Summary
Preacherfans are well aware of the 2016 AMC live-action series based on the DC/Vertigo comic byGarth Ennisand Steve Dillon, though what they might not be aware of is how close the R-rated comic actually came to getting a film adaptation. Years before Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin turned the comic into a hit four-season show,Preacherwas very nearly a feature film, and Garth Ennis opens up about that arduous process.
In an interview with Mark Millar on the comic creator’s YouTube channel,Millar Time, Garth Ennis is asked how closePreachercame to getting a live-action film adaptation. Ennis admits that, at first, the idea thatPreacherwas getting its own movie was little more than a pipe dream, as it wasn’t initially getting any traction. But, after that initial hiccup, Ennis explains that thePreacherfilm came very close to development, and even found itself multiple directors and a screenwriter interested in taking it on.
Garth Ennis: My agent in Hollywood, Ken Levin, started handling it, and he made the sale to HBO.
And then, I think, something went wrong at HBO. There it was going to be a TV show, obviously, and then it was going to be a movie, and the chap that did The Salton Sea [D.J. Caruso] wanted to do it.
And then it was Sam Mendes, I think.
And then, Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg saw their chance, and that was how the AMC thing worked out.
This part of the conversation between Mark Millar and Garth Ennis is at the timestamp: 1:32:10!
As Ennis recounts, thePreacheradaptation certainly saw its hurdles before finally getting developed as an AMC TV series. While the idea that it was originally going to be a series on HBO is interesting, it’s arguably more intriguing to consider thatPreacherwas so close to becoming a film instead. After HBO dropped it, the film rights forPreacherwere purchased by Columbia Pictures, at which point John August was brought on to write the script, and Sam Mendes was set to direct, before Mendes was later replaced by D.J. Caruso, after leaving the project to directSkyfall.
Despite Coming So Close, Preacher Never Made It to the Big Screen (& That’s a Good Thing)
While Garth Ennis had no complaints about the prospect ofPreacherbeing adapted into a feature film, it’s actually a good thing it never happened. Upon readingthe originalPreachercomic book series, it’s clear that that story is far more extensive than a single movie - or even a trilogy of films - could ever adequately capture. If it were to be turned into a movie, the adaptation would be loose at best, with integral moments being cut for the sake of time and cohesion.
That’s whyPreachereventually being made into a live-action TV series was a far better way to adapt that story. Obviously, some aspects of the original comic were changed in the series, but for the most part, the AMC show did a great job of bringingPreacherto life. Indeed, fans and critics alike praised the show throughout all four of its seasons, and the fact that it received a definitive ending (rather than just getting canceled) is itself a massive success - which perhaps wouldn’t have been possible ifPreacherwas a feature film first.
Preacher is Just 1 Examples of How Comic Adaptations are Better on TV than in Films
Preacherbeing adapted into a TV show as opposed to a movie allowed the series to thrive in a way that it otherwise would not have, and it’s not the only one. Another of Garth Ennis’ comic series,The Boys, has found immense success as a live-action series - and this isn’t only true for Garth Ennis comics, either. The likes of Robert Kirkman’sThe Walking Dead, Neil Gaiman’sThe Sandman, and Gerard Way’sThe Umbrella Academyhave all become hit live-action series that likely would have fallen flat as films given the scope of their stories - just likePreacher.
While it is a good thing thatPreacherdidn’t become a movie, allowing it to share equal levels of success with other comic series that were adapted into shows, it’s still interesting to learn how close it actually came to being brought to the big screen, as shared by the writer ofPreacherhimself,Garth Ennis.
Preacher
Cast
Preacher follows Jesse Custer, a Texas preacher, on his quest to confront the divine for abandoning humanity. Aided by Cassidy, a vampire, and Tulip, a gun-toting Texan, he wields the power of Genesis, a potent force born from an angel and a demon, to challenge celestial authority.
