One of a few television projects we have been watching over the years is the proposed television adaptation of the controversial comic book series ‘Preacher’. Its one of those projects that over the last few years has seen several false starts and has been passed around the various networks with little of no foreword momentum.
All this seems to have changed.
According to THR AMC who already have one comic book hit on their hands with the massively popular ‘Walking Dead’ series have given the go ahead for a pilot episode of ‘Preacher’ to be made.
Based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon‘s 1990s comic series from DC Comics imprint Vertigo, Preacher centres on Rev. Jesse Custer, a badass Texas preacher who, after losing his faith, learns that God has left heaven and forsaken his duties. Jesse becomes the only person who is able to track God down and hold him accountable for his abdication. Tulip O’Hare, Jesse’s beer-guzzling vampire ex-girlfriend, accompanies him on his quest for answers. But the story doesn’t end there: The Saint of Killers, an immortal killing machine and Western lone gunman type, is hot on their trail with his sights set on Jesse.
This Is the End duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and Breaking Bad‘s Sam Catlin are adapting the comic for AMC via Sony Pictures Television.
The project will be overseen by James Weaver and the script has been written by Catlin and Rogen.
Preacher is the second television project that Seth Rogen and Even Goldberg are attached to. The duo have also been working on FX’s animated ‘Bigfoot’ series, which is based on the books by Graham Roumieu.
“Every once in a while you find a project where all the elements line up beautifully. With Preacher, it starts with a bold, compelling, and thought-provoking comic book series from Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon and a whole lot of fans who already know Jesse Custer, Cassidy, and Tulip,” said Joel Stillerman, AMC exec vp original programming, production and digital content. “Add to that the passionate and talented Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin, an incredible producing team in Neal Moritz, the Original Films team and our good friends at Sony Pictures Television, and we have everything we need to be very excited to move forward on Preacher.”
‘Preacher’ found its way to AMC’s doors with a hefty commitment in a competitive situation with multiple networks bidding. Rogen and Goldberg will also executive produce the drama via their Point Grey Pictures banner.
The pilot will go into production in the summer of 2015 with a view to consideration for the 2016 television season.
‘Preacher’ has had a long and complicated road to get green lit.
Plans were initially being considered for a ‘Preacher’ series as far back as 2006 when HBO were looking at it.
Preacher joins Robert Kirkman‘s The Walking Dead companion series as comic book pilots at the cable network as AMC looks for noiser fare to break through the increasing clutter as more and more outlets get into the original scripted game.
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