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[Cornballer]

- EW: AMC developing 'Preacher' TV series with Seth Rogen

Could Preacher become AMC’s next Walking Dead? AMC has officially put into development the long-rumored TV version of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s twisted 1990s comic series. Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad) will serve as executive producer and showrunner, while Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This is the End) will executive produce and write the pilot draft.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg said in a statement: “This is amazing! We’ve tried for seven years to work on Preacher and we’re so psyched AMC is finally letting us. It is our favorite comic of all time, and we’re going to do everything we can to do it right. Humperdoo!”

AMC’s official description: “Preacher follows Reverend Jesse Custer, a tough Texas preacher who has lost his faith, has learned that God has left Heaven and abandoned His responsibilities. He 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 one of the most iconic bad guys in print – an immortal, unstoppable killing machine named the Saint of Killers – a western lone gunman archetype whose sole purpose is to hunt and kill Jesse.”

Plus, Ennis gave fans a lengthy statement: “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. Between them, Sony TV and AMC have brought viewers two of my favorite shows with Breaking Bad and Mad Men, and it’s exactly that kind of creative commitment and courage that Preacher needs. 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. All in all, it looks like Preacher can now be brought to TV in a way that I’d previously not have thought possible, and I very much appreciate that Steve and I have been included in the conversation in the way that we have.”

Update:
- EW: 'Preacher' TV series gets AMC pilot order

Preacher has taken another major step toward becoming a series. AMC has given a pilot order to the project based on the surreal, irreverent 1990s comic series created by writer Garth Ennis by artist Steve Dillon.

Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad) will serve as executive producer and showrunner, while Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This is the End) will executive produce and direct the pilot, which is written by Catlin.

AMC’s official description: “Based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s twisted ‘90s comic book series, Preacher is about Jesse Custer, a conflicted Preacher in a small Texas town who merges with a creature that has escaped from heaven and develops the ability to make anyone do anything he says. Along with his ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and an Irish vampire named Cassidy, the three embark on a journey to literally find God.”

“Preacher has been our favorite comic since it first came out,” Rogen and Goldberg said in a statement today. “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.”

Said Ennis, who is serving with Dillon as co-executive producers on the project: “Steve Dillon and I are extremely pleased to know AMC has taken Preacher to pilot. We have had an ongoing voice in the efforts of the writers whom Sony TV and Original Film entrusted with this project, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin, and have been most gratified that they continue to include us, and that they have tackled the project with the type of unwavering commitment and courage needed to present the material as Steve and I intended. This has been a long time coming, but that it continues apace, and with the chance to be delivered episodically, gives Preacher an opportunity to be seen in its best possible medium, not previously possible. And many thanks indeed to [executive producers] Ken Levin and Neal Moritz for their never flagging commitment to Preacher, and for never giving up well past the point when I myself grew skeptical—we have principally gotten to where we are today because of Neal and Ken.”

The pilot will be made in summer 2015, and could hit the air on AMC sometime in 2016.

It's been picked up:

‘Preacher’ Picked Up To Series By AMC

 

[Wingfan19]

http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/amc...her-with-seth-rogen-evan-goldberg-1201089897/

AMC and Sony TV have officially announced the development of “Preacher,” a drama hailing from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.

Based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s ’90s comic book series, “Preacher” centers on Reverend Jesse Custer, a tough Texas preacher who has lost his faith and learned that God has left Heaven and abandoned His responsibilities. Custer finds himself the only person capable of tracking God down, and does so with his former girlfriend and a friendly vampire.

News of the AMC drama development initially broke on blogs in November, but neither the network nor the studio confirmed the project at that time.

“This is amazing!” Rogen and Goldberg said. “We’ve tried for seven years to work on ‘Preacher’ and we’re so psyched AMC is finally letting us. It is our favorite comic of all time, and we’re going to do everything we can to do it right. Humperdoo!”

Rogen and Goldberg, the creatives behind feature film “This is the End,” will pen the pilot for “Preacher” and exec produce. Sam Catlin (“Breaking Bad”) will serve as exec producer and showrunner. Fellow executive producers include Neal Moritz and Vivian Cannon for Original Films, along with Ori Marmur, Ken Levin and Jason Netter.

