#matt whyman

[lizardgoats]

“It’s a reinvention,” says Neil about his own adaptation. “I am old enough, and have seen enough things fail, to know that we’re not filming the novel. But what I can do is acknowledge that I’m making telly, and to say to people, ‘Yes, some of your favorite moments will probably only be in the book, but I will give you other favorite moments, and you will have some new favorite moments that didn’t exist before. Is that a deal?’ And that’s kind of the way I approached it. It’s the television draft, and I crafted it like a love story with attention to the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley.”

The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion: Your Guide to Armageddon and the Series Based on the Bestselling Novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, by Matt Whyman

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

What is The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion?

It’s a book containing a lot of Good Omens show behind the scenes info, insights, fun facts, interviews with the cast, and also 200 stuning color photographs. It is certainly worth it.

Are there various editions?

No. Just one.

When does it come out?

Already out (it came out May 21 2019).

Where can I buy it?

Amazon.co.uk -  £16.37 

Amazon.com - $24.82

DiscworldEmporium -  £25.00

Bookdepository.com - £26.13 

[lizardgoats]

“I had Michael Sheen and David Tennant in mind when I was writing,” he says. “I was halfway through Episode Three, scripting the scene in the church, and I suddenly decided that I wanted David. And I wrote it as if I was going to get David. It was a combination of the physicality of the character and knowing he could land every line. You write different kinds of dialogue for different kinds of actors,” he continues, “and there’s a specific kind of dialogue that you write when you know they’re going to land it. You can be more playful, for example. So I hoped I’d get David when I wrote Crowley going, ‘Ow ow ow!’ as he walked down the church aisle, and then delivering this entire speech while having to hop from foot to foot. That’s not the kind of thing you’d give most actors unless you knew they were good enough to do it.”

The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion: Your Guide to Armageddon and the Series Based on the Bestselling Novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, by Matt Whyman

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

AAAAAAAHHHHH, IT’S HEEEREEEE

[lizardgoats]

“There is a goodness to Michael Sheen, a sweetness and a vulnerability, but also a complexity,” he says about the actor he believed could embody an angel while serving as one half of an odd couple alongside a demon counterpart. “In all the roles I’ve seen Michael play he tends to portray very hard-edged people. I just thought I would love to bring that niceness he can do into Good Omens.”

The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion: Your Guide to Armageddon and the Series Based on the Bestselling Novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, by Matt Whyman

[lizardgoats]

So in my defence of fantasy and science fiction I talked about my favorite writers, such as Philip K. Dick, Stephen King and Neil Gaiman. Then one day there was a knock at my door, and I took delivery of a large box. I opened the box and in it was a card from Neil. He’d read one of my interviews. And the card said, ‘From one fan to another,’ and in the box were all these wonderful books of his, including special editions. So the next time he was near where I lived we met up, and we’ve been friends ever since.

The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion: Your Guide to Armageddon and the Series Based on the Bestselling Novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, by Matt Whyman

[lizardgoats]

“I don’t believe in hierarchies, but I do believe in structures,” he says, “and my job is to direct and make choices. But I also try hard not to inhibit someone from saying they can do better given the chance. So, if David Tennant comes in and says can he do one more, I think why not? It’s David Tennant! The same would apply to a props guy or sound operator or anyone who shouts out. There are directors who won’t listen and blank everyone out, but for me I’ve got to hear. So if nobody is talking to me I assume they’re OK. If costume and makeup say nothing I assume they’re happy. Silence means approval, and that’s where the fun starts, but if anyone comes to me then I had better listen.

The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion: Your Guide to Armageddon and the Series Based on the Bestselling Novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, by Matt Whyman

[lizardgoats]

I do have a basic philosophy that your next project should be one you’ve been training for in your previous projects.

The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion: Your Guide to Armageddon and the Series Based on the Bestselling Novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, by Matt Whyman