Neil Gaiman’s latest project was recently announced along with two other brand new Pratchett-based adaptations. When it rains, it pours.
At a memorial for Terry Pratchett on Thursday night, it was revealed that Gaiman would be writing the script for the long-awaited filmed version of Good Omens (there was a radio play on BBC 4 last year). Even though Gaiman and Pratchett had a deal to always work on Good Omens-related works together, Pratchett had written a letter, to be delivered posthumously, asking Gaiman to do it. “At that point, I think I said, ‘You bastard, yes’,” Gaiman said to the memorial crowd. He also revealed that it would be a six-part television series.
If that story wasn’t enough to destroy you, here’s another one from Gaiman’s twitter:
Terry left me a hat. Rob gave it to me tonight. It took hours for me to pluck up the courage to wear it.
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) April 14, 2016
Sad, in my hat from Terry. #mindhowyougo pic.twitter.com/a6G1BgeLLX
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) April 14, 2016
I am sharing these because I have been a mess since I saw them, and I do not want to be alone.
Also announced last night were two movie adaptations. Terry Rossio (Shrek) is working on a script for Mort while Rhianna Pratchett is adapting Wee Free Men. Still in the works, and not abandoned, is a fan-funded version of the short story “Troll Bridge” and the Discworld TV procedural called The Watch.
That’s a lot of things being worked on, and the fan in me wants them all right this second. With Pratchett’s death, we lost a prolific writer who created a world with endless opportunities for great stories. The adaptations give us a new way to experience that world. And maybe the reason every other attempt to film Good Omens stalled is because this is how it was supposed to be written — by Gaiman himself. Regardless, we’ll have to keep an eye on the progress of all these projects.
Image: Illustration of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett for BBC Radio 4’s Good Omens