For almost twenty years, Hollywood has toyed with the idea of adapting Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher as a film or a TV series. Earlier this year, “Preacher” found a new home at AMC. And now, the project is closer to happening than ever before.
AMC (via Deadline) has announced that “Preacher” has been given a pilot order. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are executive producing “Preacher,” with Sam Catlin (“Breaking Bad”) on board as the showrunner and the writer of the pilot script. Goldberg will direct the pilot episode.
Preacher was originally published by DC Comics’ Vertigo line in 1995. The title character is Jesse Custer, a fallen preacher imbued with “The Word of God” that forces almost anyone to obey his commands. Custer goes off to literally find God alongside his ex-girlfriend/assassin Tulip and their buddy Cassidy, a 100 year old vampire.
Related: ‘Preacher’ Adaptation Coming to AMC
Among comic book fans, Preacher is considered a cult classic and it has a reputation for pushing the envelope with its incredibly violent content and dark humor. The premise alone is bound to be controversial, but AMC is clearly looking to replicate its success with “The Walking Dead” by taking another mature readers comic book series and attempting to bring the story to television.
In a statement, Rogen and Goldberg said “Preacher has been our favorite comic since it first came out. Garth Ennis is one of our idols and it’s an incredible honor to be working on this. We promise we won’t make too many dick jokes and ruin it.”
Casting for the “Preacher” TV pilot will likely begin soon, but the network hasn’t announced when the pilot itself will begin production.
Who are your dream casting picks for Jessie, Tulip and Cassidy? Let us know in the comment section below!
