AMC may have another Walking Dead-sized hit on its hands with graphic novel adaptation Preacher – or at least that was the impression out of SXSW, where the pilot screened to rapturous praise.
The series isn’t premiering until May, but stars Dominic Cooper and Ruth Negga were among those in attendance at a WonderCon panel for the show, where AMC unveiled the striking, unnerving first look at Ian Colletti’s take on Eugene “Arseface” Root, one of the comic’s most distinctive figures.
In the original comic, created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon in 1995, Eugene was a young boy whose failed suicide attempt left him with a horrifically disfigured face. Despite his unfortunate circumstances, the boy retained a sunny, kind disposition, and idolized local preacher Jesse Custer (Cooper), though a past transgression left him convinced that God had turned against him.
As the below image makes clear, showrunner/writer/exec-producer Sam Catlin and others involved with the series went to great lengths to recreate Arseface’s comic-book visage – and the result is an absolutely fascinating example of prosthetics and makeup at their finest.
It remains to be seen how closely Preacher will adhere to its source material, but the basic premise will make it to the small screen intact – Custer, a West Texan preacher, finds himself inhabited by a mysterious entity that leads to him developing strange powers and discovering a world rife with supernatural and religious figures. Joseph Gilgun, Lucy Griffiths, Tom Brooke, Anatol Yusef, Derek Wilson, and Earl Brown co-star.
The series lands on AMC May 22.
