Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg had a specific reason for adapting the graphic novel “Preacher” for television.
“We’ve chosen not to do stupid stuff for a while,” Goldberg said at a Television Critics Association panel on Friday. “Like the stuff we normally do,” Rogen chimed in.
The series stars Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, a West Texas preacher with a mysterious past. After a supernatural experience, he sets out with his ex-girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Irish vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) to find God and ask him to explain himself.
The show is based on the series of graphic novels of the same name written by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
Rogen also touched on the difficulty of translating the source material to the screen. “Many people more talented than us tried to turn this into a movie,” he said. “I don’t think you could translate the comics directly to television. I think everyone involved thought we should not, including Garth.”
He also said that he hopes changes made to the story of the comic will inspire a new conversation among fans, much like those of the “Walking Dead” graphic novels and the TV series.
The series is based in West Texas, but was shot in New Mexico, which was a homecoming of sorts for showrunner Sam Catlin, an alumnus of “Breaking Bad.” But Catlin said he had another reason for shooting there. “I have a mistress in Albuquerque,” he joked.
“Preacher” will premiere on AMC in 2016.