Doctor Who: 20 Things You Didn't Know About The Angels Take Manhattan
19. It Was Originally The Daleks
It's difficult to imagine it being any other way, but the Weeping Angels were not the original villains of this story. Initially, it was going to be the Daleks.
Writer and showrunner Steven Moffat felt that such a devastating blow to the Doctor should be dealt by his oldest enemies, adding more heat to their eons-long feud.
However, he was cautious about returning the Daleks to New York, as this had already been done – relatively recently – in Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks.
Feeling that the Angels were a better fit for this sombre noir setting, they were drafted in instead, and the sons of Skaro were moved to the series premiere, Asylum of the Daleks.
The Daleks would've probably made for a much more predictable ending for the Ponds, so we're glad it wasn't them.