At present, some current TV series and a movie based upon fantasy author Neil Gaiman’s writing seem to be sitting in limbo. This isn’t the case for Netflix’s second season of The Sandman, but the streamer did recently unveil a three-minute behind-the-scenes video in which Gaiman is not mentioned, heard, or seen. Whereas in the first season counterpart video, he was a main attraction. This conspicuous omission arrives after Netflix cancelled Dead Boy Detectives, albeit likely due to not-so-great streaming numbers.
Then Disney paused work on their Graveyard Book movie adaptation, which (like the above-mentioned Netflix promo video) happened in the wake of sexual assault allegations that are reportedly tied to an ongoing investigation (in New Zealand) concerning multiple women as reported by Tortoise Media about Gaiman, who has denied the accusations against him.
In September, Deadline reported that Gaiman offered to “step back” from Good Omens‘ third and final season, for which he is creator, showrunner, and screenwriter. This naturally caused viewers to wonder whether the season would happen at all, a subject that has not been addressed in public by Amazon, which had reportedly paused production (also according to Deadline) in Scotland amid “discussions about possible production changes.”
What does this do for putting a bow on Earth-bound drama between angelic Aziraphale (Martin Sheen) and the devilish Crowley (David Tennant)? Honestly, we don’t know, but let’s talk about what we can expect if the show continues:
Plot
Sadly, the plot seems secondary (tertiary, even) to questions surrounding whether Gaiman will still be involved in this season or whether another shelving is in the cards. In December 2023, however, the third season renewal had become official, and in a Prime Video/Amazon statement, Gaiman did declare, “I’m so happy finally to be able to finish the story Terry [Pratchett} and I plotted in 1989 and in 2006. Terry was determined that if we made Good Omens for television, we could take the story all the way to the end.” He continued with a brief summation of his plans:
“Season One was all about averting Armageddon, dangerous prophecies, and the End of the World. Season Two was sweet and gentle, although it may have ended less joyfully than a certain Angel and Demon might have hoped. Now in Season Three, we will deal once more with the end of the world. The plans for Armageddon are going wrong. Only Crowley and Aziraphale working together can hope to put it right. And they aren’t talking.”
Who else might not be talking to each other? Page Six recently reported that Gaiman skipped his usual attendance of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ “top secret Campfire literary retreat,” although this has not been confirmed or denied by any involved party. What could this mean for existing plans on delivering a more satisfying series ending than the second season finale turned out to be? Until we hear more, your guess is as good as ours right now.
Cast
Michael Sheen and David Tennant would wrap up the series as Crowley and Aziraphale, respectively. Jon Hamm revealed to TV Insider that he’s not sure whether Archangel Gabriel will return, but as of May 2024, he declared, “I think that there might be something happening, but I don’t want to get too far out over my skis and I don’t want to spoil anything. But Neil’s a very good friend, and I think if there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ll put it that way.”
Release Date
Looking at this through rose-colored glasses is perhaps not wise. With Gaiman possibly pulling away from production, the best-case scenario is that filming will run longer than expected, probably through next year. Add in post-production time, including for (at times intentionally bad) special effects, and release time could hit 2026-2027, if the season still happens.
Trailer
No dice here, either, but in this TV Line interview clip, Michael Sheen and David Tennant discussed that kiss. You know the one.