‘Preacher’ Summons ‘Watchmen’ Alum Jackie Earle Haley as Comic Baddie
Even after a first trailer, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s AMC Preacher adaptation still feels somewhat opaque, without even a 2016 premiere date. At least know that Jesse Custer will be in sinfully good company, as Watchmen breakout Jackie Earle Haley has joined Preacher in a villainous role straight out of the original comics by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
According to AMC, Haley will appear in six out of the first ten episodes as comic villain Odin Quincannon, described in the TV iteration as “a small, decrepit man with the unscrupulous iron will necessary to be the most powerful man in Annville County, Texas. The chief employer in town, Odin runs Quincannon Meat & Power, a 125-year-old family run cattle slaughterhouse business.”
In addition to Dominic Cooper’s titular role as Jesse Custer, the cast of AMC’s Preacher includes Misfits star Joseph Gilgun as Irish vampire Cassidy, Ian Colletti as Eugene “Arseface” Root, W. Earl Brown as Arseface’s father, Elizabeth Perkins as Vyla Quinncannon, True Blood vamp Lucy Griffiths, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. veteran Ruth Negga in the role of female lead Tulip, along with Jamie Anne Allman and Derek Wilson as Betsy and Donny Schenck.
For those unfamiliar with the 1990s comic series from Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, AMC’s official description of Preacher reads:
Preacher is about Jesse Custer, a conflicted Preacher in a small Texas town who merges with a creature that has escaped from heaven and develops the ability to make anyone do anything he says. Along with his ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and an Irish vampire named Cassidy, the three embark on a journey to literally find God.
The original Preacher had itself been optioned for various adaptations many times over the years, while AMC’s incarnation will shoot for a 2016 airdate. Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad) will serve as executive producer and showrunner for the new series, while fellow producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg will direct the pilot episode, having written the script with Catlin.
It’s taken some time to get Preacher in live-action, but will the AMC series live up to expectations, whenever it premieres?