TV News: Preacher

hauberk

Still early, but The Hollywood Reporter indicates that a script is being developed for Preacher, possibly for AMC.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/amc-adapting-preacher-seth-rogen-656840

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are named as being attached to the script with the possibility of Breaking Bad's Sam Catlin as Showrunner. They also suggest that this is something that would be being pitched for AMC.

I'm intrigued. I wasn't a huge fan of Preacher as I thought that it was well beyond over the top - I think that I gave up two or three trades in. Big thing for me is figuring out how it stays Preacher and gets toned down enough for a network other than the premium channels like HBO or Showtime (or a Netflix Original series). It's not the violence (Walking Dead and Breaking Bad have pretty much taken that out of the equation), but the other extremely graphic content like the meat-lovin' or the seatless bicycles / nude servants being used as bicycle stands. Yes, it could be toned down, but is it still Preacher if those outrageous things aren't included?

random73

This might be a good fit for AMC's Walking Dead audience but...Seth Rogan? I'm not filled with joy by that. Nope, not even a little bit.

playdohsrepublic

random73 said:

This might be a good fit for AMC's Walking Dead audience but...Seth Rogan? I'm not filled with joy by that. Nope, not even a little bit.

He and Evan Goldberg are decent writers (much better than an actor) and Garth Ennis seems pretty please with their take on the material. That could be him falling in line to help get the project off the ground, but Ennis never struck me that way. I agree with @hauberk that part of Preacher's appeal was it's extremity which seems impossible on AMC, but as lokg as it's good I don't care.

hauberk

random73 said:

This might be a good fit for AMC's Walking Dead audience but...Seth Rogan? I'm not filled with joy by that. Nope, not even a little bit.

As playdohsrepublic said, this is Rogen writing and not acting, though he might make a halfway decent Arseface. I'm not generally a fan of Rogen as I think that he's almost always playing the same character (and I'm a little scared that that character is the real Seth Rogen) but I did like his character on Freaks and Geeks (but I liked everything about Freaks and Geeks).

tommysheroes

Does anyone else just feel excited to live in a time where they are making a Preacher tv show?i sure do, what magical news.

Chuck_Melville

I could never read the comic, so I sure won't bother with the show, if it manages to get on. I'm more interested in seeing what becomes of the proposed Constantine pilot.

tommysheroes

Chuck_Melville said:

I could never read the comic, so I sure won't bother with the show, if it manages to get on. I'm more interested in seeing what becomes of the proposed Constantine pilot.

Just out of curiosity why did you respond to a thread about a Preacher tv show just to tell us you didn't read the comic or want to watch the show?

David_D

tommysheroes said:

Does anyone else just feel excited to live in a time where they are making a Preacher tv show?i sure do, what magical news.

Agreed. And while a TV adaptation is sure to be different- which is fine, I've already go the comics- I am excited to see what may come of it. It is a tone and world to play in that has a lot of potential. And some great roles for actors.

For as long as some things stay in development, it will be cool if the people who stuck with this finally have found a home for it.

I also think it bodes well that there are comedy writers behind it. I think a Preacher show- especially in live action- has to succeed at being funny as well as dark. The comics were that. And you can't have someone setting out to do this as if it were Stephen King or the Da Vinci Code or something like that. I feel like the love story in Preacher has to be played for real, but much of the rest of it needs people who can handle black humor and shocks well.

David_D

Also, The Comic Reporter had some interesting behind the scenes details about Preacher. I assumed that, like other Vertigo works, the creators own it, but they have the benefit of/are stuck with (your choice) DC Entertainment's involvement. But I guess because it has been so long that in Preacher's case that is no longer true. Interesting.

nweathington

David_D said:

Also, The Comic Reporter had some interesting behind the scenes details about Preacher. I assumed that, like other Vertigo works, the creators own it, but they have the benefit of/are stuck with (your choice) DC Entertainment's involvement. But I guess because it has been so long that in Preacher's case that is no longer true. Interesting.

Yeah, a lot of the Vertigo contracts have time stipulations built in where certain rights go back to the creators after ten years or whatever the case may be. Kyle Baker had a similar deal with them.

