Preacher: Five Things The Cult Comic's TV Reboot Needs To Be Ace
It's one of the greatest comics ever but the problem is, when a story's so rich and gripping and packed with wonderful characters, it'll be no mean feat adapting it for the screen...
Fortunately, all the talk from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg suggests they’re reverential to Garth Ennis’ source material and desperate to do it justice. With Breaking Bad producer Sam Catlin also on board to develop a Preacher TV series for AMC, fans of the comics can hopefully rest easy.
But anyone who loves a book has been burned by the horror of seeing it poorly adapted, so here are five things Cohen, Goldberg and Cohen need to make their Preacher series a hit that doesn’t tarnish the source.
Fearlessness
It’s about a Texan preacher named Jesse Custer (check out the initials…) who gains the power of the word of God after being possessed by the offspring of an angel and demon. The 75 issues of Ennis’ comic include cocaine-snorting angels, ultra-violence, sexual perversion and a corrupt organisation protecting the increasingly moronic bloodline of Christ. So it’s a bit controversial. But if AMC take the Golden Compass route and tone down the religious content, they’ll neuter the story.
The Saint of Killers and Arseface
The former’s an Angel of Death with echoes of Unforgiven’s William Munny who’s set for an unholy collision with Jesse. The latter’s a suicide attempt survivor whose unusual looks – his name’s pretty self-explanatory - propel him to unlikely fame. These two supporting characters epitomise Preacher – this is a story rooted in the Old West and the battle between good and evil. It’s also dark, twisted and very, very funny.
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A Jesse who’s up to the job
Cover artist Glenn Fabry admitted basing many of his Jesse images on Johnny Depp but we’d imagine he’s too busy playing variations on the same role for Tim Burton to step into TV. It’s also such a varied role – Jesse’s a friend, lover, fighter, orphan and saviour of humankind – that the success of the entire show hinges on an actor up to the task.
The fact that a joint statement from Rogen and Goldberg included the sign-off ‘Humperdoo!’ - a favourite saying of Arseface – and that they have Ennis and artist Steve Dillon’s seal of approval means we’re hopeful that Preacher’s being handled with the care it deserves. Here’s hoping that AMC can fill the gap left by Breaking Bad with a similarly stunning show.
Follow Lewis on Twitter, @LewisBazley
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