AMC to pilot Preacher with Seth Rogen

Walking Dead network AMC has commissioned a pilot based on the popular comic book franchise Preacher.

AMC Studios and Sony Pictures Television will coproduce the project, which Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad), Hollywood comedy director Seth Rogen and his business partner Evan Goldberg are creating.

Rogen and Goldberg are attached to direct, and will produce through their Point Grey banner, with Neal Moritz’s Original Film also coproducing.

The 1990s Preacher comic book from Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon series followed a small town preacher in Texas who merges with a creature that has escaped from heaven and gains the ability to make anyone do anything he says. Hooking up with his ex-girlfriend and an Irish vampire, the preacher seeks to literally find God.

“Preacher has been our favourite comic since it first came out,” Rogen and Goldberg said in a statement. “Garth Ennis is one of our idols and it’s an incredible honour to be working on this. We promise we won’t make too many dick jokes and ruin it.”

There have been various attempts to turn Preacher into a feature film – Miramax was at one point attached to an adaptation – and HBO ordered a TV pilot in 2006, though ultimately abandoned the project to due its dark tone and controversial themes.

“This has been a long time coming, but that it continues apace – and with the chance to be delivered episodically – gives Preacher an opportunity to be seen in its best possible medium, not previously possible,” said Ennis.

Executive producers are Catlin, Rogen, Goldberg, James Weaver, Moritz, Vivian Cannon, Ori Marmur, Kevin Levin and Jason Netter. Ennis and Dillon are co-EPs.

The pilot will be filmed in summer 2015 ahead a series consideration for 2016.

AMC and coproducer SPT worked together on Breaking Bad.