Seth Rogen talks Preacher and not wanting to screw up his favorite comic

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Based on the ‘90s comic book of the same name, Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), a conflicted Preacher in a small Texas town who is inhabited by a mysterious entity that allows him to develop a highly unconventional power. Jesse, his ex-girlfriend, Tulip (Ruth Negga), and an Irish vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) embark on a journey to, literally, find God. Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (NEIGHBORS, THIS IS THE END) are bringing this show to fruition with showrunner Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad), and Rogen recently spoke a bit about not wanting to screw everything up, as well as why he feels Dominic Cooper is perfect for the lead role. Check it out!

Seth Rogen on what he hopes to accomplish with the show:

We’re going to make a show that we like, so we hope that translates to people that love the comics, as well. But first and foremost, our goal is to make a great television show. There’s tons of stuff from the comic that we hope to include. For people who know the comics, there are all sorts of Easter eggs…that don’t obviously confuse people that are just coming to the show for the first time. I don’t want to ruin my favorite comic.

On picking Dominic Cooper for the lead role:

Jesse is a very hard, interesting character (with) a lot happening under the surface. He's someone who goes from being very quiet to very opinionated as the comic goes on, and these are all the shades. We need someone who's funny at times, and again, just like the show, who can affect every tone.

I'd watched the James Bond [BBC America mini-series Fleming]. I'd watched THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE, and he's just an actor that is always someone that there was never an opportunity for us to put him in anything else really. There was never a role that was right for him in any of our other stuff, but he's someone that I always was like, 'Dominic Cooper's a great actor. Maybe we should try to work with him at some point.' Then when this came up, it was like, it could be him. He could be the perfect guy for it. It just worked out.

The trailer that was released late last year (see below) seems to hit all of the right tones that Rogen is aiming for. I can't claim to be fluent with the comic at all, but given the fact AMC embraces the graphic stuff, hopefully they'll be willing to go along for the ride. I just hope Rogen and Co. don't get a bum deal if this turns out well (a la Frank Darabont with Walking Dead).

Preacher will hit AMC in mid-2016.