Confirmed: 'Preacher' Coming to AMC, Adapted By Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Credit: AMC
After months of rumors, confirmation is in: Seth Rogen's adaptation of the iconic Garth Ennis and Steven Dillon comic book series, Preacher, is coming to AMC.
The deal was closed between AMC and Sony Pictures Television that will bring Preacher to the network as a drama series scripted and executive produced by This Is the End writers/directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, with Breaking Bad's Sam Catlin also serving as executive producer alongside Original Films’ Neal Moritz and Vivian Cannon. Catlin has also been named showrunner.
However, despite the high profile of the project, there are no plans for Rogen to actually have an onscreen role in the series, and perhaps that's for the best, since I can't really imagine what role he would inhabit, off-hand. Preacher centers on Reverend Jesse Custer, a Texas preacher whose faith has been compromised after discovering that God has left Heaven and His responsibilities. Jesse "finds himself the only person capable of tracking God down, demanding answers, and making Him answer for His dereliction of duty. Accompanying Jesse on his journey is his former girlfriend and a friendly vampire who seems to prefer a pint in the pub to the blood of the innocent. On his tail is an immortal, unstoppable killing machine named the Saint of Killers – a western lone gunman archetype whose sole purpose is to hunt and kill Jesse."
You know, just your standard drama.
“This is a great piece of material for AMC, and we’re thrilled to begin working with the creative team behind it to make another iconic AMC series,” said AMC's executive VP Joel Stillerman. And he's not the only one thrilled, as this project represents the end of a long journey to the screen for Rogen and Goldberg, who are very vocal fans of the 90s comic book series. “We’ve tried for seven years to work on Preacher and we’re so psyched AMC is finally letting us,” the two said. “It is our favorite comic of all time, and we’re going to do everything we can to do it right. Humperdoo!”
Garth Ennis is also thrilled to have his work finally realized onscreen, as Preacher has been in development for 16 years across various incarnations from feature films to TV miniseries. Even HBO tried to get Preacher off the ground at one point with director Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil, Ghost Rider).
“Steve Dillon and I are very happy to see Preacher being developed for TV, which seems a much more natural home for the story than a 2-hour movie,” said Ennis. “Obviously it’s taken a while, but Ken Levin along with Neal Moritz and his team refused to give up, long after the point when I myself grew skeptical, and their unrelenting enthusiasm for the project has gotten us where we need to be. I’m particularly impressed that Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin understand Preacher fully — meaning they get it for what it is, not some vague approximation.”
Ennis added that he and Dillon are in talks to become involved as creative consultants for the TV series, which is expected to retain the comic book's maudlin atmosphere and violence, putting it on-par with AMC's biggest hit, The Walking Dead. In addition to Rogen and Goldberg, Catlin, Moritz and Cannon, Preacher will be executive produced by Ori Marmur, Ken Levin and Jason Netter. The series has no timetable for the start of production just yet, much less any estimates for premiere date, but we'll keep you posted as soon as we know.
Via: Deadline