PREACHER Screenwriter Says The Project Is "“Frozen In 12-point Courier”

PREACHER Screenwriter Says The Project Is "“Frozen In 12-point Courier”

John August, the screenwriter of Tim Burton's latest stop-motion animated film, "Frankenweenie," describes the development of "Preacher" film as "gestating." Hit the jump to check it out.

By nailbiter111 - Sep 25, 2012 05:09 PM EST
Filed Under: Preacher
Source: frontrowfeatures



The DC/Vertigo Comics series that was created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon has been stuck in development hell. Sam Mendes, Rachel Talalay, and Mark Steven Johnson have all taken a crack at adapting the comic, either as a featured film or a television series. The latest names to be attached to the project are screenwriter John August and director D.J. Caruso.

August is best known for his work on "Charlie's Angels," and "Big Fish." While promoting his latest film "Frankenweenie" he mentioned that projects, like "Preacher" get "frozen in 12-point Courier" and he would currently describe it's development as "gestating."
    "I don’t know if the birth is going to be anytime soon. That’s the frustration about screenwriting. You can spend a lot of time on a project and sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t happen. The luxury of working on ‘Frankenweenie’ is that I came on and they said, ‘We’re going to make this movie. You wrote the script and I shoot the script,’ and it’s done. That’s remarkable.

    You look for filmmakers who will see it and make it. My favorite genre of movies are movies that get made."

As for D.J. Caruso, in February of 2011 he tweeted that he was going to direct "Preacher." A month later while promoting his movie "I Am Number Four" he mentioned that he'd like to cast Chris Pine as Jesse Custer, Alex Pettyfer as the Saint of Killers, and his "Disturbia" and "Eagle Eye" star Shia LaBeouf as Arseface. A year later, March 2012, Caruso announced that his next project would not be "Preacher" but instead be a sci-fi thriller called, "Invertigo." This has many believing that "Preacher" is no longer on his plate, and the film is once again up for grabs.

Preacher tells the story of Jesse Custer, a preacher in the small Texas town of Annville. Custer was accidentally possessed by the supernatural creature named Genesis in an incident which killed his entire congregation and flattened his church.

Genesis, the product of the unauthorized, unnatural coupling of an angel and a demon, is an infant with no sense of individual will. However, as it is composed of both pure goodness and pure evil, it might have enough power to rival that of God Himself. In other words, Jesse Custer, bonded to Genesis, may have become the most powerful being in the whole of living existence.

Custer, driven by a strong sense of right and wrong, goes on a journey across the United States attempting to (literally) find God, who abandoned Heaven the moment Genesis was born. He also begins to discover the truth about his new powers. They allow him, when he wills it, to command the obedience of those who hear and comprehend his words. He is joined by his old girlfriend Tulip O'Hare, as well as a hard-drinking Irish vampire named Cassidy.




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Grievo
Grievo - 9/25/2012, 5:36 PM
THANK GOD.
Grievo
Grievo - 9/25/2012, 5:39 PM
Best comic ever, would make a horrible, horrible film, there's just too much depth, backstory and character development. I used to be all for the HBO series idea, but I felt Walking Dead was so poorly translated (Rick is the strong silent type who's constantly monologuing and everyone has to be as dumb as possible to expedite plot), that I've lost all hope and want nothing to do with it. I seriously stopped reading Walking Dead because the show made me hate the characters (although I hear its great if you haven't touched the source material).
Kegguss
Kegguss - 9/25/2012, 8:39 PM
Just like The Dark Tower, needs to be a series! You just can't fit enough into a movie. And the whole story deserves to be told!!
Lego
Lego - 9/25/2012, 8:46 PM
why does everyone think everything would be good as an HBO series? lol
Preston
Preston - 9/25/2012, 9:08 PM
As JustinCJWiggins points out, "Best comic ever"! The book is ahead of it's time.
Preston
Preston - 9/25/2012, 9:08 PM
1). Garth Ennis wrote a script based on the Gone to Texas story arc; and personally did three re-writes for a Preacher movie.
Gone to Texas


2). HBO almost green-lit a faithful adaptation of the series that would have brought each issue of the series to life and used new stories penned by Garth Ennis, himself, to shake things up for fans. However, HBO, one of the most subversive and cutting edge cable channels out there, abandoned the project because it's "too stylistically dark and religiously controversial."

