[AMC] Preacher

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:35 am

Finally given a pilot, which means we could be seeing the show in 2015:

Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s cult 1990s comic book series Preacher is taking another step to the small screen as the drama adaptation of the controversial comic from This Is the End writers/directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg has been picked up to pilot by AMC.

...

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.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 6:41 am

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/02/ ... lking-dead

First trailer. Pilot is filmed and will be on AMC mid 2016. I dont know the comic but it appears to hold promise.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:19 am

The trailer raises a lot of question marks with fans, because there's almost no similarity between what you see in those clips and the comic books. The trailer doesn't even hint at what the story is really about, but makes it seem like it's about a vigilante preacher or something like that. I'm going to reserve judgment, but I'm highly skeptical of the direction in which they're taking this.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:00 am

I am wondering if they are trying to preserve some of the mystery for the casual fan - meaning they don't want tip off the supernatural elements at this point. For me - I was concerned that AMC might soften it too much and it did somewhat alleviate that concern.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:13 am

But the supernatural element is the entire basis of the show, to the point where they explicitly say what it's about in the show's description. From AMC's description in the YouTube version of the trailer:

A supernatural Preacher, a gun-toting ex, and an Irish vampire are coming to AMC mid-2016.

There's not much to hide here. The first two are identified properly in the beginning of the first issue of the comic book, while the last part is introduced shortly after. It's the very foundation of the story.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:33 am

Yeah, I really hope this is a case of purposeful misdirection. Otherwise that trailer was not even remotely based on the comic book that I faithfully devoured all those years ago.

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:29 am

Never seen or heard of the comic. I liked the pilot.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:35 am

EvilHomer3k wrote:Never seen or heard of the comic. I liked the pilot.

You mean the trailer.

I think.

If not, link plz!

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:50 am

Yes, trailer. Mostly, I posted to remind the comic book aficionados that there are a lot of people who will be reading that haven't read the comic.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:50 am

TiLT wrote:But the supernatural element is the entire basis of the show, to the point where they explicitly say what it's about in the show's description. From AMC's description in the YouTube version of the trailer:

A supernatural Preacher, a gun-toting ex, and an Irish vampire are coming to AMC mid-2016.
There's not much to hide here. The first two are identified properly in the beginning of the first issue of the comic book, while the last part is introduced shortly after. It's the very foundation of the story.

Right I'm with you. I'm just wondering if what they are doing is aiming this trailer at the general audience of The Walking Dead with something that was gritty and might draw from the audience - with that show being generally agnostic - so they are holding off on the other stuff until later.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:59 am

Well, personally I can't think of any better way to give a trailer for Preacher the kick it needs than to end it with Jesse Custer's eyes glowing red and him uttering some command in a deep voice. That would get people talking.

Btw, if my avatar isn't clue enough, I'm a huge fan of Preacher.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:02 pm

If it's a great show that just keeps some characters from the comic and nothing else, then fine. But for those of us who are fans of the comic, if it were to stick to the source material, it would make for something unlike anything else on tv. It would be a truly original and enthralling piece of truly Americana fiction (even if written by an Irishman). Although it would cause aneurysms in pretty much every member of the christian right that tunes in hoping for another Breaking Bad or Mad Men like show.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 1:19 pm

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/03/14/ ... r-revealed

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 1:51 pm

Nice thread necro! I'm pretty excited for this and AMC's track record has me hoping it's going to be damn good.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:03 pm

Missed this the first time around. My TV watching is almost down to nothing, so this is good for me.

hepcat wrote:If it's a great show that just keeps some characters from the comic and nothing else, then fine. But for those of us who are fans of the comic, if it were to stick to the source material, it would make for something unlike anything else on tv. It would be a truly original and enthralling piece of truly Americana fiction (even if written by an Irishman). Although it would cause aneurysms in pretty much every member of the christian right that tunes in hoping for another Breaking Bad or Mad Men like show.

I really enjoyed The Dresden Files on SyFy for what it was and was mildly disappointed when it was cancelled. Apparently fans of the novels were poo poo on the show because the most it shared with the novels was character names.

Also, I've said before but I am an unapologetic fan of Tank Girl and at the time all of my Tank Girl fan friends all went off on "There wasn't any belching, farting, and rubbing of butts" and that was the best review you could get from them.

I guess sometimes it's good to not really be in the know. Though, I like to believe I can accept something that is good that is vastly different in different media, like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or Clockwork Orange... Though I have to admit I was exposed to both movies before being exposed to both novels.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 5:44 pm

A friend of mine's nephew has been cast in this show for a couple of eps.

You may remember him as the "tape a cheetah to her back" boy from the AT&T commercials.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 5:41 pm

That poster is such a wasted opportunity. What does it tell us about the series? That there's a preacher involved who smokes and is a bad boy? It's not exciting at all.

They should have gone with something similar to the original poster used to promote the comic books, and which was used as the cover for the first issue:

Now that's a poster that attracts attention and which actually tells you something about the story without really telling you anything. It really managed to build hype before the comic book was released.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:29 pm

Oh, sure. Pimp your avatar.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:48 pm

Yeah, I was going to say you might be a bit biased.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 2:47 am

Nonsense!

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:45 am

New clip

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon May 23, 2016 12:33 pm

Watched the premiere last night and rather enjoyed it. There was a lot going on and I guess that would be my only complaint - the introduction and intersection of all the characters in the first 90 minutes. Then again, the pace felt right - it was just a ton of information to keep track of.

What I'm struggling to understand is why they aired the 90 minute premier last night, then it's not on next weekend (because of Memorial Day). Seems like a really shitty way to build momentum for a new series.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Mon May 23, 2016 1:12 pm

I decided a while ago to give this show the chance to grow on me, and it's going to need it. I'm not exactly blown away by the pilot, especially because it's diverging enormously from the graphic novels. There were things introduced in this one episode that invalidates hugely important plot points later in the series (

Spoiler:

), and that worries me greatly.

What bothers me the most however, is what they've done to Tulip. While Jesse and Cassidy appear to be reasonably close to their original counterparts, Tulip isn't even remotely similar to the woman we know and love from those books (and I'm not talking about skin color. Making her black is a decision I love from the moment I heard about it). Here she is a smart-ass serial killer who appears not at all affected by what she's doing, not at all like the Tulip in the graphic novel, who almost has a panic attack when someone offers her a gun, and who discovers that she's completely unsuitable to being a hitman.

I don't know how they're going to dig themselves out of this. I can't really see them moving towards being faithful to the original story in the future if this is how it starts. They've already sabotaged themselves.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon May 23, 2016 1:17 pm

TiLT wrote:I decided a while ago to give this show the chance to grow on me, and it's going to need it. I'm not exactly blown away by the pilot, especially because it's diverging enormously from the graphic novels.

I'm watching it tonight...but that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Mon May 23, 2016 2:00 pm

I'm not exactly blown away by the pilot, especially because it's diverging enormously from the graphic novels.

I really do not understand why people continue to expect a true book to video conversion. When has any video adaptation of written material not diverged from the source? Critically acclaimed adaptations like The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones, still diverge greatly from the source material. Even at its best film makers have proven incapable of transferring written material to screen without having to make wholesale changes. Whenever someone reads, what they take from that is very personal and extremely subjective. Video just can not capture that for every individual. Myself, Ive decided that I can either enjoy the show for what it is or dislike it because it isnt what I wanted but expecting them to somehow express my vision of what the source material should be is quite frankly, expecting the impossible. That expectation is basically a self fulfilling prophecy of doom.

Thats not to say I dont understand your disappointment, Tilt, especially considering your portrait but honestly, did you really expect them to pull this off without making some changes?

PS: I wanted to and that I did watch the premiere and enjoyed it. I had a very basic understanding of the premise of the story going in but Ive never read the graphic novels, so I have little understanding of the deeper character traits and underlying mythology.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon May 23, 2016 2:10 pm

I have no ties to the comic so my perspective is as someone just watching the show. I too can appreciate how having strong ties to the actual story might confuse things or make you angry, but as someone coming in with no expectations I enjoyed it.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Mon May 23, 2016 2:46 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I have no ties to the comic so my perspective is as someone just watching the show. I too can appreciate how having strong ties to the actual story might confuse things or make you angry, but as someone coming in with no expectations I enjoyed it.

That's good to know. I'm not familiar with the comic at all, but we recorded the pilot out of curiosity. We'll be watching it in the next day or two.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon May 23, 2016 4:31 pm

rshetts2 wrote:
I'm not exactly blown away by the pilot, especially because it's diverging enormously from the graphic novels.
I really do not understand why people continue to expect a true book to video conversion. When has any video adaptation of written material not diverged from the source?

So if I decide to make a movie based on Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath...but I eliminate all that crap about dust bowls, depression era families and the struggle to survive in favor of a light hearted comedy about a talking parakeet named Dr. Tingle who attempts to take over the world with a pudding gun, you're still gonna call out everyone who protest me keeping the title and calling it an adaptation?

It's all about degrees. If they changed things too much, when is it okay to say, "Whoa, hold the phone!"?

I'm watching it tonight though, so I'll have an informed opinion later. Right now I'm just saying that sometimes folks do have a point when they complain about a beloved piece of art undergoing too many changes while being adapted to another medium.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Mon May 23, 2016 4:47 pm

Most of the changes are at least somewhat respectful of the source material, but the changes they made to Tulip make her into a completely different character. I couldn't find any similarities with her graphic novel counterpart at all. That's just not cool.

