AMC's "Preacher" (Season 3)

[bainbridge's_stache]

With the loss of Breaking Bad and soon Mad Men, AMC is looking at a big hole in their schedule, one that shows like The Killing and Low Winter Sun haven't quite been able to fill. While they have the ratings juggernaut that is The Walking Dead, they still need something that will be a buzz show, that will get a ton of attention and make a cultural impact. They're betting that show will be Preacher.

Sources tell me that the network has ordered a pilot based on the classic Vertigo comic by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. In the comic Jesse Custer is a small town preacher who is torn by booze and sin and who finds himself the vessel for a strange entity - the child of a mating between an angel and a demon. Filled with immense power, including The Word of God, which makes anyone do whatever he says, Jesse goes hunting for the Lord Almighty, who has abandoned creation. He aims to make him pay for leaving his children behind. Joining Jesse on his journey is his ex-girlfriend Tulip, who is now a hit woman, and a hundred year old Irish vampire named Cassidy. Along the way they battle secret religious commandoes, the retarded descendent of Christ, a guy who ****s meat and even each other.

The comic is profane and blasphemous, and if AMC takes it to series they're showing a commitment to upping the R-rated quality of what we've seen on The Walking Dead. It isn't so much that Preacher is hyper-violent - although it can be - but rather that it tackles hot-button religious issues with all the subtlety and grace of a loud wet fart in church.

Preacher has been out in the world of almost getting adapted for a while; it all started back in 1998 when Garth Ennis wrote a draft of a script and Kevin Smith tried to get Harvey Weinstein to make it. Along the way we've seen people like Rachel Talaly, DJ Caruso and Sam Mendes attached to direct. I don't know who is attached to the TV series, but I hear the names are big and impressive.

The sprawling, road trip nature of the comic lends itself to TV more than movies in my opinion. I think AMC will take the show right to the edge (if it goes to series), and I wouldn't be shocked to discover they shoot alternate, crazier versions for Netflix and home video. And of course going to series is the next big hump; this property has been floundering in adaptation for a lot of years, and there's no guarantee this version will get any farther than previous ones.

Source

[chris_sc77]

This cannot be done at amc .

[theusher]

And Seth Rogen is involved?

UPDATE: Not long after posting this story, actor/filmmaker Seth Rogen took to Twitter and made a rather enigmatic tweet of:

Looks like about seven of years of hard work are about to pay off. I may get to bring one of my favourite stories ever to life.

A little over an hour later, his meaning became a lot clearer when he tweeted:

Arseface. John Wayne, The Saint of Killers.

Basically three characters from Preacher. So how is Rogen involved with this attempt to bring the Vertigo comic to television--as a producer? Might he be directing the pilot?

While we were somewhat dubious of the earlier rumors, having been disappointed in the past, Rogen's tweets seem to confirm that something is definitely moving forward with Preacher.

[BLUEGRASS]

It isn't so much that Preacher is hyper-violent - although it can be - but rather that it tackles hot-button religious issues with all the subtlety and grace of a loud wet fart in church.

[Walts Ghost]

Great news. I think AMC can do it well enough. Very curious to see how this shapes up.

[Decado]

Originally Posted by Walts Ghost

Great news. I think AMC can do it well enough. Very curious to see how this shapes up.

Meaning you think it will be a joke, but that's good enough, or do you actually think they'll make a good adaption? 'cause if it's the latter I'd like to know why, for IMO, you may as well say the Disney channel would make a great adaptation.

Don't get me wrong...I like some of AMC's shows...but an adaptation of Preacher? Really?

[stvn1974]

Can't start soon enough.

[DisneyBlu]

Not too into the show so far. I'll keep watching and give episode two a try, at least.

[kngtmat]

Really good and can't wait until the second episode.

[stvn1974]

Never read the comics so it is all new to me and I enjoyed it enough to come back for episode two.

[ElectricPeterTork]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

Never read the comics so it is all new to me and I enjoyed it enough to come back for episode two.

You're the audience for the show.

That's not a bad thing, for people who have no familiarity with or interest in the comics.

And I understand changes may have to be made for live action adaptations. But in this case, they might as well have just created an entirely new show for as much as it resembles the source material.

[Scarriere]

I watched it tonight and thought it was good.
I was surprised at the level of violence that can be shown on tv now-a-days, but that doesn't bother me.
Sucks that it'll be t
wo weeks before the next one, good things can be worth waiting for, I guess.

[darkness2918]

Saw it & enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the comic series back when I used to read it. Looking forward to episode 2.

[theusher]

Graham McTavish will play

[Show spoiler]The Saint of Killers

.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/05/...r-in-preacher/

[THB]

I love the pilot, this is my kind of thing, like Lucifer.

[djgeneral]

Seems really stupid to air a premiere then bench it for a week... They wanted ratings from FTWD finale but why couldn't they just air this week? or hold off on FTWD. I'll watch the pilot this weekend sometime or closer to the launch of #2

[ElectricPeterTork]

Originally Posted by djgeneral

Seems really stupid to air a premiere then bench it for a week... They wanted ratings from FTWD finale but why couldn't they just air this week? or hold off on FTWD. I'll watch the pilot this weekend sometime or closer to the launch of #2

Memorial Day weekend would probably kill the ratings.

[djgeneral]

Originally Posted by ElectricPeterTork

Memorial Day weekend would probably kill the ratings.

Should have waited until the week after is what I'm saying. Stupid to air then skip a week.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by djgeneral

Should have waited until the week after is what I'm saying. Stupid to air then skip a week.

Just think of it as a "sneak preview".

[roguejp]

As someone who has read (and proudly owns) the comics since the first issue came out, I really liked the first episode. It has that 'feel' from the comics and Cooper can already bring depth in his performance of Jesse, a really complicated guy.

I'm looking forward to the next episode!