underworld franchise and a protagonist, particularly in the 2009 prequel, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, as well as receiving a taste of a bloodsucker's life as Aro in the Twilight films. The 51-year-old British actor has played a hefty variety of characters onscreen, onstage, or on-air, from either fiction or real life, including an angel with a demonic best friend in a miniseries adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Good Omens or Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom he has portrayed in three respective films, two of which he received award nominations for. 

More recently, Sheen appeared as the serial killer father of an criminal psychologist in the Fox drama series Prodigal Son and is preparing to star in existential dramedy The Price of Admission alongside Jeff Goldblum and voice a character in an animated adaptation of Heart of Darkness.

Bill Nighy (Viktor)

It is always exciting to see Bill Nighy make an appearance, but as the sinister Vampire Elder Viktor (whom he would reprise twice) he convinced audiences how much they love him as a villain, made further evident by his performance as Davy Jones in two Pirates of the Caribbean films. Underworld was also the first of several memorable death scenes for the 70-year-old, Golden Globe-winning actor, most notably Shaun of the Dead, as well as many more roles rooted in fantasy, such as Harry Potter ally Minister Rufus Scrimgeour, the target of some secret agent gerbils in G-Force, and a time-traveling father in About Time for Richard Curtis, who directed him in a reprisal of his Love, Actually character in honor of Red Nose Day in 2017. 

Bill Nighy made a return to the world of vampirism on the animated Netflix original Castlevania, but is focusing more on family entertainment for more of his upcoming projects, including a new adaptation of the classic novel Heidi.

Kevin Grevioux (Raze)

In addition to playing Raze, a lycan and the second-in-command to Lucian, Kevin Grevioux was the original creator of the concept for Underworld and would team up with director Len Wiseman and screenwriter Danny McBride (no, not that Danny McBride) to develop the story, in addition to producing the first three installments of the franchise. The film would become his first writing credit, after years in Hollywood landing small roles in big movies (some that were nameless) like Batman Forever and The Mask and even performing stuntwork, before starting his own comic book imprints, later writing a few titles for Marvel and DC, and eventually voicing characters from both respective comic book universes in various animated projects. 

Grevioux continues to work behind and in front of the camera and recently wrapped filming sci-fi adventure The Prey with co-star Danny Trejo.

Rhona Mitra (Sonja)

Rhona Mitra has a career much like Kate Beckinsale's, but in reverse, having starred in multiple thrillers and action projects before she was cast as the Sonja, daughter of Viktor and the female lead of the 2009 prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. The role would spark several more opportunities in the action and fantasy genres (some more successful than others) and mostly on television, two of which also involved vampires, such The Gates, a suburban crime drama on which she played modern day bloodsucker, and The Strain, on which she hunted bloodsuckers this time. The British actress will also soon be seen in the third chapter of the Skyline franchise, Skylin3s, and has joined the star-studded voice cast of the upcoming science-fiction video game Squadron 42.

Theo James (David)

After making his franchise debut as pure-blood vampire David in Underworld: Awakening, English actor Theo James would be promoted to male lead in 2016's Blood Wars. However, he grained further recognition playing second-in-command to a film's female hero 2014 as Tobias "Four" Eaton opposite Shailene Woodley in Divergent trilogy. Even with that success, it seems James has felt a bit homesick for his first big franchise since the last installment, given how many of his subsequent projects have involved fellow Underworld alums, such as voicing a role in Castlevania alongside Bill Nighy, starring in a 2018 musical audio drama adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds with Michael Sheen, and playing a widowed engineer desperate to achieve the perfect AI in Archive, which he and Rhona Mitra recently wrapped up and is slated for 2021.

Charles Dance (Thomas)

Making his first Underworld appearance in Awakening as David's father, Thomas, was Charles Dance, whom film aficionados may also recognize as Clemens from Alien 3, Commander Denniston in The Imitation Game, or an evil sorcerer taking on Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child. The three-time Emmy nominated, English acting veteran, who recently played a villain in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, has had an equally prolific career on television, including Netflix historical drama The Crown, Amazon exclusive miniseries The Widow (also starring Kate Beckinsale), and, especially, as Tywin Lannister on Game of Thrones. Dance's next big cinematic role will be in Kingsman prequel The King's Man, followed by David Fincher's biopic of Citizen Kane's screenwriter Mank, and he is preparing to making his sophomore writing and directing effort with an adaptation of Alice Thomas Ellis' The Inn at the Edge of the World.

Michael Ealy (Detective Sebastian)

Aldo joining the cast in Underworld: Awakening was prominent actor Michael Ealy, not as a vampire nor a lycan, but a human whose dark past has earned him a rare sympathy toward vampires. You could draw comparisons from Detective Sebastian to his role as a human-like android policeman in a world overrun with conflict between man and machine in the short-lived futuristic crime procedural Almost Human, but probably less so to the other TV cops he has played since on Secrets and Lies and Stumptown. 

Since his sole Underworld franchise appearance, Ealy has also starred in three remakes (About Last Night, Jacob's Ladder, and HBO's hit series adaptation of Westworld) and recently reunited with Deon Taylor, the director of the 2019 thriller The Intruder, for upcoming crime drama Fatale, which will also star Hilary Swank and Mike Colter.

India Eisley (Eve)

It was Detective Sebastian's sympathy toward the vampire race that convinced him to help Selene protect Eve, her daughter with Michael Corvin and played by India Eisley in her first major motion picture performance after breaking out on the teen drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Playing the unprecedented tri-hybrid of vampire, werewolf, and immortal strains sparked her scream queen reputation that would carry on in roles like the title character of twisted fairy tale retelling The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, the psychological Netflix exclusive Clinical, and the upcoming stalker drama Every Breath You Take, also starring Sam Claflin and Michelle Monaghan. 

Following her role opposite Chris Pine in Patty Jenkins' crime miniseries I Am the Night, the 26-year-old has been rumored to co-star with her mother, veteran actress and fellow scream queen Olivia Hussey, in a rare comedic role for the satire One Week In Hollywood.

Be sure to check back for more information and updates on the Underworld franchise as well as the whereabouts of your favorite movie and TV show cast members here on CinemaBlend.

I like Prodigal Son. I wouldn’t say I love it, but it’s an enjoyable show with good characters, wacky case of the week plots and better acting than you’d expect. It’s on my season pass list. Sometimes I even watch it the same night it airs. I’m a solid thumbs up. Since we’re in quarantine and we’ve all lost our filter, however, I just need to blurt something out and get it off my chest. It pisses me off that Prodigal Son won't let Michael Sheen start solving cases from jail. It's what we all want. Maybe it's where the show is going. Hurry up and get there already.

I don’t understand how we’re most of the way through the first season and this hasn’t started happening already. Michael Sheen’s character is a serial killer. He’s also a doctor and has great insight into the human mind. He’s shown a strong interest in helping and giving mind-of-the-killer-type insights whenever asked. But for whatever reason, Prodigal Son has not embraced it yet. An overwhelming majority of the times we get Michael Sheen, it’s him providing buried memories or background into Malcolm’s childhood.

Look: I’m not saying we should totally abandon answering these lingering questions, whether it be the girl in the box or otherwise, but Prodigal Son needs to be honest and admit what it actually is: a slightly dark whodunit with a weird sense of humor and an ace in the hole in Michael Sheen. He shouldn’t be a distraction from the week’s mystery plot. He should be engaged in solving these cases. I want him to be Facetimed into crime scenes. I want him to be helping Malcolm build the criminal profiles. I want him to be the co-lead of the show.

