Frances McDormand to play God in Good Omens

Good Omens has its God.

Oscar winner Frances McDormand will provide the voice of God, it was announced Friday in San Diego at Comic-Con, in the upcoming Amazon series from Neil Gaiman, based on his and Terry Pratchett’s 1990 cult novel.

McDormand’s voice interrupted Gaiman as he spoke about the series and the Amazon showrunners panel, where he introduced footage, which included concept art, photos, and video from the set, as well as interviews with Tennant and Sheen.

Getting McDormand for the role, Gaiman says, was the “strangest way I think we’ve ever cast anyone.” Noting that the role had to be played by a woman, he explains how the actress emailed him one day asking if she and her family could borrow his house in Scotland. He was happy to let her do so, adding in his email reply to her, “By the way…” She, of course, said yes.

The six-part series centers on the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and a demon named Crowley (David Tennant), who are trying to avert the apocalypse. Their efforts are made more complicated by the fact that they’ve lost the Antichrist, an 11-year-old boy who has no idea he will be the one responsible for the end of days.

Meanwhile, ahead of the new show’s series debut on Aug. 31, Jack Ryan boss Carlton Cuse announced that Prometheus and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo star Noomi Rapace is joining season 2 of the Tom Clancy adaptation, which stars John Krasinski in the title role. The Swedish actress will play Harriet “Harry” Baumann, “a highly capable, sharply intelligent, and intoxicatingly charming BND agent (Germany’s Secret Intelligence) who crosses paths with Jack Ryan in South America,” per a studio release.

Cuse brought out co-showrunner Graham Roland, and, in a surprise to the Comic-Con crowd, they introduced the first episode of the series.

Other highlights and announcements from the Amazon showrunner’s panel:

Sam Esmail’s Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts as a caseworker helping soldiers reacclimate to everyday life following deployment, will premiere Friday, Nov. 2. Based on the popular podcast of the same name, the series also serves as a My Best Friend’s Wedding reunion — Dermot Mulroney costars in the 10-episode series — as well as Stephan James (Selma, Shots Fired), and Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire, Ant-Man). See the new teaser for that below.

The Expanse boss Naren Shankar introduced a video greeting from the cast, where they thanked fans for saving the sci-fi space drama, which Syfy dropped in May and the streaming service saved not long after. Season 4 (check out the first look at concept art here) will premiere in 2019.

Gale Anne Hurd introduced a preview (below) of season 2 of Lore, which will return Friday, Oct. 19 and feature new tales from the podcast, plus original ones that haven’t yet been heard. The horror anthology series is based on the hit podcast, which tells the stories of real-life scary events incidents that have influenced modern myths and legends.

The Tick showrunner Ben Edlund gave fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into that superhero series, which you can see below.

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