Seth Rogen's 'Preacher' series picked up by AMC

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Comedian Seth Rogen announced on Twitter that his comic book adaptation Preacher was picked up by AMC.

The project, based on the graphic novel series by Garth Ennis and drawn by Steve Dillon, follows 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.

British actor Dominic Cooper is set to play Custer and will be joined by Ruth Negga as Custer's ex-girlfriend and Tulip and Joseph Gilgun, who plays an Irish vampire named Cassidy. Together the three characters team-up in order to find God.

"Preacher is coming to AMC!" Rogen tweeted on Wednesday along with some promotional art. "The beginning is nigh!!!"

"Garth Ennis' Preacher is, above all, about great characters – something we look for in all of our series," said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and Sundance TV in a statement. "The fact that it is also darkly funny, has some great supernatural elements, and takes us on an incredible adventure is just the icing on the cake."

Rogen is developing the series with longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin. The comedy filmmaking duo have worked together on multiple movies including Pineapple Express, This Is the End and Neighbors.

Rogen and Goldberg have attempted to get a Preacher adaptation off the ground for years. The comic series which ran from 1995-2000 under DC's Vertigo imprint was a cult classic for it's violent and funny content.

"We started reading the comic when it first came out in the '90s," said Rogen & Goldberg. "In many ways Garth's sense of drama and comedy and Steve Dillon's visual aesthetic helped form our style, and the idea that we are actually bringing Preacher to life is a dream come true. This is the craziest thing ever and we can't wait to move forward and work our asses off to make it the best it can be."