Television is flooded with cautionary tales of mystery procedurals that don't read the room and mistakenly decide the audience wants every damn episode to be interlinked with the personal lives of its characters. You could point to more standard network offerings like Bones, which had multiple serial killers targeting the team for no apparent reason, or you could even point to more critically acclaimed offerings like Sherlock that got really personal life heavy and frankly ridiculous by the end. That’s not what most viewers want.

Sure, it’s OK to have a BIG EPISODE every now and again. If once a season, you want the murder victim to be someone’s sister so it gets personal, that’s fine. I get it. And if you want to continually move the private lives of the characters forward, that’s fine too. But the point of a crime procedural is to solve cases. That should be the main thrust of it each week, but Prodigal Son more often than not seems to think Malcolm’s background is the A plot and the cases are the B plot, or even worse, they try to tie both plots together so Malcolm is solving something that also teaches him about his personal life. Save that for season finales!

This shouldn’t be hard. Give us a ridiculous murder with some outrageous detail. Example: a chef was knocked off and then his famous sauce was poured on top of his corpse! Oh no! Then let Malcolm hit up the crime scene alongside Gil and the other detectives. Then send him to prison to hang out with Michael Sheen and talk about the case. Then have him take those insights back into the field. There can maybe be another phone call later in the episode after we discover (gasp) the chef’s sauce was made with a different ingredient which matters for some reason! Then solve the case and maybe learn one new detail at the end about Malcolm and Martin’s relationship. That’s it. That should be 90 percent of the episodes, along with a moment or two of Michael Sheen hilariously patting himself on the back for how smart he is.

In conclusion, I like Prodigal Son, but it often frustrates me. It could be my favorite weekly crime procedural, but in order to be that, it needs to embrace what it is and start using Michael Sheen to solve the actual cases. I’ll keep watching it regardless because I like mystery shows and we’re all in quarantine, but this is also definitely great advice that should be listened to.

Prodigal Son is poised to bring former Walking Dead actor Tom Payne to network television in a big way, with none other than Michael Sheen (recently of Good Omens fame) playing his father. The new show definitely isn't a family drama a la This Is Us or A Million Little Things, though, as Michael Sheen's character just so happens to be a serial killer.

After a surprising recasting, Tom Payne plays Malcolm Bright, a brilliant young man with a knack for knowing how killers think due to the fact that his dad, Dr. Martin Whitly, was a prolific serial killer back in the 1990s. Known as "The Surgeon," Whitly's actions alienated him from his son, who nevertheless uses the unique edge that comes with having a serial killer dad to help the NYPD solve crimes and catch killers.

Now, despite the fact that Tom Payne has some experience with fictional killers and death thanks to his time on The Walking Dead, a show revolving around a serial killer and the impact of having such a person in a life requires a different approach. Both he and Michael Sheen shared their inspiration for the series during the Prodigal Son panel at the Summer 2019 TCA press tour. Tom Payne put it this way:

For as much as Prodigal Son has a peculiar premise, arguably more similar to The Blacklist than anything else on television, Tom Payne revealed that there's plenty of material that he was able to use as inspiration for his work on the series. Interestingly, he noted that there were both fictional and real-life cases that he was able to "draw from."

Apparently, Prodigal Son executive producer Sarah Schechter is responsible for putting Tom Payne onto the grim case of the Happy Face Killer, a.k.a. Keith Jesperson, who raped and murdered eight women back in the 1990s. His daughter, Melissa Moore, has publicly spoken about dealing with life when her father is a notorious serial killer.

That case sounds on the money for Tom Payne's character on Prodigal Son. He went on to share his personal reaction to Melissa Moore's case:

Tom Payne's emotional reaction to what he learned about the real-life case of the Happy Face Killer and his daughter suggests strikes me as a good sign about what he'll bring to his character as the series progresses.

Michael Sheen also drew upon a real-life serial killer case for Prodigal Son, but not the same one as Tom Payne. After all, Sheen will be playing a character who has done some very different things than his son, even if his son does have some troubling similarities to his dad.

That Michael Sheen is playing a serial killer for Prodigal Son is definitely a departure from his most recent regular TV role, which was the angel Aziraphale in Good Omens. Sheen explained the real-life serial killer case that was particularly helpful in his Prodigal Son preparation:

The Green River Killer, a.k.a. Gary Leon Ridgeway, is a serial killer initially convicted of 48 murders, which he committed by strangling. Back in 2016, news broke that Michael Sheen had written a screenplay for a crime thriller feature based on the story of the Green River Killer, and was slated to direct and star as the killer as well.

While the feature has not yet released, the research for one project evidently came in very handy for a project Michael Sheen could not have seen coming a few years ago. Based on his comments, viewers shouldn't expect "The Surgeon" to be interchangeable with the Green River Killer, but research on one serial killer is an advantage in playing another, even if the other is fictional.

That said, Michael Sheen did find a documentary about an English serial killer who also happened to be a doctor. Sheen explained:

So, folks who tune in to Prodigal Son on Fox don't have to wonder if the stars did any digging into serial killer psychology to bring their characters to life. Tom Payne and Michael Sheen found their inspiration in different ways, and it should be interesting to see the nuances they're able to bring to their characters for the new series.

Prodigal Son airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. That's only one of many new and returning shows hitting the airwaves this fall, so be sure to check out our premiere schedule for when you can watch what you want to watch.

Let it not be said that the apocalypse has to be filled with nothing but fire and brimstone! Amazon's new series Good Omens delivers plenty of humor and heart to go along with the looming end of the world, with the unconventional relationship between an angel and a demon at the center. The angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley (played by Michael Sheen and David Tennant, respectively) grew too fond of life among the humans on Earth to allow the world to end without trying to interfere as a team.

As it happens, they're just not especially competent at averting the apocalypse, but they're going to try like Hell -- or like Heaven -- to save the world together. Michael Sheen recently spoke at a Good Omens world premiere press conference, and he explained how the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley is like The Beatles, saying this:

On the one hand, you probably wouldn't expect and angel and a demon to have much in common with one of the biggest bands in music history. On the other hand, there's literally no other being on any other plane of existence who can relate to what Crowley and Aziraphale have gone through, and that's certainly true for The Beatles and their years of Beatlemania.

The Beatles were just much better at making music than Crowley and Aziraphale were at setting up the apocalypse for their respective sides. The trailers alone are proof enough that the pair would rather try to prevent the war than help their sides as they enthusiastically prepare for the war between Heaven and Hell.

If Good Omens was a drama, viewers could probably count on some of that fire and brimstone, raining down or rising up to a dark and moody soundtrack. Instead, we have an angel and a demon who are too fond of the lives they've built on Earth to really want everything to end, to the tunes of Queen. Seriously, in my book, you haven't properly appreciated "Bohemian Rhapsody" until you've watched Good Omens. If only The Beatles were involved as well!

David Tennant also weighed in on the unconventional relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale, although he went without mentioning The Beatles. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. Here are his thoughts on how important the demon and angel have become to one another:

Aziraphale is still an angel and Crowley is still a demon, but there are a lot more shades of grey to them by the end of the series than in their first encounter at the Garden of Eden. Hey, six thousand years with precisely one peer is bound to make that relationship important, and of course they had to change due to the influence of humanity and each other after so much time away from their head offices!

The relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley has already become one of the most popular -- if not the most popular -- aspects of the series, which is an A+ for newcomers as well as fans of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's original novel.

Neil Gaiman and director Douglas Mackinnon shared their thoughts about why the relationship was such a success, crediting the actors for their remarkable chemistry and how they were "dancing together." Both David Tennant and Michael Sheen also spoke about how they crafted their performances around each other.