Ennis added, “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 two-hour movie…Obviously it’s taken awhile, 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.”

 

[Cornballer]

- Sepinwall's take: Seth Rogen officially adapting ‘Preacher’ comic for AMC; Is all Hell a-coming?

 

[Wingfan19]

Dammit Cornballer! Beat me again!

 

[BertramCooper]

Cool.

Let's come up with predictions on how AMC execs will fuck this up.

 

[squidhands]

Let the dream casting commence.

Christolph Waltz as Herr Starr

 

[Silkworm]

Rogen and Golberg, eh? That's a twist. Wonder what their treatment of Preacher will be like. I suppose "This is the End" had its dark moments so they might be able to pull this off.

 

[Leunam]

Could Preacher become AMC’s next Walking Dead?

In terms of faithfulness to the story? I hope not.

 

[fierro]

It is going to be like PAX doing the Sopranos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqE7ZxH7BJE

 

[Alcoholikaust]

Cool.

Let's come up with predictions on how AMC execs will fuck this up.

we'll first off, Seth Rogan is involved

 

[Raistlin]

yes .... YESSSSSS!






Huhh, Duhh!*



*

Spoiler

Hi, Dad!

 

[Femmeworth]

Seth Rogen as a writer? Dear god no.

 

[Clegg]

AMC probably couldn't afford him, but Josh Brolin would make a brilliant Saint of Killers.

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

Having read the first 3 or so paperbacks I haven't really seen anything that can't be made for cable TV. There's cursing, but that can be done without much of an issue or toned down some. There's gore, but it's never to the level of walking dead. And they don't seem to be backing off of the religious stuff given what I read above.

I guess it'll come down to casting. Can't see a major part going to Rogen but who knows.

 

[Cornballer]

At least they have Sam Catlin on it. His Breaking Bad writing credits include Crawl Space, Fifty-One, and Fly.

 

[BLACKLAC]

Cool.

Let's come up with predictions on how AMC execs will fuck this up.

Cass will glitter.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I love Preacher. I just have a hard time seeing how this will be adapted faithfully for tv but if this means any possibility of seeing Herr Starr with a penis head on tv then I'm all for it.

 

[Busty]

It's interesting that this Vertigo adaptation is coming from Sonytv rather than Warner Bros. Sony got the film/TV rights a couple of years ago when WB decided they couldn't do anything with it after years of trying.

I suppose for them it's a win/win situation. If it makes it as a show and hits then WB will reap all the sales of the graphic novels etc, etc. If it isn't picked up WB loose nothing.

It's just interesting to see WB take such a back seat to the property after they tried to do something with it, then set it up at HBO and now it's at a totally different studio all together.

 

[Draft]

Wow!

Seth Rogan and his buddy will be the sexual detectives, guaranteed.

Shane for sure.

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

Time to read the comic ASAP.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

I hope this is a faithful adaptation and is allowed to do the whole run of the comics. Honestly though, if I see the Monument Valley showdown filmed, I can die a happy man.

 

[MattKeil]

I hope this is a faithful adaptation

I don't see how it can be if it's on AMC. The language alone...

 

[randomwab]

Seth Rogen as Jesse. The laugh of God.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

I don't see how it can be if it's on AMC. The language alone...

I could live with it being bleeped out for tv and uncut on DVDs, but yeah might be asking too much.

 

[MichaelFassbender]

There's no way they won't completely butcher the source material.

 

[TheListener]

I love Preacher and have tried to envision for years how to do it. It's something that starts pretty modest but by the end, better be a huge hit. Because the final books are simply budget busters. It could work though!

Here's the song I always thought would be killer for opening credits. It's got a lot of foreshadowing to the story, almost as if PJ wrote it for the book. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu9fTiDYehg&feature=share&list=ALBTKoXRg38BCAvGxhrBc0RwXymJKvVNle

Casting will be fun to speculate! I think if Rogen and co. are going to adapt it, they're not going to Green Hornet it. This series has too much potential to goof around with it.

 

[squidhands]

I'm not worried about the language, I'm more concerned with how much this show will be attacked by certain organizations and force AMC to tone down the major jabs that the source material takes at religion. If it manages to stay in tact, AMC will have balls of steel.

