Comics
[TV] AMC Orders “Preacher” Pilot. I Cringe In Fear.
Massive update here! One of the greatest comic franchises ever is “Preacher”, created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon. In fact, it’s the sole reason I got back into reading comics after being raped by the holographic foil covered garbage from the 90’s.
It’s also the one adaptation I’ve been praying for since as long as I can remember. After being in development at various networks, cablers, and even movie studios, nothing has ever come into fruition. I’ve been banging my head into the wall in frustration, and at various points written right here on the site that I’m officially done waiting for it. I’ll believe it when I see it. I still stand by this, even with BadAssDigest‘s exciting news that a series is finally heading to pilot over at AMC.
This would normally be the best news in my lifetime, being that AMC was one of my favorite cablers, delivering award worthy television such as “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad”. But they’ve seriously dropped the ball with “The Walking Dead”. I know a lot of you guys love the show, and I respect that, but it isn’t close to as good as it should be – and I can only hope that AMC suits also feel the same.
It makes me nervous that AMC could deliver such a lackluster series, especially considering the source work of Robert Kirkman is tremendous. Will the same happen to Ennis’ Vertigo comic “Preacher”?
I want to be screaming in excitement right now, yet I’m sitting here writing a piece sprinkled in trepidation, preparing myself for extreme disappointment. After “The Walking Dead” I have no faith that AMC can deliver award worthy television without the help of a studio partner (like Lionsgate or Sony).
And let’s not forget about all of the failed pilots, such at Joe Hill’s “Locke & Key”, which was turned down by Fox. Shit happens.
Ranting aside, this is fantastic news considering how dark and vicious the source material is. It’s the kind of story that will piss off religious groups, and cause quite a stir in the media (if done faithfully). Hollywood is missing the balls to take a chance on something like “Preacher”, so there’s a bit of a celebration that AMC is taking such a risk. Let’s just hope that they’ve learned a major lesson with “Walking Dead” and find a way to give us horror fans something remarkable and timeless. Otherwise, I’m going to hunt them down and make them answer for failing their followers (see what I did there, again?).
ABOUT “PREACHER”
“Merging with a bizarre spiritual force called Genesis, Texan Preacher Jesse Custer becomes completely disillusioned with the beliefs that he had dedicated his entire life to. Now possessing the power of “the word,” an ability to make people do whatever he utters, Custer begins a violent and riotous journey across the country. Joined by his gun-toting girlfriend Tulip and the hard drinking Irish vampire Cassidy, the Preacher loses faith in both man and God as he witnesses dark atrocities and improbable calamities during his exploration of America.”
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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