Chuck_Melville

tommysheroes said:

Chuck_Melville said:

I could never read the comic, so I sure won't bother with the show, if it manages to get on. I'm more interested in seeing what becomes of the proposed Constantine pilot.

Just out of curiosity why did you respond to a thread about a Preacher tv show just to tell us you didn't read the comic or want to watch the show?

To represent the opposite viewpoint, of course. Not every proposal that comes across the board is a winner, nor is it universally accepted by all parties. I've expressed love and support as well as disinterest and disappointment for any number of other announced movies and TV shows; why should I treat this one any different? Is there a sign on the door that says "Speak Only If You Agree With Everybody Else"?

hauberk

Chuck_Melville said:

tommysheroes said:

Chuck_Melville said:

I could never read the comic, so I sure won't bother with the show, if it manages to get on. I'm more interested in seeing what becomes of the proposed Constantine pilot.

Just out of curiosity why did you respond to a thread about a Preacher tv show just to tell us you didn't read the comic or want to watch the show?

To represent the opposite viewpoint, of course. Not every proposal that comes across the board is a winner, nor is it universally accepted by all parties. I've expressed love and support as well as disinterest and disappointment for any number of other announced movies and TV shows; why should I treat this one any different? Is there a sign on the door that says "Speak Only If You Agree With Everybody Else"?

I'm pretty sure that having 4-5 people out of how many partipants of the board post any enthusiasm about the news does a fair job of expressing the current level of enthusiasm. I should, however embrace this strategy - if nothing else, it will boost my post count. ;)

Or, maybe that's just a function of my having started the thread.

I'm personally, not much of a fan of the book. I found it to be excessive in almost every way but I know that many readers hold it in high esteem and so posted the news.

Chuck_Melville

Yeah, I'm not out to discourage anyone else on the book or the proposed TV show -- I haven't even said anything disparaging about either. All I've said is that it's not for me, that not everybody is so enamored with the book, and that's as far as I ever intended to take it.

batlaw

Never seen anything that makes me think preacher is for me. Happy to give a try though.

tommysheroes

Chuck_Melville said:

I could never read the comic, so I sure won't bother with the show, if it manages to get on. I'm more interested in seeing what becomes of the proposed Constantine pilot.

Just out of curiosity why did you respond to a thread about a Preacher tv show just to tell us you didn't read the comic or want to watch the show?

Chuck_Melville said:

tommysheroes said:

Chuck_Melville said:

I could never read the comic, so I sure won't bother with the show, if it manages to get on. I'm more interested in seeing what becomes of the proposed Constantine pilot.

Just out of curiosity why did you respond to a thread about a Preacher tv show just to tell us you didn't read the comic or want to watch the show?

To represent the opposite viewpoint, of course. Not every proposal that comes across the board is a winner, nor is it universally accepted by all parties. I've expressed love and support as well as disinterest and disappointment for any number of other announced movies and TV shows; why should I treat this one any different? Is there a sign on the door that says "Speak Only If You Agree With Everybody Else"?

My comment was more that it didn't add anything to the conversation. You didn't present an opposite viewpoint. You didn't pop in to say why maybe it wouldn't work as a show or present any interesting or relevatory commentary. You just wrote, I didn't read the comic and won't watch the show. Just seemed unnecessary. That's all.

Peter

tommysheroes said:

My comment was more that it didn't add anything to the conversation. You didn't present an opposite viewpoint. You didn't pop in to say why maybe it wouldn't work as a show or present any interesting or relevatory commentary. You just wrote, I didn't read the comic and won't watch the show. Just seemed unnecessary. That's all.

Preach!

(See what I did there?!)

LibraryBoy

Preacher was a book I never managed to connect with - never been much of an Ennis fan in general, truth be told... most of his work that I've read has never been my cuppa - but seeing someone like Seth Rogen attached will get me to check out at least the first episode or two out of curiosity.