3). In 2008, Colombia Pictures buys the film rights for the movie, throws out Garth Ennis' Script and brings in John August (Charlie's Angels, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Dark Shadows) to write the Screenplay.

Colombia Pictures is going to “gut” The Preacher story if it's made at all. It will be completely indistinguishable from the source material.

What Preacher needs is a director with vision that is willing to bring Garth Ennis' screenplay to life (maybe even share screen credit with him). However, he'll need to be a multi-talented director (like Robert Rodriguez/ Guillermo Del Torro) since the studio is going to give this film a crap budget (The Weinstein Bros. canceled the last movie attempt when Kevin Smith said he needed about 25 Million).

In short, Preacher is a story created by Garth Ennis; he should be involved (see: Sin City) or it shouldn't be made.

Gone to Texas
RobLiefeldFan
RobLiefeldFan - 9/26/2012, 1:55 AM
As A Christian this story is bullcrap and it is just total nonsense and I consider this book as a mocking Jesus Christ.. At least now I know the book I will be avoiding I hope the movie does not come out... What people fail to see is that the signs in revelations are showing themselves right now in our everyday life, rapture is coming I hope y'all are ready, I don't want questioning my beliefs like one person above me called the bible an outdated book, Mocking christ, we'll see how he turns out on judgement day
Cassidy75
Cassidy75 - 9/26/2012, 3:49 AM
Yeah just what we need, a balanced argument about Preacher where some nut wishes death on all non-believers when the 'rapture' happens. That is why Preacher is so good, because it takes the p*** out of the sort of Christians who believe that billions have to die. That is one lovely, charitable, all forgiving God you've got yourself there. I for one would rather stand with the non-believers and burn if Christianity was that version. I kind've hope that most well balanced Christians will look at that comment and just roll their eyes. Anyway back to the article, strangely I agree with the blood thirsty Christian above but for totally different reasons. The books are too rich, to good and too precious to be ruined by Hollywood, I hope they leave it alone.
siggisuperman
siggisuperman - 9/26/2012, 4:13 AM
Preacher is great, a much better read than the bible. And well there is no evidence that suggests the bible is any more true than preacher so I don't know what to believe. I guess the bible and preacher are equally likely to be based on the reality of the universe
kooldeath
kooldeath - 9/26/2012, 6:02 AM
This was announced by HBO to be a tv series as far back as like 2006. For some reason it never got made. They have it stuck in developmental hell for a long ass time. HBO is trying to do an American God's by Neil Gaimen tho.
ZombieOverEasy
ZombieOverEasy - 9/26/2012, 6:11 AM
I truly hope this is not made.

To those Christians damning the book when you've never even read it. LOL, go cry more.

@RobLiefeldFan, you're not a very good Christian.
J0RELLC00LJ
J0RELLC00LJ - 9/26/2012, 7:16 AM
@TankD- Thank you, couldn't be said better. The Bible, greatest graphic novel ever sold.

J0RELLC00LJ
J0RELLC00LJ - 9/26/2012, 7:24 AM
Maybe thay can get Kirk Cameron to play Jesse. That would be awesome!

Oh, gotta go, time to pray to Santa on my Easter bunny altar.
RobLiefeldFan
RobLiefeldFan - 9/26/2012, 7:32 AM
@TankD Believing in God does not put me in a fantasy world it makes me have someone to believe in i have been brought up to be a christian all my life and i am not going to change my religion cause some random dude in the internet thinks it's useless, rather i would pray that God forgive you and that Garth Ennis man who is secretly mocking God, and i hope this book does not get made before it influences the minds of people and how they see God
gmckoy
gmckoy - 9/26/2012, 7:48 AM
despite what they say, its doable, very doable, you need someone with vision for this sort of movie..

i think johnny depp or bradley cooper would be excellent as the lead... great comic and they need a visionary to lead this project
ScarletJack
ScarletJack - 9/26/2012, 9:19 AM
@TankD; AMEN BROTHER!
And I don't think Preacher is "Anti-Christian". Their's an underlying theme to not have this so called blind faith and use your own good judgement and be a good person because its the right thing to do, not because a book tells you to.
As John Custer said;
You gotta be a good guy, Jesse. You gotta be like John Wayne: you don't take no shit off fools, an' you judge people by what's in 'em, not how they look. An' you do the right thing. You gotta be one of the good guys, son, 'cause there's way too many of the bad."
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