The trailer is out and the premiere date has been announced for AMC's adaptation of the comic book franchise, "Preacher," and folks who attended the South By Southwest (SXSW) screening on March 14 have already seen the pilot episode which was every bit as explosive as they imagined.
Specifically, the pilot featured preachers getting blown up including the very famous A-Lister, Tom Cruise, who was preaching in front of members of the church of Scientology.
Apparently, a mysterious force from outer space was responsible for possessing Earth's preachers and causing the explosions. Hang in there, though, because Cruise's explosion was only seen on a television screen. Still, Executive Producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg may find themselves in an awkward situation should they ever cross paths with the A-list celebrity or anyone from the church of Scientology.
""I will run into [Cruise] one day though, that will happen... And I'll have to explain that. I'll have to come up with a way in my head to make it seem complimentary but I haven't done it yet," Rogen expects.
"Preacher" is based on the 1990's comic book created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, however, Rogen made it clear that it is not a direct adaptation of the comics. "Everybody involved felt we should not - including [comic creator Garth Ennis]," he said.
The pilot introduces Jesse Custer, played by Dominic Cooper who is also known for his portrayal of Howard Stark in "Agent Carter" and the "Captain America" films. Custer is a faithless preacher who has powers due mainly to his being a host to an unknown entity. It also stars Ruth Negga, who plays Raina in "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," as Tulip, Jesse's very capable ex-girlfriend, and Joseph Gilgun, Ellic from "The Last Witch Hunter," as Cassidy the Irish vampire who consistently makes terrible decisions.
The series will be violent — just watch the trailer below — but Rogen promises laughter as well. "We have characters who do really horrific things in one episode and then come back and do really silly things," he said.
"Preacher" premieres May 22 and only hint the production is willing to give is in the tweet below.
#Preacher is coming May 22. We’ll give you a hint at what’s in store… pic.twitter.com/ezO6QaHGYZ
— PreacherAMC (@PreacherAMC) March 14, 2016
