As if there weren’t enough stars in the upcoming miniseries, we finally got a face for Satan, and it’s one you will recognize. Along with the release of the show’s opening sequence, it was announced that Benedict Cumberbatch will be performing as the ruler of hell in the comedy tv show “Good Omens.”
The actor is known for his role as the villain Khan in “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” the aloof titular detective in BBC’s “Sherlock,” and the voice of the great and terrible dragon Smaug in “The Hobbit” franchise. So it looks like the tall Brit already has the villainy needed for the Devil down.
But, “Good Omens” will be more comedy than anything (the whimsical animation for the opening sequence only reinforces that). Based on the cult classic book by Neil Gaiman and the late great Terry Pratchett, the miniseries will involve hilarious dialogue and celestial mishaps all to the background music of Queen. Luckily Cumberbatch has experience in comedy too; just look at his crazy appearance as a model in “Zoolander 2.” There will probably be a lot of CGI magic to make Cumberbatch red, horned, and fiery, but rest assured that will indeed be him playing Satan.
“Good Omens” follows the actions of an angel (Michael Sheen) and a demon (David Tennant), stuck on earth long enough that they’ve grown to like it, and each other. But when the antichrist arrives in a cradle and brings the impending doom of apocalypse with him, the celestial duo must find a way to save everything and halt doomsday. IF only they could remember where they put the antichrist himself…
Directed by Douglas Mckinnon (“The Flying Scotsman“) and written by Neil Gaiman, the six-part series will premiere on Amazon Prime on May 31, 2019. Watch the opening sequence for the show here: