Summary
-
preacher
was almost made into a film before AMC’s successful TV adaptation, as several directors and a screenwriter were interested in the project. - While Garth Ennis had no problem with a film adaptation,
preacher
into a television series enabled a more thorough and successful adaptation. -
preacher
is just one example of how TV adaptations of comic series, such as
The boys
And
The Walking Dead
were more successful than if they had been film adaptations.
preacher Fans are aware of the 2016 AMC live-action series based on the DC/Vertigo comic by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, although they may not know how close the R-rated comic actually came to being adapted into a movie. Years before Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin turned the comic into a successful four-season series, preacher almost became a feature film, and Garth Ennis talks about this arduous process.
In an interview with Mark Millar on the comic book author’s YouTube channel, Millar Time, Garth Ennis is asked how close preacher came to get a live-action adaptation. Ennis admits that at first the idea that preacher his own film was little more than a pipe dream, as it initially failed to gain traction. But after this initial hiccup, Ennis explains that the preacher The film was close to completion and there were even several directors and a screenwriter interested in taking it on.
Garth Ennis: My agent in Hollywood, Ken Levin, handled the transaction and sold it to HBO.
And then I think something went wrong at HBO. It was obviously going to be a TV series, and then it was going to be a movie, and the guy who made “The Salton Sea” (DJ 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’s how the AMC thing happened.
This part of the conversation between Mark Millar and Garth Ennis has the timestamp: 1:32:10!
As Ennis reports, preacher The adaptation certainly had its hurdles before it was finally developed as an AMC television series. While the idea that it was originally going to be a series on HBO is interesting, it is arguably even more fascinating to consider that preacher was so close to becoming a movie instead. After HBO dropped it, the film rights for preacher were bought by Columbia Pictures, after which John August wrote the screenplay and Sam Mendes took over as director before Mendes was later replaced by DJ Caruso after he left the project to direct Skyfall.
Although “Preacher” came so close, it never made it to the screen (and that’s a good thing)
While Garth Ennis did not complain about the prospect of preacher was adapted into a feature film, it is actually a good thing that it never happened. When reading the original preacher comic book series, it’s clear that this story is far more expansive than a single film – or even a film trilogy – could ever adequately capture. If it were made into a film, the adaptation would be loose at best, with essential moments cut out for time and coherence reasons.
For this reason preacher Turning it into a live-action television series was a far better way to adapt this story. Of course, some aspects of the original comic were changed in the series, but for the most part, the AMC show did a great job of preacher to life. In fact, fans and critics alike praised the show throughout all four seasons, and the fact that it received a definitive ending (instead of simply being canceled) is in itself a huge achievement – one that might not have been possible if preacher was initially a feature film.
“Preacher” is just one example of how comic book adaptations are better on TV than in the cinema
The Boys, The Walking Dead, The Sandmanand many others
preacher The adaptation as a television series rather than a film allowed the series to achieve a success that would not have been possible otherwise, and that is not the only one. Another comic series by Garth Ennis, The boyshas been a huge success as a live-action series – and that doesn’t just apply to Garth Ennis comics. Robert Kirkman’s The Walking DeadNeil Gaiman’s The Sandmanand Gerard Ways The Umbrella Academy have all become successful live-action series that would probably have failed as films given the scope of their stories – just like preacher.
It is good that preacher was not made into a movie, which allowed it to have the same success as other comic series that were adapted as shows, it is still interesting to learn how close it actually was to being brought to the big screen, as the author of preacher yourself, Garth Ennis.
Source: Millar Time/YouTube
preacher
“Preacher” is about Jesse Custer, a preacher from Texas with a criminal past who gains extraordinary powers after a crisis of faith. Jesse sets out to find God and enlists the help of his unpredictable friend Tulip and his new vampire companion Cassidy. In “Preacher” Dominic Cooper plays Jesse Custer, alongside Joseph Gilgun, Ruth Negga and Graham McTavish.