At the press conference, Michael Sheen jokingly suggested that Crowley and Aziraphale are "totally codependent now" after their thousands of years of a relationship. David Tennant elaborated on how different Crowley and Aziraphale are from the other demons and angels:

Whether you're drinking to hang out with your demon "significant other," to try and convince your angel other half to help you subvert the apocalypse, or drowning your sorrows because you think the angel died in a fire, you can't find that alcohol in either Heaven or Hell!

Amusingly, the existence of fine wines on Earth was one of the factors Crowley tried to use to convince Aziraphale that they needed to prevent the end of the world, and they sure did proceed to get celestially smashed together. The cold open to Episode 3 also devoted half an hour to showing Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship changing throughout history.

Good Omens ended with Crowley and Aziraphale on their own side and at least temporarily cut off from Heaven and Hell, although Crowley suggested that a big war of Heaven and Hell vs. humanity is going to happen. The ending seems all but designed to open the door for a second season or spinoff, but there was only one book of source material, and Neil Gaiman hasn't given any indication that he intends to continue the show for a second season. We can alway hope, though!

END SPOILERS. You can catch all six episodes of Good Omens streaming on Amazon now. If you're in the market for something less heavenly, check out our summer TV premiere guide for some options.

Since the first time I laid my hands on it, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's 1990 novel Good Omens has been one of my favorite pieces of (arguable) fiction. Its imaginative characters, sweeping drive, and robust humor stood tall against the best of both authors’ works then, and it continues to do so today. Unsurprisingly, no one had to twist my arm to convince me to frolic through the entirety of Amazon’s new Good Omens limited series multiple times. And guess what?

It. Is. Ma. Gi. Cal. No, it’s not “magi, Cal.” It’s magical, with a capital Yes Please and Thank You.

I can’t properly elucidate how Good Omens might work on anyone who is unfamiliar with the novel, though I can’t imagine it’s the most undemanding plot to follow. However, for anyone who’s been waiting eons (literal or otherwise) for Good Omens to make it to live-action, the Amazon and BBC Studios co-production is a most triumphant achievement, and is a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Maybe even three hells of a lot of fun. Now let’s dig into why it’s the best.

Good Omens Was Adapted By Neil Gaiman Himself

The fantastical Terry Pratchett sadly passed away in 2015, and with his dying request to Neil Gaiman, he asked for Good Omens to get a proper small screen adaptation. Pratchett understood that there could be no one else beyond Gaiman who could dependably and obsessively whittle the apocalyptic book down into an episodic format.

After seeing Good Omens in its entirety, fans will likely agree. While bits of storytelling favoritism no doubt crept into the project, only Neil Gaiman was capable of capturing the true heart and spirit of the epic tale and he and Terry Pratchett conquered nearly 30 years ago. It feels unmistakably like a Gaiman project through and through, which I wish was the case with so many other TV shows these days.

Michael Sheen And David Tennant Are Beyond Perfect As Aziraphale And Crowley

When they’re apart, Michael Sheen and David Tennant are extremely talented, successful, award-winning actors. But when they’re together for Good Omens, there is no “Michael” or “David;” there is only the rule-supporting angel Aziraphale and the caution-evading demon Crowley, who truly feel as if they were ripped off the book pages and molded into living and breathing TV characters. High school science departments don’t have this much chemistry.

I’d love to be able to go back in time to see the mental images I had of Aziraphale and Crowley, so that I could bypass whatever those horrible ideas were and just jump straight to Michael Sheen and David Tennant, who own every moment of the characters’ unique friendship-kinship. They’ve stalked the planet for thousands of years, and yet never bothered to make any other friends beside one another, and the actors make it feel completely believable.

It’s Clear How Much Time And Money Went Into Making Good Omens

Because Good Omens takes place across different eras of history and incorporates biblical characters from differing sides of the afterlife, the risk of the project looking like a hellacious failure was potentially as high as Heaven’s gates. However, seemingly no cost was spared in bringing the end of days to life (and Death), and everything from the simplest cafe set design to the most complicated special effects looks downright glorious. You gotta love an apocalypse story that mostly takes place during sunny afternoons, too.

Beyond the snazzy costumes and the boffo set pieces, a godly spotlight needs to shine on the myriad other cast members portraying Good Omens’s quirky inhabitants. Jon Hamm brings his endless pizzazz to the role of the archangel Gabriel, and the great Frances McDormand serves as the narration-friendly voice of God. A shortlist of other familiar faces includes Better Call Saul’s Michael McKean, Blackadder vet Miranda Richardson, Eastenders’ Josie Lawrence, The Killing’s Mireille Enos, Bad Education’s Jack Whitehall, The Walking Dead vet David Morrissey and many more. Keep an ear out for Brian Cox and Benedict Cumberbatch, too.

Good Omens Still Has Fun Surprises For Longtime Fans

The creative minds that develop many of the novel and comic book adaptations out there tend to change up the material so that storylines and characters are recognizable but still refreshing for those most familiar with the source material. Given the death of the novel’s co-writer, Good Omens’ team had a sub-mission to honor the original work with as much faithfulness as possible. Thankfully, though, Neil Gaiman still peppered the show with an assortment of surprises and unexpected moments.

For one, Jon Hamm’s Gabriel became a more fully rounded character in the Amazon miniseries, reflecting how the character was meant to get expanded in Good Omens’long-rumored novel sequel. As well, an early episode does the remarkable job of showcasing Aziraphale and Crowley’s relationship throughout the ages, which fully fleshes out certain elements only hinted at on the page. (The entire series could have subsisted of just those scenes, and I would have been sated.) As well, the live-action story also replaced quite a few of its real-world references to reflect the 29-year gap between the developments of the novel and the show.

For the completely uninitiated, Good Omens may very well come off looking like a wild-minded, high-falutin and overwrought tale of “good vs. evil.” Its pacing and exposition employ no learning curves in telling a story that revels in wordplay, world-building, and religious subtext. It’s as dense as TV comedy gets, but that that’s hardly a bad thing.

For me, Good Omens is like a classic Simpsons or Arrested Development episode that justifies, rewards and possibly requires multiple viewings to make sure audiences have ingested everything that the creative team packed into it. (Such as an appearance from Neil Gaiman’s own American Gods novel.) As a fan who holds the book in the upper echelon of fictional storytelling, I don’t think a single of of my expectations was dashed, and my only true complaint is that Amazon’s Good Omens doesn’t last as long as Aziraphale and Crowley’s friendship.

All six humor-filled episodes of Good Omens are currently available to stream in full on Amazon Video, so don’t waste another sinful moment doing anything but taking it all in. Keep rewatching it over and over all summer long and maybe everyone involved will figure out a way to return to that universe in the future.

Good Omens has finally premiered on Amazon, and the six-episode series delivered an adaptation of the immensely popular novel of the same name. The novel, penned by Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, tells the story the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale as they work together to prevent the end of the world. There are plenty of other quirky characters in the mix as well, but it was really the dynamic between Crowley and Aziraphale that needed to be something truly special for Good Omens to stand out.

David Tennant and Michael Sheen were cast as Crowley and Aziraphale, respectively, and it was difficult to guess going into the show whether they had the right kind of spark together to portray two characters who spent six thousand years rubbing off on each other and becoming an oddball sort of angelic/demonic unit.

