‘Good Omens’ Series Had To Cut 4 Characters Due To Budget Constraints

One of the changes that the small screen adaptation of “Good Omens” will make from the book has to do with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Neil Gaiman, who co-authored the book with the late Terry Pratchett, has confirmed in a Q&A session on Twitter that the other harbingers of the end of the world featured in the novel had to be cut because they simply couldn't afford including them. Gaiman admitted that he really wanted to have them in the series.

“Shortly before shooting, even though it was in the script, we did not have the money, and we needed to save money somewhere, the other Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse had to go in order to save money,” he revealed.

For those who didn't read the book, “Good Omens” first introduced the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as earthly beings who brought forth the end times using their day jobs. There is a dietician and fast-food mogul as Famine, a female war correspondent as War, a young man as Pollution and a biker as Death. What Gaiman was referring to are their hilarious sidekicks.

In the novel, War, Famine, Pollution and Death trick members of the Hell's Angels bikers into joining them, promising them a place in their group. They invite them to come with them to the very location where the end of the world will begin.

The bikers then start brainstorming potential apocalyptic names for themselves. If the real McCoys represented the worst things imaginable like famine and war, the ideas they threw around were relatable but not as horrible sounding. They thought of stuff like Grievous Bodily Harm, Embarrassing Personal Problems and Things Not Working Properly Even After You've Thumped Them.

The horsemen, even though they liked to roll on their motorcycles, didn't keep their promises with their fellow bikers. They only wanted these mortals to die a fiery death as part of their affinity for trivial pursuit. In the end, all horsemen sidekicks except one met their demise in a catastrophic road accident before all of them could choose their names. Death, naturally, reaped their souls not long after.

This was a shocking moment in the book that further demonstrated the monstrosity that the real horsemen are capable of. Unfortunately, fans won't be able to see it happen in the small screen.

“Good Omens” will have six episodes that will cover the entire book. All episodes will be available on Amazon Prime on May 30.