Preacher Ordered to Series With 10-Episode First Season

AMC has ordered a ten-episode first season of their DC/Vertigo adaptation Preacher, created by [...]

AMC has ordered a ten-episode first season of their DC/Vertigo adaptation Preacher, created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.

The Sony Pictures Television and AMC Studios co-production was developed for television by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg with showrunner Sam Catlin. Rogen and Goldberg will produce the series through their Point Grey banner, along with Neal Moritz's Original Film. AMC indicated that the series will premiere in mid-2016.

"Couldn't be more happy with Sony/AMC's decision to bring Garth's amazing Preacher to television," said Caitlin, who wrote the pilot. "Can't wait to spend some quality time with vampires, psychopaths, rednecks and God."

Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer (Agent Carter's Dominic Cooper), a conflicted Preacher in a small Texas town who is inhabited by a mysterious entity that allows him to develop a highly unconventional power. Jesse, his ex-girlfriend, Tulip (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. baddie Ruth Negga), and an Irish vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) embark on a journey to, literally, find God.

"Garth Ennis' Preacher is, above all, about great characters – something we look for in all of our series," said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. "The fact that it is also darkly funny, has some great supernatural elements, and takes us on an incredible adventure is just the icing on the cake. The incredible creative team behind this show – led by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Sam Catlin and Neal Moritz – made a pilot that completely blew us away, and we know the series will satisfy and surprise fans of the comics, and captivate fans of great TV everywhere."

"We started reading the comic when it first came out in the '90s," said Rogen and Goldberg in a statement. "In many ways Garth's sense of drama and comedy and Steve Dillon's visual aesthetic helped form our style, and the idea that we are actually bringing Preacher to life is a dream come true. This is the craziest thing ever and we can't wait to move forward and work our asses off to make it the best it can be."

Other previously announced series regulars include Ian Colletti as Eugene Root aka Arseface, W. Earl Brown as Hugo Root and Lucy Griffiths as Emily. Griffiths, notably, was meant to be the female lead in NBC's short-lived Constantine but was written out after the pilot and replaced by a character from the comics.

Rogen and Goldberg directed the pilot.

Preacher ran for 66 issues (with some supplemental material as well) from 1995 until 2000. In addition to Ennis and Dillon, it featured memorable work from cover artist Glenn Fabry and colorists Matt Hollingsworth and Pamela Rambo. The series also had a sharp eye for pop culture references, bringing figures like John Wayne and comedian Bill Hicks into the story.

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