Fortunately, David Tennant and Michael Sheen nailed the dynamic from start to finish. Neil Gaiman, who wrote the scripts and ran the show on top of his role as one of the authors of the original novel, recently spoke at a press junket attended by CinemaBlend and other outlets, and he described Tennant and Sheen's dynamic from early on:

David Tennant and Michael Sheen were cast for their roles without a chemistry read that revealed how they would build their characters around each other before the table read, but Neil Gaiman explained that it was as if they began dancing together, and they didn't stop until the very end.

The read-through happened without all the TV magic of makeup and costuming and set pieces, so David Tennant and Michael Sheen must have been truly remarkable together to make such an impression as a demon and angel. Neil Gaiman wasn't the only one immediately impressed, either. (More on that lower.)

Honestly, if one half of the writing team who created the characters nearly 30 years ago is enthusiastically on board, there can be no doubt that these were the right actors for the job! Considering that Neil Gaiman has said many times that the goal of Good Omens on Amazon was to create something for his late writing partner that Terry Pratchett would have been proud of, his comments about David Tennant and Michael Sheen are high praise indeed.

Director Douglas Mackinnon, who helmed all six episodes of Good Omens, weighed in on the dance between the two lead actors, as well as what they brought to the show as their characters in their funny little relationship. Mackinnon said this:

The actors playing Crowley and Aziraphale needed to sell their separate sides of the story while still coming across as two halves of a whole. Luckily, David Tennant and Michael Sheen had a lot to work with thanks to the original Good Omens novel and the new sequences Neil Gaiman crafted for the show. Although Tennant hadn't actually read the book, Gaiman was a resource for clarifying what Crowley and Aziraphale did and why they did it.

Interestingly, one of the most entertaining new sequences for the show almost didn't happen thanks to some filming complications at one iconic London location. If not for Neil Gaiman and Douglas Mackinnon improvising, the Globe Theatre scene could have been a disaster.

That scene and many others proved Crowley and Aziraphale are the real heart of Good Omens. Not just because Good Omens delivered a distraught Crowley leaving Aziraphale's burning book shop to the tune of Queen's "Somebody To Love," and not just because Aziraphale was willing to go against every instinct and give Crowley some holy water because he was afraid Crowley would get himself killed attempting to steal it.

Thanks to the combination of Neil Gaiman's writing, David Tennant and Michael Sheen's performances, and Douglas Mackinnon's filming, Good Omens is in many ways a love story between an angel and a demon that is just open enough to interpretation that everybody should be able to enjoy it.

David Tennant and Michael Sheen also spoke at the press event about crafting the Crowley/Aziraphale dynamic:

Even the actors didn't know what they had together until the read-through! Fans can argue until the end of time about whether the relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale is platonic, romantic, familial, or just undefinable (or perhaps ineffable) as an angel and a demon who bonded through a unique shared experience, but I think all viewers can probably agree that David Tennant and Michael Sheen brought something remarkable to their scenes together.

Despite the fact that I'm guessing plenty of fans would give their right arm -- or somebody's right arm, anyway -- for another batch of episodes with David Tennant and Michael Sheen as Crowley and Aziraphale, we'll probably just have to content ourselves with pitching spinoffs and imagining what came next for them after the final credits rolled. The Good Omens novel didn't have a sequel, and Neil Gaiman is looking forward to getting back to writing novels rather than crafting shows.

You can catch the six episodes of Good Omens streaming on Amazon now, and check out our summer TV premiere schedule for what you can watch in the not-too-distant future.

Jesus is risen! Tom Payne booked his first role after Paul "Jesus" Rovia was killed off The Walking Dead, and Fox just made it official. Progidal Son, co-starring Michael Sheen, was one of four drama pilots Fox just ordered to series for the 2019-2020 season. (Meanwhile, my beloved The Passage was cancelled.)

You may recall first hearing about Prodigal Son when Iron Fist star Finn Jones was cast in the lead role of Malcolm Bright. During the read-through, it was agreed that Jones wasn't the right fit for the role, so the part was recast with Tom Payne.

Apparently the chemistry works with British actor Tom Payne, 36, as Malcolm Bright, and Welsh actor Michael Sheen, 50, as his killer father. According to Deadline, the duo drew praise for their acting, especially for Sheen in the showcase role of a notorious serial killer.

Fox shared a logo for Prodigal Son, focusing squarely on Tom Payne's titular son Malcolm Bright:

Fox also shared a photo of the father and son duo of Tom Payne's Malcolm Bright and Michael Sheen's Dr. Martin Whitly.

Red is the signature color of Prodigal Son, it seems.

The one-hour drama also stars Scandal alum Bellamy Young as Jessica Whitly, with Lou Diamond Phillips as a character named Gil Arroyo, plus The Orville's Halston Sage as Ainsley Whitly, Aurora Perrineau as Dani Powell, Frank Harts as JT Tarmel, and Keiko Agena as Edrisa Tanaka.

Here's the logline for Prodigal Son, per Fox:

It sounds like an exciting new role for Tom Payne, who is still best known to fans around the world from his two dozen episodes as Jesus on The Walking Dead from 2016 to 2019. Payne wasn't sorry to be written off the show during Season 9, as he explained to CinemaBlend:

Tom Payne was just happy to see Jesus get a good exit in the Season 9 midseason finale. As for when we'll see Payne back on TV screens, we'll have to wait and see. Fox has yet to announce its 2019-2020 premiere dates, but pencil Prodigal Son in for a fall 2019 debut. Keep up with all of the 2019 renewals and cancellations with our handy guide.

Up until now, director Gareth Evans' name has been linked with The Raid and its sprawling sequel, The Raid: Berandal. That's what happens when you reinvent a time-tested genre like the action-thriller: the world NEEDS to know what you are going to do next. For Evans, the answer is Apostle, a bloody mix of faith and fear that will reach Netflix in October. Before that, we have the first trailer, which you can watch right now:

In the press notes for Apostle, it's stated that Gareth Evans takes cues from The Wicker Man, and damn, is that ever obvious. Plunging into the sordid debate around organized religion and cult-like behavior at the turn of the century. Apostle follows mysterious stranger Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens, The Guest and Beauty and the Beast) who embarks on a journey through 1905 London to reclaim his sister, who has joined a cult. On an island off the coast, Thomas encounters the captivating leader of this organized sect, Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen), who of course has nasty motives for wanting to form this new religion.

I would belly up to Apostle if it was simply a camera pointed at Michael Sheen and Dan Stevens, in a test of wills. These two are incredible actors, and this material should be ripe for them to explore some dramatic territories.

But when you bring Gareth Evans into the fold, it elevates Apostle to a new playing field. Yes, there is a quick shot of what could be Dan Stevens in a fight sequence involving poles and sticks. When you hire the guy behind The Raid, you turn him loose. But in truth, I'm more excited to see what tricks Apostle brings to the table in a new genre: that of psychological horror. You saw this little dude, right? Because I'm going to see him again in my nightmares this evening, that much I can guarantee.

Before Apostle makes its way into people's homes via Netflix, the producers plan to swing it by Fantastic Fest in Austin, which is an ideal launch pad for a genre film like this. Expect the buzz coming out of Austin to set the tone for the reception. But the beautiful thing about Netflix is that, so long as you are a subscriber, the only thing that it will cost you -- should you decide to check it out -- is some of your time.

When can you check it out? Apostle will begin to stream on Netflix globally on October 12. Written and directed by Gareth Evans, Apostle co-stars Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen, Lucy Boynton, Mark Lewis Jones, Bill Milner and Paul Higgins. What do you think of the new trailer? Do you think you will check this one out?

For the last couple of days, it has seemed like actor Michael Sheen's time left on the big screen has been limited. After all, it was widely reported on Friday that the Frost/Nixon actor would be stepping away from his acting career in favor of focusing himself more on political activism. It was surprising news to learn... but that's partially because it's not entirely true.

