Prime-Video - SXSW 2019 : Amazon Prime celebrates the Apocalypse with Good Omens

By Mulder, 20 february 2019

Amazon Prime Video will bring Armageddon to Austin, celebrating the highly anticipated premiere of novel-turned-series Good Omens at South by Southwest (“SXSW”) in Austin, TX, during opening weekend beginning Friday, March 8th. Activities will include appearances and conversations with author and executive producer, Neil Gaiman, director and executive producer Douglas Mackinnon, as well as series stars Michael Sheen, David Tennant and Jon Hamm. In addition, March 8th-11th, a hidden oasis from the impending End of Days, the “Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights,” will beckon fans and festival-goers to escape and celebrate all that this world has to offer as the apocalypse looms near, coming May 31, 2019 (coincidentally, the same day that Good Omens launches on Amazon Prime Video).

A witty, epic tale set at the brink of the Apocalypse, Good Omens tells the adventurous story of a fussy angel, Aziraphale (Sheen), and a loose-living demon, Crowley (Tennant) – a pair of frenemies who’ve become overly fond of their lives on Earth and have formed an unlikely alliance to stop the world from ending. The six-episode limited series is based on the beloved 1990 novel, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

The series stars Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Jon Hamm, Nick Offerman, Jack Whitehall, Miranda Richardson, Adria Arjona, Michael McKean, Anna Maxwell Martin, Mireille Enos, and more, and is produced by Amazon Studios, BBC Studios, The Blank Corporation and Narrativia. Neil Gaiman, Douglas Mackinnon, Chris Sussman, Simon Winstone and Rob Wilkins serve as Executive Producers.

Below are details about the heavenly (and possibly hellish) Good Omens SXSW events:

SATURDAY, MARCH 9th:

Featured Session: A Conversation with Neil Gaiman
Location: Austin Convention Center, Ballroom D
Time: 3:30-4:30PM
Neil Gaiman is a bestselling author and creator of books, graphic novels, short stories, TV series and films, including Neverwhere, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, American Gods, among others. His novel Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett 30 years ago, is being adapted for the screen and will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on May 31st, 2019. In 2017, Gaiman became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Originally from England, he lives in the United States, where he is a professor at Bard College.

“Good Omens:” The Nice and Accurate SXSW Event
Location: The Zach Theater; 202 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Time: 6:30PM
The end is nigh and so is the highly anticipated debut of Good Omens, coming to Amazon Prime Video this year. In this featured session with series showrunner and best-selling author Neil Gaiman, joined by director Douglas Mackinnon and cast including Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Jon Hamm and more, attendees will get the most in-depth look at the limited series to date and watch never-before-seen exclusive clips from the entire series. Additionally, fans will have the rare opportunity to take part in what will certainly be an amusing discussion with the cast and creatives.

FRI-MON, MARCH 8th-11th:
Location: 604 Driskill Street, Austin, TX 78701

“Good Omens” Garden of Earthly Delights
The Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights carries out the spirits of the unlikely duo and transports guests into the world of the beloved book. Surrounded by a wall of lush foliage, the garden is free of charge and can be reached by entering through a massive winged hourglass on Driskill Street. The duality of the heroes’ friendship is ever-present in the space, from the moment guests step foot into the garden and are met at the entrance by angel and demon greeters.
The Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights is bursting with worldly pleasures, including:
• Beer and wine served from a massive 20-foot tree in the garden center,which also bears prophetic apples and gifts, and mouthwatering bites fromthe best of Austin’s food scene.
• Heavenly and hellish cabanas, relaxing lounges and a pampering area for manicures, hand massages and hairstyling with butterLONDON, Cosmedix and SexyHair.
• An A.Z. Fell & Co. pop-up bookshop, where among the shelves of leather-bound books there are hidden surprises for lucky Good Omens fans.
• A Hellhound Puppy Pen filled with adoptable furry friends from Austin Animal Center, alongside a replica of Crowley’s 1926 Bentley.