DarkGuyver

I always loved the Preacher series for being over the top and outlandish. For me it represented the dark and uncomfortable side of our culture that many criticize as being abnormal or taboo, but is present behind many more closed doors than one would think, even if only in our fantasies. Want proof, take a look at Craigslist. But anyway...
I think this show could have tremendous potential, especially with Rogen at the helm. I can't see him toning down the series just to make the networks happy. You'd lose a lot of what made this comic unique. Plus, who has two thumbs and can't wait to see Jesse have one of his heart-to-hearts with the Duke when he's down on his luck. This guy! :-bd

Fade2Black

AMC has its Preacher.



http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/dominic-cooper-preacher-seth-rogen-pilot-1201474784/

Brack

Giving this the ol' Now Airing bump!

This is on Amazon Prime in the UK, so I watched it this morning. The pilot felt a little longer than it needed to be, but I enjoyed it. It's different from the comic in certain ways, but elements of the comic haven't aged well 20 years on, so that's fine.

For all those changes, and I would say they are minor at this point, it's recognisably Preacher.

batlaw

Ive never read the book but I dug it and want to watch more. I have a hard time buying this actor as a "tough guy", and the ham fisted feminist scene with the kids made my eyes roll, but I liked it quite a bit.

jaydee74

So I have a question. I never read Preacher. It was a comic that just didn't interest me when I was younger. I wasn't even sure I was going to watch the show but wound up and I really quite enjoyed it. My question is how true to the comic do you think the pilot episode was? The reason I ask is because I enjoy iZombie but from what I understand, the comic and the show differ so if I read Preacher, are the characters that I saw on the show similar enough to the comic versions? I thought that cast was great. I love the actor who plays Cassidy. He was on a British show I loved called Misfits and he was great in it. Thanks in advance for any information about Preacher.

Hellsfire

jaydee74 said:

So I have a question. I never read Preacher. It was a comic that just didn't interest me when I was younger. I wasn't even sure I was going to watch the show but wound up and I really quite enjoyed it. My question is how true to the comic do you think the pilot episode was? The reason I ask is because I enjoy iZombie but from what I understand, the comic and the show differ so if I read Preacher, are the characters that I saw on the show similar enough to the comic versions? I thought that cast was great. I love the actor who plays Cassidy. He was on a British show I loved called Misfits and he was great in it. Thanks in advance for any information about Preacher.

I love the comics. It's what got me back into reading comics and is my number one run in my top five. That said, I did not care for the show. Mainly because the characters were nothing like their comic book counterpart. Well, except for Cassidy kinda. Despite being a vampire, Cassidy doesn't know how to fight. But being how he is, he doesn't really need to. Also, it bugs me how he doesn't wear his sunglasses all the time. Thought that was always a cool reveal.

In the comic, you don't really see too much about Jesse in his time in Annville. Tulip is a reluctant hitman who becomes badass later. And everyone doesn't live in Annville, which feels like the case here.

I'll probably give it another episode or two, but I feel like they didn't capture the feel of the comic, which is what I usually hope for when it comes to an adaptation.

Flintlockjaw

The pacing of the show feels off to me. It's not 'Preacher' yet to me.

jaydee74

Having listened to the book of the month episode of Preacher volume 1, I'm probably going to skip the comic series.

Torchsong

Watched an episode (or really half of one) with the wife and she's curious. I said we can definitely start watching it, but it's nothing like the comic so far other than characters with similar names. I explained the comic book premise and she thought that was neat...so who knows? I may dig out the trades for her to check out.

batlaw

I have no idea what's going on, or where it's going or supposed to go, but personally I'm enjoying the heck out of it. It's been a bit gratuitous here are there but overall really stylish inventive and unique. Well done imo.
I'm thrilled and shocked they've yet to use the show as a proverbial dartboard for which to hurl daggers at its more "conservative" aspects. At least not thoroughly, blatantly or ignorantly as I confess I've fully expected. Refreshing.

define999

Im diggin it! I think with them going in their own direction while keeping the same "feel" of the book its sorta refreshing. Even my wife who doesn't normally engage with the geekier aspects of TV is liking it. Hats off to the show runners for getting Cassidy, Tulip, and Jesse pretty spot on IMHO.