The story of Michael Sheen's possibly retirement spread around this weekend due to an interview that the actor did with The Times in promotion of his upcoming movie Passengers, but it seems that the truth got a bit bent when going from his words to print. In an attempt to clarify things, Sheen started by hitting his personal Twitter account to explain that he is merely thinking about acting less, not leaving the business entirely:

Following up - probably because 140 characters is rather limiting - Michael Sheen then moved over to his personal Tumblr blog, where he had a bit more room to explain exactly what is currently going on with him re: political activism and possible retirement. Clarifying that his moves have nothing specifically to do with either Brexit or Donald Trump's presidential election win, he noted that he mostly is just concerned about the rise of anti-democratic forces in the world, and feels a personal responsibility to help stand up against it. In a post titled "WHAT I DID NOT SAY," Sheen wrote:

That post from Michael Sheen was followed by a much longer piece called "So..." that can be read right here.

While it's certainly not hard to understand the pull of political activism when you have a face familiar to millions, we can selfishly say that we're happy Michael Sheen isn't ready to just drop out of the industry. As an actor, he has proven himself time and time again to be an incredibly talented performer, and he is really a welcomed addition to any project of which he becomes a part. Hopefully he can continue to balance his life so that he can continue his impressive work, while also standing up to causes in which he believes.

Michael Sheen's next work, the sci-fi feature Passengers, will be in theaters this Wednesday, December 21st.

Throw actors like Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence together in any movie and I’m likely to see it no matter what. Make it a science fiction movie, even better. The duo’s upcoming two-hander Passengers already had my attention, but now they’ve added an intriguing new piece, Michael Sheen, who is reportedly going to play a robot.

Variety reports that Sheen, currently starring in the series Masters of Sex, which just started its third season on Showtime, but who is an actor I will always remember for playing Wesley Snipes on 30 Rock, is all set to join the party on Sony’s long in the works sci-fi romance.

Passengers takes place on a spaceship bound for a distant planet with a group of travelers who are all in a cryogenic sleep due to the long-distance nature of their trip. There are thousands of settlers on board, they plan to colonize a new world, but a problem arises when one passenger (Pratt) wakes up. He still has 90 years to go before they reach their destination, and for some reason that is unclear right now, he is unable to get back to sleep. So what does he do? Well, instead of living out his days in solitude and dying well before anyone else regains consciousness, he wakes up a female passenger (Lawrence). While this seems like kind of a dick move on the surface, she probably has some mixed feelings on the matter, an unlikely romance blooms between the two. And apparently the Sheen robot figures into this limited scope narrative in some way we’re not sure of yet. So they’re not entirely as it turns out.

Though it is rolling along now, this is a project that has been floating around for a while, and though it hasn’t materialized just yet, it’s always had big name talent attached. Originally Keanu Reeves was going to play the male lead, and both Reese Witherspoon and Rachel McAdams were set to play the female role at various times. After some financial uncertainty following the change of command at Sony, Pratt and Lawrence signed on for hefty sums (the Guardians of the Galaxy star will pocket $12 million, while the Oscar-winning Lawrence will earn $20 million plus a percentage of the profits).

Aside from the star presence, there’s some power behind the scenes as well. Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (Headhunters) is coming off of the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring The Imitation Game, which walked away with an Academy Award last year, as well as a bunch of nominations. John Spaihts, the writer behind Marvel’s upcoming Doctor Strange adaptation, as well as Prometheus and a Mummy reboot, wrote the script.

Right now there’s no timeline for Passengers beyond a release sometime in 2016. With both Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt as in demand as they currently are, scheduling could be tricky, but at least there are basically only three people in this movie.

Today Fox Searchlight Pictures begins production on their ambitious adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic 1874 novel Far From the Madding Crowd. The English author’s tale centers on a headstrong and beautiful young woman named Bathsheba Everdene, who realizes her life’s happiness depends very much on who she chooses to marry. Her suitors each come from different backgrounds. Gabrielle Oak is a sweet-hearted sheep farmer who is drawn in by her independent spirit. Frank Troy is a sexy, dashing and impulsive Sergeant, who promises passion. Lastly, William Boldwood is a wealthy, but older gentleman, who could offer her luxury at least.

Carey Mulligan, who was first considered for the role last fall, will play the feisty and fickle heroine Bathsheba. Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts, who recently co-starred with Marion Cotillard in the acclaimed romantic drama Rust and Bone, will play her shepherd Oak. English newcomer Tom Sturridge (On the Road) will be her Sergeant Troy, having won the role over Stoker star Matthew Goode. Welsh star Michael Sheen, who is best known for biopics like Frost/Nixon and vampire tales like Underworld and the Twilight series, will portray the December to her May as Boldwood. Also among the cast is rising starlet Juno Temple (The Dark Knight Rises) in an undisclosed role.

As Bathsheba flirts with the idea of a life with each of these suitors, the story explores the nature of passion and love, while revealing mankind’s ability to overcome hardship through resilience and perseverance. To adapt this romance-fueled drama, Fox Searchlight in conjunction with BBC Films and DNA Films hired screenwriter David Nicholls, who wrote the romance novel One Day then translated it into a script for the 2011 Lone Sherfig adaptation of the same name. Andrew Macdonald, who produced the 2010 Mulligan-fronted drama Never Let Me Go, proclaims in the press release, “David Nicholls’ script beautifully captures the heart of Hardy's original.”

Helming this promising adaptation is Dogme 95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg. The Danish filmmaker best known for the groundbreaking drama The Celebration is an intriguing choice for this complex tale of human emotion. While his works have never become mainstream Stateside, his reputation for encouraging naturalistic performances that are deeply engaging make him an excellent choice for this endeavor. BBC producer Christine Langan adds, “David Nicholls’ smart and compelling reworking of Hardy’s classic has found its ideal counterpart in the hugely talented Thomas Vinterberg. The incomparable Carey Mulligan - the perfect Bathsheba - sits at the heart of a mouth-watering cast who will do justice to this rich and irresistible tale.”

Far From the Madding Crowd is now in production, and will shoot on location in Dorset, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It’s expected the drama will open in 2014. In the meantime, check out the trailer for the 1967 adaptation starring Julie Christie, Peter Finch, Alan Bates, and Terence Stamp.

A couple of months ago, we learned that Will Ferrell, frequent partner in crime Adam McKay, and several other Funny or Die guys were bringing an original series to IFC called The Spoils of Babylon. The parody of a television miniseries could potentially make a big impact for the little network and very well may, thanks to the all-star cast that has now signed on for The Spoils of Babylon.

The show has been greenlighted for six episodes at the network and will follow a fake book written by fake author Eric Jonrosh (Ferrell). The story will span multiple generations in the oil industry, also looking at multiple locations, from New York City to Texas. Because it will follow so many different storylines over different time periods, a large ensemble cast will be needed and on Monday, IFC announced a few of the names involved with the production. Tim Robbins, Kristen Wiig, Michael Sheen, Tobey Maguire, Haley Joel Osment, Jessica Alba, Val Kilmer, Steve Tom and Ferrell are all signed on to participate in the short series. You can read more about the The Spoils of Babylon, straight from IFC, below.

Production on the series actually began yesterday in Los Angeles, and The Spoils of Babylon is set for a 2014 premiere. With all of the talent involved in the series as well as a wild premise, the show should have no trouble attracting attention for IFC. Hopefully, it can even manage to find a broader audience than the network’s niche program, Portlandia, and will be able to put IFC on the map. We’ll let you know when IFC’s newest mini gets an official premiere date at the network.

