From Netflix’s Daredevil series to the CW’s The Flash, comic adaptations have worked strikingly well in TV’s serial format — and let’s not forget The Walking Dead. So AMC may have another winning formula with its latest comic book adaptation, Preacher, which debuted a new trailer last night during The Walking Dead.
Created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin, who has co-producer and writing credits for Breaking Bad under his belt, Preacher stars Dominic Cooper as a minister named Jesse Custer. Custer is depicted in the trailer as a a sort of born-again, reformed bad boy. But the term “reformed” is used loosely, as it’s clear from the violence in the trailer that Custer has a dark secret, just like he does in the comic books.
The show is based on the DC Comics created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, and the pair will serve as co-executive producers.
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In the riveting trailer, we see a young boy approaching Custer on a beach, where he urges the preacher to hurt his father. “People say before you were a preacher, you did things,” the boy declares. Zoom in where you see dad clearly gripping mom’s arm slightly too tightly in the background. Custer goes on to ask the boy, in a gruff voice, exactly how badly he wants his dad hurt, explaining to him that, once violence begins it tends to “escalate.” It’s clear at the end of the trailer that the child is terrified by Custer’s answer.
Set to premiere in mid-2016, Preacher will include 10 episodes for season one, and hails from Sony Pictures Television and AMC Studios.
Joining Dominic Cooper are Joe Gilgun as Cassidy, an Irish vampire living in town. Also starring is Ruth Negga as Tulip O’Hare, Jesse’s ex.
English actor Cooper has appeared in a number of projects, most recently as Howard Stark in ABC TV series Agent Carter. He has also appeared in Dracula Untold, Need for Speed, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Viewers may also recognize him as the fiancé of Amanda Seyfried’s character in Mamma Mia! Cooper is also set to appear in the film adaptation of Warcraft, which will be released March 2016.
The series definitely shows promise, and will no doubt have some serious buzz when it premieres on AMC next year.
