Preacher gets a full series order from AMC

I’ve always thought Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg would have been the perfect writing team for a rebooted Spider-Man, certainly far better than the team that mishandled the Vacation reboot is likely to give us. But, as this duo is about to gear up for what AMC is surely hoping will be their next big comics-based series to follow in the footsteps of The Walking Dead, yet cover the anti-hero void left behind by Breaking Bad, fingers crossed that we’ll end up better off with what they’ve been up to this Summer.

Preacher, based on the Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon Vertigo comic, is coming to AMC mid-next year, the network announced yesterday. Most likely it will air in the May time-frame following the conclusion of the second half of The Walking Dead‘s sixth season. I’m still not fully sold on Dominic Cooper in the title role, especially after someone suggested Walton Goggins to me, but I remain optimistic. I’ll give the guys that brought Superbad into the world all the possible chances I can afford them. Here’s the full announcement below:

AMC ORDERS “PREACHER” TO SERIES

SHOW BASED ON POPULAR COMIC BOOK FRANCHISE

DEVELOPED FOR TELEVISION BY SETH ROGEN, EVAN GOLDBERG

AND SHOWRUNNER SAM CATLIN OF “BREAKING BAD”

NEW YORK, NY – September 9, 2015 – AMC today announced it has ordered a series based on the twisted and popular ‘90s comic book franchise “Preacher,” created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. The Sony Pictures Television and AMC Studios co-production was developed for television by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (“This Is the End,” “Superbad,” “Neighbors”) and showrunner Sam Catlin (“Breaking Bad”). Rogen & Goldberg will produce the series through their Point Grey banner, along with Neal Moritz’s Original Film. AMC has ordered 10 one-hour episodes, with an expected premiere date in mid-2016.

“Preacher” is the story of Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper, “Agent Carter”), 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 (Ruth Negga, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), and an Irish vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun, “This Is England”) 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 & Goldberg. “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.”

Sam Catlin said: “Couldn’t be more happy with Sony/AMC’s decision to bring Garth’s amazing ‘Preacher’ to television. Can’t wait to spend some quality time with vampires, psychopaths, rednecks and God.”

Other previously announced series regulars include Ian Colletti as Eugene Root aka Arseface, W. Earl Brown as Hugo Root and Lucy Griffiths as Emily. Rogen & Goldberg directed the pilot, which was written by Catlin.