Midnight in Paris actors Rachel McAdams and Michael Sheen have decided to end their relationship. The couple came out publicly in 2011 after looking cutesy at the Cannes Film Festival, but two years later, things apparently weren’t going so smoothly.

Sheen and McAdams’ match-up sort of had a magical quality to it when they first got together. The 34-year-old actress and the 44-year-old actor first met when they were shooting Midnight in Paris in the City of Lights itself. That movie’s all about romance and finding a place and it’s both curious and a little heartwarming to think of a real match-up springing from a Woody Allen film. It’s unfortunate it didn’t last.

People confirmed the break-up earlier today, also noting the two are staying pretty hush hush for now about the specifics and their representatives are also staying mum. Sometimes magical meet-cutes are not meant to last forever. Both Sheen and McAdams have had high-profile relationships in the past. McAdams dated her The Notebook co-star, Ryan Gosling, for several years in what must also have been a magical meet-up. Sheen also dated Kate Beckinsale for a long time, eventually fathering a child with the actress.

It’s always tough to break up with someone you’ve dated for a long while, and the two actors seem to want to remain fairly private about the split. Pop Blend would like to wish them the very best as they move forward, apart.

Successfully adapting a character from the page to the screen isn’t always about playing the person exactly as he or she was written. Sometimes the most successful transitions are about emphasizing a certain personality trait that’s downplayed in the text.

At least that’s Michael Sheen’s point of view. The veteran actor who plays the deliciously evil Aro in the Twilight series couldn’t get over the bored bemusement he saw in the character while reading Stephenie Meyer’s books, and during each of his appearance, he tried to draw that perspective out, giving fans a vampire who enjoys nothing more than seeing something new. Here's what he said during a recent press conference in Los Angeles...

It was that decision from Sheen that shaped Aro’s basic personality in the movies, and in the actor’s mind, he thinks it makes him ultimately more terrifying too. Because he’s so relaxed, in control and bemused by everything, it makes his behavior creepier and more intimidating…

One of the true signs of how well a character adaptation works is whether most fans can picture another actor handling the role. I’m not sure I know anyone who doesn’t now see Aro as the vision Sheen gave us. His villain might not be a spot-on embodiment, but the result is still captivating during every single moment on the screen.

Showtime's original series slate is certainly shaping up nicely. The network has recently made an effort to land film stars to head their most recent series - including William H. Macy in Shameless, Claire Danes in Homeland and Don Cheadle in House of Lies - and, with these speedy renewals, it's a strategy that seems to be working out quite well. Of course, that doesn't mean there haven't been a few casting bumps along the way, most notably with British star Paul Bettany walking away from the upcoming Masters of Sex pilot. However, Showtime has done a tremendous job picking up the pieces by filling the empty slot with Michael Sheen as well as finally locking Lizzy Caplan in to co-star.

Deadline reports that Sheen, best known for his superb and overlooked work as Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Queen or as TV personality David Frost in Frost/Nixon, will be stepping in for Bettany as William Masters. Sheen once again finds himself playing a real figure as Masters of Sex is based on the true story of 'human sexuality pioneers' Masters and Virginia Johnson and is adapted from Thomas Maier’s book "Masters of Sex: The Life And Times Of William Masters And Virginia Johnson, The Couple Who Taught America How To Love." As the longest book title ever suggests, the pilot will focus on Sheen's Masters and his partner Virginia Johnson, a co-leading role for which Lizzy Caplan has just been confirmed.

The series is about the two sexuality researchers and follows their lives, romance and influence on both pop culture and the just blossoming sexual revolution. Hired to pen the adaptation is TV veteran Michelle Ashford (The Pacific) with Academy Award winner John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) attached to direct the pilot. Yes, this pilot is shaping up rather nicely and looks like a promising potential pickup. Sheen and Caplan are two wonderful actors who haven't quite gotten the recognition they deserve but hopefully their addition to this prestige project might help change that.

Apart from the roles mentioned above, Sheen was nominated for an Emmy for his work on HBO's The Special Relationship, was unforgettable as Wesley Snipes on 30 Rock and is also part of the glorious ensemble in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. Caplan was lovely and hilarious on Starz Party Down as well as a standout in her small arcs on True Blood and (so far) The New Girl. Overall, really exciting hires for an enticing new pilot slated to begin shooting in New York in March.

After a school shooting, like those at Virginia Tech or Columbine High School, it’s common place for some people to blame the killer’s parents for what has happened. Those in grief believe that there must have been something wrong with the killer or killers’ upbringing that led to them committing such a tragedy. These people, however, never seem to take into account what the parents are actually going through. What do you do after you find out the child you’ve raised from birth has become a monster? In Beautiful Boy that’s exactly what happens to Michael Sheen and Maria Bello.

With their film set to come out this Friday, the two stars were kind enough to sit down with reporters in a roundtable interview to discuss the making of the film and I was lucky enough to take part. Check out the interview below in which Sheen and Bello discuss not taking the work home with them, the pressure that comes with single-take scenes and the research that went into the parts.

You know, being a parent, that’s the baggage that I brought to watching this film and I can’t imagine what it’s like to put yourself in the skin of somebody going through what these parents are. I mean, talk about a parent’s worst nightmare only amplified. Do you draw on your own emotions or is that a dangerous thing to do in this case when you’re treading into territory that every parent fears?

MICHAEL: That’s a good question, yeah. It’s a good question because it goes to the kind of heart of a fundamental problem for actors and acting is that if you draw on your own experiences, certainly when it comes to being a parent, if you get, if you kind of go, “Right, in this scene I’m gonna deal with my child dying or my child doing this or that or whatever,” and you go, “Well I have a child and I have to imagine my child doing that,” the danger is that you get to the end of the day and that’s not working anymore. I’m thinking about the death of my own child and that’s not really doing it because I’ve gotten too used to thinking about it. There’s a cost to that as a person, to go, I’ve been imagining the death of my own child, and that’s not really where you want to go into. At the same time, you’ve got to kind of, you’ve got to deal with it because otherwise it’s just acting, and then it’s sort of meaningless. So it’s a tricky area that I think it factors into. We talked about that when we were doing it.

MARIA: Yeah I know, you know, when I had my son it was the worst day and the best day of my life because I realized I will never love someone so much but I’ll never be able to keep them from the lessons he’s meant to learn in his lifetime, right? So I agree with Michael, I couldn’t put myself in that situation about my son dying, it’s just too much to bare for any parent to hold onto that for weeks at the time, so I was drawing on other stuff, really. And mostly I think you and I work in a similar way where we knew our characters and trusted each other enough to work off of each other, to find that sort of emotion together.

MICHAEL: Yeah, yeah. Rather than trying to drag it out on your own. Which can have an, if you’re doing something where there’s a lot of scenes between just two actors and if for whatever reason it’s not really happening or you’re not really connecting that well, then you do have to kind of, I found you do have to draw on stuff yourself and kind of make it happen for yourself. But in the case of something where the two actors really do connect with each other and trust each other, then I think you rely on a kind of, I think our bodies have memories without us having to consciously thing about it so rather than think hard about my daughter dying, or whatever, you just let that go and trust that that’s, that you have all the emotions you need in there, and by losing yourself in the scene that stuff kicks in without you having to spend the day thinking about horrific things happening to your child.

MARIA: And I think that has a lot to do with script and how well it’s written and how much it captures the emotion and takes you organically into those feelings.

MICHAEL: And how much, I guess, the director allows you to do that. That’s why if you’ve got a director who keeps jumping in and going, “Uh, could you not do that? Could you do this?” it stops that process from happening. And on this it felt like we were given just the right amount of freedom and the right amount of guidance.

