Perfect timing! I finally finished reading the entire Preacher series last week after having been stuck at the two-thirds mark for months and here we have an update from the director of the film adaptation giving an update on the status of the film.
It sounds like the project is almost there – it’s so close, I can feel it. Preacher has been in development hell for a very long time (a decade now) and you can read my previous posts on the history of Preacher to find out how it was supposed to come at us in the form of an HBO series, which it would do for perfectly during these times.
In talking to Empire, Mendes revealed that he has read a complete draft of the script and he hinted that the movie may not be too far away.
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“It’s getting closer… I’ve seen a script and it’s very good. We’re a little further down the road than when I last spoke to you.”
I imagine we’re still years away sadly but Mendes seems truely passionate about the project.
“I love graphic novels – Road To Perdition was based on graphic novel – so I’m used to that form and Preacher is absolutely brilliant. I certainly feel it’s a movie.”
“It’s funny, it’s violent as hell, it’s extremely blasphemous and profane, but it has an amazingly skilful tone… I met Garth Ennis and I’m just a huge fan of it.”
Preacher, the successful mid-nineties Vertigo comic series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, tells the story of Reverend Jesse Custer who unwittingly becomes host to an angel-demon hybrid entity known as Genesis. Due to the entity’s split-nature of pure good and evil, Genesis is powerful enough to rival God himself. The plots follows Custer on his adventure discovering who he is and what he can do as he hunts down God who abandoned Heaven as Genesis was born. Joining Custer on the trip we have Tulip O’Hare, his old lady-friend, and Cassidy, the fan-favorite Irish vampire who loves the booze.
The problem with a film adaptation is telling a complete story in two hours. The entire series can’t be done in one movie so I don’t know how they’ll be able to make a full movie with beginning, middle and strong ending without concluding the story. Luckily, Mendes realizes this and said it was way too much for the writer, John August, to put into one script.
Hopefully, we’ll get a trilogy or franchise of films out of this. It’d be great if they could get the studio backing and an amazing cast that they’d have enough faith in to make all three at once (a la Lord of the Rings trilogy) and that way they could set up and create the complete story all at once and have them come out not too far apart.
Unfortunately for those of us dying to see this project come to fruition, in June Sam Mendes signed a deal with Focus Features for two years that includes a pair of projects that’ll keep him busy for a bit and according to the Empire report, his next task is helming a movie titled Netherland based on a Christopher Hampton script.
Are you excited to see Preacher on the big screen?
Screen Rant will let you know as soon as we hear anything more on this project.
Source: Empire
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13 Comments
I’m about Half way through the comic and it’s awesome, very good read. I’d love to see this become a trilogy of films. This comic made a list of 20 comics that should never be adapted to the big screen.
@Thomas_Is_Epic
Watchmen was #1 on that list, no? That movie was amazing.
Preacher would be too hard to do it justice with how long the series is. I would still love to see it as it is #2 behind Watchmen as my favorite graphic novel of all time, but would still be hard to do it good justice.
I would love to see the Preacher story come to the big screen. The 9 part epic read as a movie in my mind, and it’s no surprise that the complicated story has been in “development hell” for so long. I only wonder if such a film would be deemed too controversial for some movie-goers. At a glance, yes, it’s a story about a small town Texas preacher who goes on a hunt for God, but unless you’ve read the entire thing, you have no idea how well-crafted the entire story is. Honestly, if they’re only going to make one movie, I think the story would be done better as a 9 part HBO series (I installment per Preacher book). Either way, I’m still excited to see how the story will translate to film. It would be awesome if Clint Eastwood played the Saint of Killers, but I doubt that would happen. A nerd can dream.
How do you think movie goers unfamiliar with the story would take it, given it’s violence, and religious content?
And who would you like to see play Jessie Custer?
Wow, this is my favorite graphic novel of all time, i just hope they don’t “tone it down”
Am I missing something? I thought Preacher was a regular issue (monthly) book?
Or was there graphic novel you are speaking about? Or are you guys confusing Trade Paperbacks with graphic novel?
Hell, I’d love to see Cass run his truck into T.S.O.K. while yelling “Yer Ma’s A Hooer!!!” on the big screen anytime!
Aknot, it was a 9 book series of 75 comics that ended in July 2000.
@ Aknot,
It was 66 single issues plus specials that were collected as nine trades.
Ok I saw Graphic Novel a few times and thought I missed out on something.
As for the format of the story I think an HBO mini/maxi would do it more justice then a big screen event.
I haven’t heard much about potential casting, but here’s my thought: the saint of killers NEEDS to be Clint Eastwood, bring him back to the western in the baddest ass way possible. Even though hes a bit of a pretty boy, Jake Gyllenhaal would make a good Jesse, hes good with accents and, after Prince of Persia, super jacked. I’m sure there could be better but I think Sienna Miller would make a good tulip, shes just so beautiful. I doubt it would happen, but I think Brad Pitt would make a good Cassidy, he already loves drinking, acts well, and has almost as much charisma as cass. I cant be the only one who thinks Patrick Stewart would make a killer Starr, Feather Stone even makes a reference to the similarities in All Hell’s A-coming. As far minor characters, God should be crazy CG, i mean they always refer to him using “Special Effects”. Sii or whatever, Cass’s Killer friend, should be jack black, i mean come on, hes got psycho written all over him. but its time to go. anyone else have “dream cast” ideas?
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