‘Preacher’ TV Series Gets AMC Pilot Order, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to Direct

Months have passed since we’ve heard anything from ‘Preacher,’ Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s potential adaptation of the famed Garth Ennis comic as a TV series for AMC. But given the network’s success with comic properties, a pilot order was all-but inevitable. Now, AMC has handed down the official ‘Preacher’ production decree, with Rogen and Goldberg set to direct and produce the pilot.

For those unfamiliar with the 1990s comic series from Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, AMC’s official description of ‘Preacher’ reads, “Based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s twisted ‘90s comic book series, Preacher is about Jesse Custer, a conflicted Preacher in a small Texas town who merges with a creature that has escaped from heaven and develops the ability to make anyone do anything he says. Along with his ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and an Irish vampire named Cassidy, the three embark on a journey to literally find God.”

The original ‘Preacher’ had itself been optioned for various adaptations many times over the years, while AMC’s incarnation will shoot in summer 2015 for a potential 2016 airdate. Sam Catlin (‘Breaking Bad’) will serve as executive producer and showrunner for the new series, while fellow producers Rogen and Goldberg will direct the pilot episode, having written the script with Catlin.

Says Rogen and Goldberg of the ‘Preacher’ pilot order:

‘Preacher’ has been our favorite comic since it first came out. Garth Ennis is one of our idols and it’s an incredible honor to be working on this. We promise we won’t make too many dick jokes and ruin it.

Ennis offered up a slightly more serious take on the news:

Steve Dillon and I are extremely pleased to know AMC has taken ‘Preacher’ to pilot. We have had an ongoing voice in the efforts of the writers whom Sony TV and Original Film entrusted with this project, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin, and have been most gratified that they continue to include us, and that they have tackled the project with the type of unwavering commitment and courage needed to present the material as Steve and I intended.

This has been a long time coming, but that it continues apace, and with the chance to be delivered episodically, gives ‘Preacher’ an opportunity to be seen in its best possible medium, not previously possible. And many thanks indeed to [executive producers] Ken Levin and Neal Moritz for their never flagging commitment to ‘Preacher,’ and for never giving up well past the point when I myself grew skeptical—we have principally gotten to where we are today because of Neal and Ken.

‘Preacher’ fans have long waited to see the series brought to life, but what do you think? Could Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and AMC be the right fit for the character? Tell us what you want to see from AMC’s forthcoming ‘Preacher’ TV series in the comments, including your casting picks for the role!