Good Omens: Jon Hamm Joins Neil Gaiman's Amazon Series

The Mad Men alum is in for an angelic turn.

By Jordan Oloman

Jon Hamm has been cast in Good Omens, the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's critically acclaimed fantasy novel.

As reported by Deadline, Hamm (Mad Men) will play God's messenger Archangel Gabriel in the series, which is being produced by Amazon Studios and the BBC.

Jon Hamm in AMC's Mad Men

Good Omens takes place during the run-up to the end of the world, as the representatives of Heaven and Hell on earth form an unlikely partnership and fight to postpone the apocalypse. The adaptation should be rife with comedy, with the protagonists dealing with the upbringing of the antichrist as they work to retain their comfortable lives among humanity in England.

Hamm joins a star-studded cast that includes David Tennant and Michael Sheen, who will star as the angel Aziraphale and conniving demon Crowley, respectively.

Despite having a small role in the novel, Hamm's Gabriel will receive a developed role in the six-part TV series and will act as the impeccable leader of the angels. Neil Gaiman explained the decision, alluding to a sequel that had been in the works but never unearthed properly, which he is now taking inspiration from for the upcoming series.

"Once we had finished writing Good Omens, back in the dawn of prehistory, Terry Pratchett and I started plotting a sequel," Gaiman said, noting it would have had many angles in it with Gabriel being their leader. He described Gabriel as "everything that Aziraphale isn't: he's tall, good-looking, charismatic and impeccably dressed," and said they were lucky Hamm was available for the part because "he is already all of these things without even having to act."

It was also revealed that Hamm is a fan of the original novel. "I read Good Omens' almost 20 years ago," Hamm said. "I thought it was one of the funniest, coolest books I'd ever read. Neil sent me the scripts, and I knew I had to be in it."

Good Omens will debut on Amazon Prime Video in 2019, with a later broadcast in the UK on BBC Two.

Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

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