Fellow Preacher readers!

[schmevil]

Sam Mendes is developing a Preacher film. Oh hell yes. For those out of the know, Mendes directed American Beauty, Jarhead and Road to Perdition. I don't think he'll have any trouble getting Preacher, though I suspect that all the sex, profanity and bodily fluids will be somewhat reduced. *g* I really have no problem with that - there's enough in the series that it can stand without the gross-out humor and swearing. There will be purists insisting that it's integral to the sensibility of the work, but honestly? Imho you could tone that stuff down about a thousand degrees before you made a significant impact on Ennis' artistic intent.

Mendes had this to say about the project, which is in the very earliest stages:

Nevertheless, Mendes did go into some detail about his attraction to the project, which in pure thumbnail terms, is about a rebellious preacher called Jesse Custer and his quest to find God and make him accountable for crimes against humanity.

“It's brilliant, it's an incredible twisted vision,” he said of the 66-issue story. “There's so much of it you couldn't possibly fit it all into one movie. It's just about what you keep and what you leave out, and how you structure the story. But just to have that toy set again, being able to paint on a big canvas and to say ‘I am gonna do crazy crane shots and massive action sequences again because I want to,’ it's exciting..”

Understandably, given the fledgling status of the project, Mendes isn’t too keen to talk about specifics, but we did ask him about one casting issue – namely, the frequent appearances of John Wayne, whose ghost acts as a counsel to Jesse throughout.

“That's an interesting one, I wonder what the John Wayne estate's gonna say about that,” teased Mendes. “We'll see, we’ll have to get them on side…”
Chris Hewett, Empire. Nov 7, 2008

Empire also has a primer. It's complete trash.

Why Should You Care?

If Watchmen is the Citizen Kane of graphic novels, then Preacher is the works of Sergio Leone and John Ford all rolled into one. It is epic in scope, a sprawling story covering the entire United States, and plays out like a classic Western. Ennis' themes are interwoven with the lifeblood of Americana, at once a poetic love song to the vast landscape of the great nation while also damning of everything she has let herself become. Preacher trudges through the debauched underbelly of civilization, as Ennis probes the motivations and dichotomies of the human psyche, the place of religion in the modern world and its effect on the subconscious of society, the power of love against all things, and ultimately, the death of the American Dream. Deep stuff, indeed.

Yeah, way to overstate. I'm rolling my eyes at you, Empire.

Comments

[dlasta.livejournal.com]

Ok, Sam Mendes is not bad at all. And I can life with a little less nudity, cursing and gross stuff. Just one movie, tho? Srsly?

...what if they fuck up the casting? I remember there being talk about Ben Affleck and Cameron Diaz or something years ago. What if they hire 'stars'?!

Empire, whoa, nice way of not getting the point.:d

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

Mixed feelings about this! I enjoyed the comics well enough but I don't think I could stomach a lot of it on film. I'm okay with violence in comics but I can't see it RL, as it were.

[deralte.livejournal.com]

I really have no idea what they're going to fit into a single film with Preacher. They'd be better off with a tv show methinks. Then they could give proper study to some of the better stories, like Cassidy's amusing adventure in New Orleans with the other vampire, and Jesse's reunion with his mother. And spend less time on the Saint of Killers, who frankly, bored me to tears. One good thing about it going to screen is that they'll tone down some of Ennis' usual excesses.

Empire seems to have been smoking something while they wrote that. *raises eyebrow*