MARIA: Yeah, he really trusted us to find it.

Maria, I was going to ask you, when you first got this, what was one of the elements that stuck out for you? I loved your performance in this.

MARIA: Thank you very much. You know I got this script probably a year before we made the movie and just got a gut feeling, and it was so well written that I wanted and needed to do that to explore that. I like the levels of grief, which I studied a bit before we did the movie. Usually a parent who loses a child goes through those levels of grief over years. We had to smash it into a week or two weeks of their lives and to make sure we sort of weren’t at the same level in every single scene. Usually a parent would just be in shock or grief for those two weeks, but I had to make it a little bit more interesting.

Did you talk to any parents that maybe were connected to maybe like Columbine or some other major, Virginia Tech or something?

MICHAEL: Well I think, honestly this film is about the most specific set of parents, it’s the parents of the person who perpetrates it. So even though any parents who are going through dealing with the loss of a child, there are certain things that are obviously the same about that experience, the parents of the child who does it, I think there are a lot of big differences as well. I know personally I felt very uncomfortable about the idea of trying to get in touch with the parents of someone who got through a similar experience. I didn’t really feel, I sort of asked myself, what do I stand to gain? Is that worse? What is there to be possibly lost? And ultimately I felt like our characters have no idea what they’re supposed to feel and no idea what the rules are and that’s part of their difficulty. There is no material about it out there really, there’s no real films made about it. Then part of that feeling of not quite knowing what the rules are, I thought would be quite useful, personally, rather than sort of talking to someone and “Now I know what happens.” So that feeling of being a bit not sure.

MARIA: You understand it more organically. It’s not like something you study and do research on, I think. But synchronicity, bizarrely, a week before we started shooting, Susan Klebold came out with her first interview ever in O Magazine, and it was funny because of what she said about blaming herself and not knowing and the process she went through, and it was, I found I really interesting that that was reflected in our script.

Can you talk about the way it was shot, I mean the longer scenes and the way the camera moved like a docu-drama? And did that help you? And did you carry this home every night or were you able to drop it on the set? Because it’s really heavy.

MICHAEL: Well I thought that the second part first. In a way you have to do all the work beforehand. In a way it doesn’t matter what the subject matter is, I don’t know if you agree with this, but no matter what the subject matter is, when you come to actually act it’s a game. It may be a very serious game, but it’s still a game, and if you lose that sense of play then I think the work suffers. The danger can be, because it’s very heavy subject matter, then you sort of feel like you have to come at it in a very heavy way and it just dies somehow. It’s just not quite right. It doesn’t live. In order for it to be alive when you’re doing it, you have to approach it as play, and so that’s nice about being in the right place, the right state of mind. I found that trying to keep, just stay present and open in between takes and we would chat, and I think we would, we never lost sight of what it was we were trying to do and the seriousness of what we were trying to do. It felt like, I think it can often be the way when you speak to actors, the biggest, heaviest things they work on are actually sometimes the most enjoyable experiences and I certainly felt that on this.

MARIA: There was a real sense of fun and play between us and a real curiosity about the work.

MICHAEL: Yeah, and exhilaration. It’s not often you kind of are in a situation where you go, I totally trust this person, I totally feel at ease with this person, I feel at ease in this situation, and there’s no other agenda or ego. All we’re doing is both wanting, or not just both, everyone, wanting to do the best we can on this, and it matters to us and we care about it, and nothing else is getting in the way. And that’s quite exhilarating and there’s a joy to that. That’s really important. You don’t want to sort of mess that up by going, “But I mustn’t enjoy this too much because it’s very heavy and serious.”

MARIA: And how fun was it, the hotel room scene? I mean that was really something. There’s only one cutaway. We did it four or five times before we were about to blow our brains out, but it was so fun it was like doing a play. It was eight minutes long and was really technical with the camera, you know we had to figure out movements and figured out how to film all of that. But boy that was an exhilarating day, that scene.

MICHAEL: Yeah, exactly. The first part of the question, being the camera, that scene obviously was one long take and so it was a dance, really, between Maria and myself and the camera operator. He’s the other character in the scene. There are mirrors up and there’s a TV and you don’t want to catch reflections, and so in a way we had to work out, just very loosely where positions might be. But then you sort of work around it. I remember when we were shooting, not just that scene, but the whole thing to begin with, I’d be like, because we didn’t work out set positions for the camera, I was doing marvelous work then and didn’t know if the camera was on me. Because we’d be doing it and it would be very docu-style and you wouldn’t know when the camera was on you, but what was wonderful about that as well was you just, in a way it was more like doing a play then because you’d just have to inhabit everything all the time and you don’t go, “Oh this is my bit now. I have to pop more into this now because this is my bit.” You just have to do the whole thing. It certainly gives it a freshness and a spontaneity and a life that you wouldn’t normally have, but it took a little while for me to get used that, Maria being the professional, she had no problem with that at all.

I’ve heard talk about the pressure you can feel as you get toward the end of the scene when you realize everything’s been going right, “If I’m the one who blows the line we have to...” Was there some of that going on where you feel like, this scene is happening right and now it’s suddenly, as you’re getting to the end of it, there’s a little pressure to say, “We better keep going because it’s happening.”

MARIA: I think that always happens, for me anyway, when I’m acting and creating with a group of people, you know, you have that moment where you’re like, “I forgot my line.” I’m more forgiving of myself now, as I get older I don’t apologize for it anymore, which I used to do, like, “Oh, sorry, I forgot my line.” I’m just like, “Okay, gotta go back and start again.”

MICHAEL: And also, there’s still moments where you get something really interesting, like you get to the moment where you go, “Oh I can’t remember what I’m saying,” or you say the wrong thing or whatever, and those, when people talk about happy accidents, that’s when they are. Now you can choose to do one of two things. When you get to that moment, you’re in it, and it’s all going well, and then suddenly, something goes wrong.

You can go, and I think Maria’s talking about when we were younger, you kind of go, “Oh! I’m sorry! I messed up. Sorry! Sorry everyone, sorry.” Or, now I think we probably have gotten to the point where we go, “Ah, this is good. What’s gonna happen now?” and how do we, rather than cutting out of it and stopping it, cause you actually, what happens is it’s a little herald, a little messenger saying, “You’re in an interesting area here.” And I think we tend to go, “Oh, I feel really vulnerable, stop stop stop.” And then when you get a bit braver I think, a bit more experienced, you go, “Oh I’m feeling really vulnerable, oh, what’s, let’s go with it. This is another way to write and let’s see what happens with it.” And then you get those potentially really great accidents that happen with it.

MARIA: I’ve often said to directors, “Please don’t stop the scene.” Right? Let us go and don’t call cut every time we forget a line or something. You know, what’s the line, give me the line, and just continue to force through it, because it puts you, in a way, more in the moment, more in the truth.

MICHAEL: Exactly, exactly.

The film opens up and basically you’re in a strange couple, and suddenly not only does your son die but the world is against you. What did you think about that aspect of the film?

MICHAEL: Well I thought it was really interesting that the film doesn’t begin with a couple who are, on the surface, happy and everything’s going well, and then tragedy strikes, and then it all goes. I thought it was really interesting choice to start the film with a couple who’ve sort of come to the end of the road, they think, and then the story, I guess for me the story was much much more about, is it possible for two people to kind of find each other again? And the journey that they go on to do that in this is a very extreme journey and they go into some very dark places, but ultimately that’s why I felt like it was a very hopeful, positive story, because it’s about, this is an extreme act of tragedy that happens, but stuff happens all the time that’s difficult and painful and puts a lot of pressure on a couple. Ultimately it’s about whether you can find each other again. So I thought that was really, a really interesting start for it, and that they’re forced to be together. When one thing they want to do at the beginning of the film is sort of get away from each other, they’re forced to be together and that forces certain things to happen that maybe couldn’t happen in the relationship beforehand.

