Jon Hamm joins Amazon’s Good Omens as the Archangel Gabriel ~ Discworld.com

Award-winning American actor Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Baby Driver, Bridesmaids) will be joining the cast of Good Omens, the forthcoming series for Amazon and BBC Two in the role of the archangel Gabriel –  the primary messenger of God.  The 6-part television adaptation by BBC Studios of the best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is currently in production and will be released on Amazon Prime Video globally in 2019 followed by a run on BBC Two in the UK.

The character of Gabriel has a fleeting role in the original novel but showrunner Neil Gaiman explains why he is being developed for the screenplay:

“Once we had finished writing Good Omens, back in the dawn of prehistory, Terry Pratchett and I started plotting a sequel. There would have been a lot of angels in the sequel. When Good Omens was first published and was snapped up for the first time by Hollywood, Terry and I took joy in introducing our angels into the plot of a movie that was never made. So when, almost thirty years later, I started writing Good Omens for TV, one thing I knew was that our angels would have to be in there. 

The leader of these angels is Gabriel. He is everything that Aziraphale isn’t: he’s tall, good-looking, charismatic and impeccably dressed. We were fortunate that Jon Hamm was available, given that he is already all of these things without even having to act. We were even more fortunate that he’s a fan of the books and a remarkable actor.”

Commenting on his casting, Jon Hamm adds: “I read Good Omens almost twenty years ago.  I thought it was one of the funniest, coolest books I’d ever read. It was also, obviously, unfilmable. Two months ago Neil sent me the scripts, and I knew I had to be in it.”

Good Omens was commissioned for Amazon Prime Video and for BBC Two by Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two; Shane Allen, Controller, BBC Comedy Commissioning and BBC commissioning editor Gregor Sharp. It is being produced by the comedy team at BBC Studios, the BBC’s commercial production arm, Narrativia and The Blank Corporation, in association with BBC Worldwide.

Good Omens will launch globally on Prime Video in over 200 countries and territories in 2019 including in the UK, where it will also air on BBC Two at a later date. BBC Worldwide distributes rights for Good Omens internationally, after the series premiere on Prime Video. The series will be brought to the screen by the highly acclaimed director/executive producer Douglas Mackinnon, whose credits include Knightfall, Dirk GentlyDoctor Who, Outlander and the standalone Victorian episode of Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie last year.

3 prayers to St. Michael the Archangel–Aleteia

This archangel fights Satan with the challenge of his own name: Micha-el, meaning Who is like God?

With so much evil confronting us in seemingly every new piece of breaking news, here are three prayers to St. Michael the Archangel, the great archangel-antagonist of Satan.

Bishop Robert Barron recently described St. Michael the Archangel thus: “Michael is invariably depicted in the armor of a warrior, for he is the general of the angelic army that stood athwart the legions of Lucifer, who had dared to arrogate to himself the prerogatives of God. He fought, not with sword and spear, but with the unanswerable challenge of his own name: Micha-el (Who is like God?)”

In our battle against evil — that in ourselves and that in the world — let us call on these prayers.

A Litany of St. Michael

Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

[Repeat pray for us after each invocation]
Holy Mary, Queen of the Angels,
St. Michael, the Archangel,
Most glorious attendant of the Triune Divinity,
Standing at the right of the altar of Incense,
Ambassador of Paradise,
Glorious Prince of the Heavenly armies,
Leader of the Angelic hosts,
The standard-bearer of God’s armies,
Defender of Divine glory,
First defender of the Kingship of Christ,
Strength of God,
Invincible Prince and warrior,
Angel of Peace,
Guide of Christ,
Guardian of the Catholic Faith,
Champion of God’s people,
Guardian Angel of the Eucharist,
Defender of the Church,
Protector of the Sovereign Pontiff,
Angel of Catholic action,
Powerful intercessor of Christians,
Bravest defender of those who hope in God,
Guardian of our souls and bodies,
Healer of the sick,
Help of those in their agony,
Consoler of the Souls in Purgatory,
God’s messenger for the souls of the just,
Terror of the evil spirits,
Victorious in battle against evil,
Guardian and Patron of the universal Church,

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Act of Consecration to St. Michael the Archangel

Oh most Noble Prince of the Angelic Hierarchies
valorous warrior of Almighty God,
and zealous lover of His glory,
terror of the rebellious angels,
and love and delight of all the just ones,
my beloved Archangel Saint Michael,
desiring to be numbered among thy devoted servants,
I, today offer and consecrate myself to thee,
and place myself, my family,
and all I possess under thy most powerful protection.

I entreat thee not to look at how little, I,
as thy servant have to offer,
being only a wretched sinner,
but to gaze, rather,
with favorable eye at the heartfelt affection
with which this offering is made,
and remember that if from this day onward
I am under thy patronage,
thou must during all my life assist me,
and procure for me the pardon of my many grievous offenses,
and sins, the grace to love with all my heart my God,
my dear Savior Jesus and my Sweet Mother Mary,
and obtain for me all the help necessary to arrive to my crown
of glory.

Defend me always from my spiritual enemies,
particularly in the last moments of my life.

Come then oh Glorious Prince and succor me in my last struggle,
and with thy powerful weapon cast far from me
into the infernal abysses that prevaricator
and proud angel that one day thou prostrated
in the celestial battle.

Saint Michael, defend us in our daily battle
so that we may not perish in the last Judgment.