 

[Toa TAK]

I'll be there. Catlin makes this interesting for me alone.

 

[WarrenMax007]

So Walton Goggins for Jesse or Cassidy?

 

[TheListener]

Well since Justified is cancelled, you could get Olyphant for Jesse. That wouldn't be too bad.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Can this network come anywhere close to the crazy stuff that went on in Preacher, or will this be watered down?

 

[Grizzlyjin]

So Walton Goggins for Jesse or Cassidy?

Definitely Jesse. Wonder what he has on his plate in the near future. Now that we know that next season will be the last for Justified, I wonder if the timing would match up for him to get on board for this.

 

[Corpsepyre]

I just dont see this working out at AMC. HBO, yes, but not AMC.

 

[Silkworm]

Well since Justified is cancelled, you could get Olyphant for Jesse. That wouldn't be too bad.

Dude, you scared me! I thought, "What they're cancelling the planned final season for next year?!" Shame on you! >:-|

 

[squidhands]

I would love to see Goggins as Jesse Custer. Already had a glimpse of his preachy-ness in Justified, and it is glorious.

Arseface should be interesting to see on the screen.

 

[Toa TAK]

Arseface should be interesting to see on the screen.

Or horrifying.

 

[TheListener]

Dude, you scared me! I thought, "What they're cancelling the planned final season for next year?!" Shame on you! >:-|

Sorry about that, I got it wrong. AFTER next season it seems...

 

[xxracerxx]

Arseface should be interesting to see on the screen.

Hopefully it is like this:

 

[JeTmAn81]

I've always thought Preacher would make for a great HBO series. AMC is going to water it down since their content standards are different.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Doom Cock. Doom Cock. Doom Cock.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Can this network come anywhere close to the crazy stuff that went on in Preacher, or will this be watered down?

They have to water down Jesus de Sade or exclude him altogether, and he's in very very early. I wonder if they can even keep Cassidy's past intact, what with all the

Spoiler

woman beating

. I do really wonder what the jumping off point for the adaptation would be. Are they going to show

Spoiler

17 cops getting gunned down

and

Spoiler

a church full of people getting incinerated

within the first 3 episodes? Maybe if I keep my expectations low I won't get so disappointed with the final product.

 

[Leunam]

Lots of stuff from The Misadventures of Herr Starr probably won't make the cut.

 

[SummitAve]

I've always thought Preacher would make for a great HBO series. AMC is going to water it down since their content standards are different.

Besides language I don't see the problem at all. AMC shows long shots of people getting brutally murdered left and right.

 

[Silkworm]

Sorry about that, I got it wrong. AFTER next season it seems...

No problem ;-) Twas mock outrage I too would like to see former Justified cast in various roles in this show.

 

[Draft]

So Walton Goggins for Jesse or Cassidy?

C.T.

edit: Or was it T.C. ...?

 

[Penguin]

Next year and 2015 will be interesting with so many comic book shows set to air on TV or Netflix

 

[Enduin]

AMC has a lot of upcoming stuff on their plate.

Turn, Halt and Catch Fire, Better Call Saul all in the near term. Then the previously announced TWD spin-off/companion for and now Preacher for sometime next year. And I'm sure I'm missing something. Here's hoping they are all good on the level of MM and BB and not turds like Low Winter Sun.

 

[Silkworm]

AMC has a lot of upcoming stuff on their plate.

Turn, Halt and Catch Fire, Better Call Saul all in the near term. Then the previously announced TWD spin-off/companion for and now Preacher for sometime next year. And I'm sure I'm missing something. Here's hoping they are all good on the level of MM and BB and not turds like Low Winter Sun.

Which one of those is the scifi one from the guy responsible for the movie Oblivion?

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Which one of those is the scifi one from the guy responsible for the movie Oblivion?

None of those are sci fi. I think the project you're talking about is either dead or still a very long ways off.

 

[collige]

I can't imagine any scenario where this gets on TV without getting totally butchered in terms of content. There's way too much violence, sex, and all around weird shit for it to get okayed, even on AMC.