A few months back news started coming down the wire about a possible network adaptation of Preacher, the cult comic from DC/Vertigo. Deadline has confirmed that a pilot episode of the show has officially been picked up by AMC.
Preacher was a comic that ran from 1995 to 2000 from the creative team of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. It followed the adventures of Jesse Custer, a troubled southern preacher who accidently becomes imbued with the power of a celestial being formed from the unholy union between Heaven and Hell.
Unfortunately for him, this puts him on the radar of not only Vatican kill squads but Heaven itself. Jessie is set upon by holy assassins and the indestructible, hyper violent Saint of All Killers. Joining him on his journey are his girlfriend Tulip, best friend and drug addict vampire Cassidy, and hallucinations of John Wayne.
Merc with a Mouth May Finally Get His Shot at the Big Screen
The live action show is the baby of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the writers/directors behind This is the End. There were multiple scripts presented to the studio but this is the first to pan out. Rogen and Goldberg have been fans of the series for some time which is a good sign that they'll handle the beloved property correctly as there are a legion of fans waiting if they don't.
Rogen and Goldberg have stated that, "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."
But there's a character named Arseface and many, many dick jokes in the source material so I think they'll be ok. The fabulous duo will be directing the pilot episode. Check out Rogen speaking on the project below.