MARIA: It seems to me that from what people say, friends say about being in long term relationships, and what you read, I don’t do those so I’ve never had one so I wouldn’t know, but people say that you start lying, in a way, to yourself and each other, to make each other feel safe in some way, to show up the way the person things you should show up and this sort of dishonesty with yourself and the other person I think breeds a resemblance and a contempt which you see in these two people. They become so disparate and can’t be vulnerable with each other and really share their truth, and this tragedy blows that up and makes them confront each other.

Now one thing that really fuels what’s going on around you, the people around you, is the suicide manifesto that the two of you, on camera you never see that actual video. Was a complete video done with Kyle’s character, Sammy, giving his explanation, and did you get to see it if it was done? And it was just left out of the film?

MICHAEL: I didn’t see it if it was done.

MARIA: I didn’t see it either.

MICHAEL: I’m not sure, I think he did do, I’m fairly certain he did a whole thing. I only want to see what my character sees, really and so I’m not sure if we were given the opportunity, I’m pretty sure he did do one though.

The emotion of grief is not something that we don’t often see played out in such a naturalistic way. I mean, was he falling in love or falling out of love, or different family relationships, but dealing with grief is something that is, I think it’s kind of rare for an actor to get that opportunity. Is that something that you look at and say, because everyone is going to go through this in one way or another, it’s part of life, is it more important to get that reel, rather than falling in love, for instance.

MICHAEL: Well it’s interesting that we see death constantly on film. Like, constantly. Next time you watch a film, have a look, in the back of your mind spend a day going, “Let me see how many times I see people die today.” Because you will see hundreds upon hundreds of people dying. And then how much you actually see the grief process and the consequences and ramifications of death being played out in front of you, and it’s not much. There’s something wrong there, and for a culture that has such a problem with death, we seem to deal with it in a quite bizarre way, where we see people being shot and killed and blown up. And we find it funny and we find in sexy and we find it all those sort of things, but the reality of it is that every day people are dying, people are really sad, and they grieve and they go through a really difficult process.

So I think as uncomfortable as it is and as uncommercial as it may be, or whatever, that as a society I think it’s really important that we look at that and we look at the reality of it given that we surround ourselves with the fantasy of it constantly. We live in a bubble of the fantasy of death, but the reality of it, and it’s something that we obviously all face, and have to deal with at some point. It’s sort of scary, I think to, in a way this is an extreme version of what happens to everybody when they actually experience death in some way where you suddenly feel alone, you suddenly feel like “There are still people walking around in the street outside, I’m going through the worst experience of my life, and the world is carrying on.” And the awfulness of that and the feeling of, “I don’t know what to do, where’s the rule book for how you deal with this sort of stuff?” I mean not everybody has to painfully deal with that child having done something that they’ve done, but everyone has to go through that and that’s frightening. So I think it’s really important that we look at this kind of stuff.

MARIA: I do too.

If you haven't already been aware of it, Tim Burton has a habit of casting a lot of the same people in his movies. It's the reason Johnny Depp has been in seven of his movies and Helena Bonham Carter has been in six. Last year Michael Sheen took on the part of the White Rabbit (albeit voice only) in Burton's Alice in Wonderland, and now the director has him coming back for round two.

The Playlist has learned from unnamed sources that Sheen is now in talks to join the cast of Dark Shadows, Burton's film adaptation of the 1960s gothic soap opera. Should he sign on, he will be part of a project that already includes the aforementioned Depp and Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley, Eva Green, Bella Heathcote, and Michelle Pfeiffer (who is working with Burton for the first time since Batman Returns). It's unknown what role he would be playing. The film is scheduled to begin shooting next month and will be released in 2012.

Sheen is really a joy to watch in anything, so you're not going to be hearing any complaints from me about who he's playing, regardless of the character. Who knows, maybe he'll strap on his Tony Blair suit again.

Twilight fans rejoice! Not only are we in the month of the big release of The Twilight Saga New Moon, but there’s a brand new featurette focusing on a red-eyed Dakota Fanning and her gang of law-enforcing vampires known as the Volturi.

After a brief introduction we meet the Volturi’s executive branch, Aro (Michael Sheen), Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl) and Caius (Jamie Campbell Bower) as well as their subordinates, Alec (Cameron Bright), Demetri (Charlie Bewley), Felix (Daniel Cudmore) and of course, Jane (Fanning.) Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) run into trouble with the Volturi who easily overpower our beautifully brooding hero. Pattinson himself guarantees that when it comes to action in New Moon, “It’s a much more of a grand scale than anything we did in Twilight.” Stunt coordinator J.J. Makaro has one goal in mind, to break nearly every item on the set. Check out all of the combat for yourself below or click here to watch it higher-res on MySpace.

The basic assumption for months now has been that Michael Sheen, a.k.a. David Frost from Frost/Nixon, would be playing the villain in Tron: Legacy, because who better to take on Jeff Bridges than the man who made Nixon fess up to doing wrong?

But Coming Soon has learned that, in fact, Sheen's role is something closer to the owner of a Tron-verse version of Studio 54. Talking to Coming Soon at the Toronto Film Festival, Sheen said, "My stuff was mainly in this amazing set that they built because I'm a nightclub host, so they built the nightclub and there were hundreds of extras and it was one of those great scenes where there's just loads going on."

Of course, no one is saying that a nightclub host can't also be a villain, and it seems pretty likely that that it could still be the case. In fact, lightcycle battles inside a nightclub might be what we're all looking for from this sequel.

Peter Morgan was on his way toward a Tony Blair hat trick, preparing to write and direct The Special Relationship after writing both the BBC movie The Deal and 2006's The Queen. Michael Sheen will have played the British prime minister in all three films, but now he'll be doing it with Richard Loncraine as a director, with Morgan just on board as a writer and executive producer.

THR doesn't explain why Morgan bailed, simply quoting a statement from HBO that Morgan will still be "Integrally involved in every aspect of the production." The Special Relationship will focus on the political dynamic between Bill Clinton (Dennis Quaid) and Blair, also featuring Julianne Moore as Hillary Clinton and Helen McCrory as Cheri Blair. Loncraine has a new movie coming out this summer, the comedy My One and Only, and also made 2004's Wimbledon.

The internet, long a bastion for hearsay, misrepresentations, lies and the occasional hard truth, has buzzed today with a rumor involving the dude who played Frost in Frost/ Nixon and the twenty-third James Bond installment. The Daily Express claims, get this, Michael Sheen is going to reboot the Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld who was in From Russia With Love, Thunderball and a few others in no way as good as Goldfinger.

We haven’t been able to get anyone to confirm this, and one source, MI6 has already come out and decreed bullshit based on the complications of acquiring ownership rights alone. But stranger things have happened. Bond movies make dollar bills, ya'll at the box office, and I’m sure spending a few of them to get back the classic Dr. Evil character once played by the bald hunk from Kojak would not be a problem. Plus, Michael Sheen has done everything from play Tony Blair to star in British made for TV movies. And Frost/ Nixon writer Peter Morgan is working on Bond 23.

More likely than the Heaven’s Gate Cult actually finding Hale-Bopp Comet, less likely than getting one to three more Austin Powers’, don’t run to Vegas with this information yet.