Preacher directors?

For years, it seemed that God would return to walk the Earth before a live-action version of the outstanding comic series PREACHER would be seen by human eyes. But we may just see adaptation before resurrection after all.

HBO is planning a full series that will bring every issue of the entire sordid, enthusiastically blasphemous DC/Vertigo comic to the small screen… but that announcement came with the arguably dreadful news that GHOST RIDER and DAREDEVIL virtuoso Mark Steven Johnson would be handling the project.

But wait, there may be a savior after all. Several, in fact. CHUD says that in addition to Robert Rodriguez, A-list directors such as Brian de Palma and David Cronenberg have been approached and/or are interested in directing the pilot or individual episodes. People like Danny Boyle and Alex Proyas are also reportedly on the want list for the HBO show.

It’s still in the early phases so this is only discussion at the moment, but it sounds like they’re serious enough to put feelers out to fanboy-friendly helmers (and the cable outlet desperately needs a SOPRANOS-level “must watch” show). So you know guys like Guillermo del Toro and Quentin Tarantino won’t be far down that list.

For those who aren’t aware, the PREACHER series by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon is one of the most compelling finite comic titles ever published. It involves a rough-and-tumble Texan preacher who becomes imbued with the power of Genesis (the offspring of angel and demon). When he finds out God has left his post in Heaven, he takes off with his amateur assassin ex-girlfriend and an Irish vampire named Cassidy on a mission to make the Lord answer for his transgression. During their bizarre adventures they encounter various murderers and sodomites, the immortal Saint of Killers, and a secret paramilitary organization dedicated to protecting the bloodline of Christ.

A feature film version has literally been in the works for years, with TANK GIRL director Rachel Talalay long set to lens from an Ennis draft that incorporated the first few issues of the series to tell the origin of the characters and introduce the Saint of Killers and Arseface. Everyone from Ben Affleck to Johnny Depp to James Marsden had been rumored for the lead role of Jesse Custer, with names like Gary Oldman, Cameron Diaz and Sam Jackson being tossed around for the secondary players. Fortunately they figured out that the series is so perfect, any attempt to condense it into a 100 minute film is simply destined for failure. Do yourself a huge favor and pick up the first trade paperback, then go from there. Trust me.