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Mon May 23, 2016 5:02 pm

TiLT wrote:

Thought the image looked familiar! You guys and girls will always go along with your OO screen names and avatars to me.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Mon May 23, 2016 6:18 pm

TiLT wrote:Most of the changes are at least somewhat respectful of the source material, but the changes they made to Tulip make her into a completely different character. I couldn't find any similarities with her graphic novel counterpart at all. That's just not cool.

I can see why that would be troublesome. Still I liked the portrayal of Tulip and she has some really good scenes in the pilot. I also like the actress, who had a good run on Agents of Shield as Flowers. This article praised the changes that the TV version made: http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/201 ... ruth-negga

I dont expect it to change your point of view, just posting it because I thought you may find it interesting to see that perspective laid out.

Anyway, the pilot is a bit of a morality tale that, at various times is dark, funny, violent and intense. It also has the best version of Amazing Grace, evar!

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon May 23, 2016 9:44 pm

Didn't watch it but its online and skipping around I cant find that song in it. Where bouts was it in the ep?

EDIT: Found it. Rock on.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon May 23, 2016 11:03 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I have no ties to the comic so my perspective is as someone just watching the show. I too can appreciate how having strong ties to the actual story might confuse things or make you angry, but as someone coming in with no expectations I enjoyed it.

Yup. I knew next to nothing about it going in and I'm not sure what I just watched, but I think I really liked it. The background TV in the bar playing a news story about Tom Cruise exploding was worth the price of admission.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue May 24, 2016 1:56 am

hahaha I saw that.

So is the vampire an ok person as long as no one tries to kill him?

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Tue May 24, 2016 9:01 am

I'll continue watching to see where it goes. I have never read the comics so I was a bit lost in everything that was happening but it held my attention so I will give it a shot.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Tue May 24, 2016 9:02 am

Kraken wrote:
Smoove_B wrote:I have no ties to the comic so my perspective is as someone just watching the show. I too can appreciate how having strong ties to the actual story might confuse things or make you angry, but as someone coming in with no expectations I enjoyed it.
Yup. I knew next to nothing about it going in and I'm not sure what I just watched, but I think I really liked it. The background TV in the bar playing a news story about Tom Cruise exploding was worth the price of admission.

My response after finishing the pilot was basically "What the fuck did I just watch??" I guess I enjoyed it, but I have absolutely no idea what's going on. It's possible that some elements might make more sense if I re-watched the pilot a second time, but I'm doubtful and besides, I didn't enjoy it THAT much.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue May 24, 2016 10:09 am

Okay, watched it. And I'll be honest, I rather liked it. It does veer off a bit from the source, but not nearly as much as I expected it to. And to be fair, if they did accurately portray Jesse's screwed up kin and family friends, the show would be on Cinemax...after midnight.

I thought Dominic Cooper captured the character quite well. And Negga did a decent enough Tulip (I didn't think she was THAT far off from the source, by the way). But the real star of the show was Gilgun as Cassidy. I knew he was great from watching him on Misfits, but this was casting magic. He's absolutely everything I imagined when I thought of how they might cast Cassidy years ago when I first read the comic.

So yeah, I'm in.

And if they add in the Saint of <spoiler>, I will literally kerplotz.

P.S. Oh look, Lucy Griffiths.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Tue May 24, 2016 10:17 am

Just now read the Wikipedia for The Preacher characters and it now makes more sense. So hopefully it is explained further in the future episodes. There were some spoilers in the Wikipedia so I didn't read far into each characters bio.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Tue May 24, 2016 10:52 am

Lassr wrote:Just now read the Wikipedia for The Preacher characters and it now makes more sense. So hopefully it is explained further in the future episodes. There were some spoilers in the Wikipedia so I didn't read far into each characters bio.

I've considered doing that, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have absolutely no freaking clue what was happening in that first episode.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Tue May 24, 2016 11:00 am

hepcat wrote:Okay, watched it. And I'll be honest, I rather liked it. It does veer off a bit from the source, but not nearly as much as I expected it to. And to be fair, if they did accurately portray Jesse's screwed up kin and family friends, the show would be on Cinemax...after midnight.

I thought Dominic Cooper captured the character quite well. And Negga did a decent enough Tulip (I didn't think she was THAT far off from the source, by the way). But the real star of the show was Gilgun as Cassidy. I knew he was great from watching him on Misfits, but this was casting magic. He's absolutely everything I imagined when I thought of how they might cast Cassidy years ago when I first read the comic.

So yeah, I'm in.

And if they add in the Saint of <spoiler>, I will literally kerplotz.

P.S. Oh look, Lucy Griffiths.

As for the appearance of a certain saint, he's confirmed. Hope they don't screw him up but otherwise I'm entertained.