"With the end of the world imminent, we figured what better place than SXSW to celebrate a few of the good things our world has to offer?” said Mike Benson, Head of Marketing at Amazon Studios. “We’ve created an immersive experience that Good Omens book fans will love, but also anyone who might like to celebrate Armageddon. You never know what type of apocalyptic creatures may be inhabiting Austin during the SXSW festival, so we are happy to provide an escape for all to enjoy the end-of-times with us.”

Inspired by the Apocalyptic signs of Good Omens, the streets of Austin will flood with ominous characters such as bickering angels, chattering nuns, demons and Witch Finders warning festivalgoers of the beginning of the end. The most harrowing sign of them all is the penultimate motorcycle ride of the Four Apocalyptic Horsemen and their masses of loyal followers at noon on Friday, March 8. As more world-ending signs unravel across the city, guests who have escaped to the Garden of Earthly Delights will be surprised and slightly on edge as the cataclysmic omens begin to break through the once serene environment.

Throughout the weekend, doomsdayers will be captivated by daily roving entertainment, including the likes of magicians, sword swallowers, fire breathers, tarot-card readers and more. Earth-shattering live performances on the main stage will include a set of dueling pianists playing pre-Apocalyptic tunes, a string trio strumming classical harmonies and modern-day covers, an interactive, life-size chess tournament with Twitch and a special show from a Queen tribute band.

Before the world takes its final turn, the Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights will include the following exclusive marquee programming:

Entertainment Weekly + Amazon Prime Video Party
What: Amazon Prime Video and Entertainment Weekly will partner to celebrate the “Saints and Sinners” in all of us in an immersive event experience AT SXSW.
Who: Within the Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights, invited guests won’t be able to resist the lure of Queen cover band, Almost Queen, alongside interactive experiences including tattoo artists, aura readers and a life-size seesaw-like “Scale of Good and Evil” to play on.
When: Saturday, March 9 from 9:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Where: Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights at 604 Driskill Street, Austin, TX 78701
Buzzfeed + Amazon Prime Video Party

BuzzFeed + Prime Video Party
What: BuzzFeed is taking over the Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights to bring an invite-only party of epic proportions before the End. Guests will enjoy the sounds of live musical acts Dan Deacon, Questlove, and Hesta Prynn while imbibing on elixirs poured from a tree tap.
Who: Live set from Dan Deacon, composer and electronic musician; DJ set from Questlove; DJ set from Hesta Prynn
When: Sunday, March 10 from 10:00 p.m. CT – 1:00 a.m. CT

Prime Video Blue Room Portrait Studio - In Partnership with Entertainment Weekly
What: Amazon Prime Video is introducing Prime Video Blue Room Portrait Studio for the first time adjacent to the Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights experience with Entertainment Weekly.
Who: Top talent both behind and in front of the camera can grab a drink away from the crowds of the garden and take a portrait with celebrity photographer, Peggy Sirota, that will appear in an exclusive gallery on Entertainment Weekly’s website.
When: March 8 – March 11
Where: Prime Video Blue Room Portrait Studio at the Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights at 604 Driskill Street, Austin, TX 78701
The Good Omens Garden of Earthly Delights can be found at 604 Driskill Street, Austin, TX 78701 and will be open to guests ages 21+ from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 8 and Monday, March 11, and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10.

Synopsis :
Set in 2018, the series will follow the demon Crowley (Tennant) and the angel Aziraphale (Sheen), who, being accustomed to life on Earth, seek to prevent the coming of the antichrist and with it the final battle between Heaven and Hell.

Good Omens
Created by Neil Gaiman
Based on Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
Written by Neil Gaiman
Directed by Douglas Mackinnon
Starring David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Anna Maxwell Martin, Jon Hamm, Josie Lawrence, Adria Arjona, Michael McKean, Jack Whitehall, Miranda Richardson, Nick Offerman
Narrated by Frances McDormand
Music by David Arnold
Executive producers : Neil Gaiman, Caroline Skinner, Chris Sussman, Rob Wilkins, Rod Brown
Production companies : Narrativia, The Blank Corporation, BBC Studios, Amazon Studios
Original network : Amazon Video (US), BBC Two (UK)
Running time : 60 minutes

Good Omens Social Handles:
#GoodOmens
FB: /GoodOmensPrime
IG: @GoodOmensPrime
TW: @GoodOmensPrime

(Source : press release)