HBO Says No To ‘Preacher’
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
Back in November 2006, HBO announced plans to adapt the comic series Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillion. The pilot was written by Mark Steven Johnson (Ghost Rider, Daredevil) and would have served as Executive Producer on the series.
But according to a recent interview with Comics Continuum, that is no longer the case.
“We were budgeting and everything and it was getting really close to going,” Johnson told The Continuum. “But the new head of HBO felt it was just too dark and too violent and too controversial. Which, of course, is kind of the point!
“It was a very faithful adaptation of the first few books, nearly word for word. They offered me the chance to redevelop it but I refused. I’ve learned my lesson on that front and I won’t do it again. So I’m afraid it’s dead at HBO.
“I’ve heard someone is in the process of getting the rights to turn it into a feature film. I hope that happens. But I hope it happens as a series of movies as one movie couldn’t do it justice. I really love that story and I dedicated a lot of my time to honor Garth’s work. But it wasn’t meant to be.”
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I kinda figured this would happen. This is too bad.
Given the lack of movement on it, I’m not surprised. This was just sitting there, doing nothing.
I’m going to cry a little now.
What’s worse though is that around the same time it was announced that HBO had acquired the rights to make a show based on George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of books. However, like Preacher, nothing has happened yet. On top of that there’s some god awful rumor that HBO is considering doing a series based on another retelling of the god damned story of King Arthur; why the hell someone would consciously choose to retell that story AGAIN rather than take the first crack at adapting one of the greatest fantasy book series of our time is well and truly beyond me.
Back to Preacher, screw a movie; I got myself hyped up for a long and faithful series and that’s what I want, dammit! Quickly, Showtime, swoop in and acquire the rights and secure for yourselves another show better than the crap they’ve been putting on HBO lately!
Cause, ya know, Showtime does what I tell it to do all the time…
Upon review, kinda glad this isn’t being made. Though I want to see this ASAP, I would rather have it done by someone not related to Ghost Rider. That being said, HBO says it’s too violent and controversial? Seriously? Wow. You know, since HBO is so wholesome and all with Sopranos, The Wire, Sex and the City, Oz (freaking Oz!), Deadwood, Rome, etc.
Boooooooooo!
HBO loves to sit on great property and do nothing with it. And considering their track record with genre fair (*cough* still mad about Carnivale’s cancellation *cough*) this si no shocker. The current head of HBO is a big non-fan of genre stuff. (I think he even said so in an interview a bit back)
I think they’re still sitting on the film rights to Assassins as well. (Which is the real pits. It’s one of those properties I wish I had the rights to)
Sounds like the new head of HBO is a bit of a wuss. I mean Deadwood, Sopranos, both dark, violent shows.
I guess when you add religion it’s just too controversial. I know nothing about the comic, but even I was looking foward to this, bummer.
HBO needs new shows. I hope True Blood is good and does well.