Ideal Casting For Preacher

First it was rumored, and now it has officially been announced. A pilot for a television series based on the hit comic book, Preacher is currently in development. Former writer and producer for Breaking Bad Sam Catlin has signed on as executive producer and showrunner for the controversial series. Seth Rogen and longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg, in addition to executive producing, will write the pilot—a pilot with the entire series riding on its success. What follows is my ideal casting for the series, with small explanations for each choice. Although I turned to some of Hollywood's biggest stars,I realize that a show like this wouldn't attract such established talent. Remember, before Breaking Bad, we all knew Bryan Cranston as “the dad from Malcolm in the Middle,” and Aaron Paul as “that guy from that thing—I think.” With the exception of a handful of HBO dramas, a hit series tends make the actor, and not vice versa. The keyword here is, “ideal.” Disclaimer: these aren’t predictions.   JESSE CUSTER- Johnny Depp

Believe it or not, I had the most trouble casting Jesse Custer. With Seth Rogen as producer, I’ve seen many speculate that James Franco would be perfect for the role. While James Franco, in looks, might make a great Jesse Custer, the thought of him putting on a southern accent for the whole of the series is a painful one.

Johnny Depp, like Franco, is a close look-a-like. I don't think playing Jesse Custer would be all that demanding of a performance. He isn't scared of anything, and he never cries. Depp is probably a reach, but he seems to me to be a pretty decent choice for the lead role.   TULIP O'HARE- Taylor Schilling

I thought hard about Tulip. Her character demands far more than a look-a-like. She can be every bit as tough and mean as any other character in the book, and she experiences a roller-coaster ride through Preacher that reaches pinnacles of height and crushing depths.

I chose Taylor Schilling because I think she’s phenomenal on Orange is the New Black. While Piper Chapman is a timid character and Tulip O’Hare isn't, I’ve seen nothing in Schilling’s performance that would make me doubt her abilities as an actor, and I’d love to see her take a leading roll on such a dark show.

CASSIDY – Garrett Dillahunt

I usually hate when Americans get cast as Irish or vice versa. In fact—and I might be alone on this—Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes is painful for me to watch. I always hear his English accent creeping through, and when I don’t, I hear an overly exaggerated put-on southern accent. He’s terribly inconsistent.

Garret Dillahunt is an actor whose performance on Deadwood caught my attention. Over the course of the series, he played two very different characters roughly a season apart. He was phenomenal. So not only does he look just like Cassidy, he's a brilliant actor as well.    THE SAINT OF KILLERS – Tyler Mane When standing next to Jesse Custer, the Saint of Killers towers over him. He’s big, he’s mean, and his presence is great.

I’ve seen people select Clint Eastwood as the ideal actor, or Sam Eliot. I’d sooner look towards professional sports. I chose Tyler Mane, and out of all of my casting choices, this is the one I feel most confident about. At 6 ft 9 in, having sported shoulder length brown hair, he looks like he might already be the Saint of Killers. Between Sabretooth and Michael Myers, Mane is used to playing men of few words, who speak instead with their physicality.   Herr Starr – MICHAEL KEATON

Keaton is a drastically underrated actor with a very unique brand of comedy. He doesn't appear in very many movie nowadays, so it'd be really incredible to get such a massive dose of him. In Tim Burton's Batman, Keaton displayed his abilities as a more serious actor. As Beetlejuice, he completely won me over.

Herr Starr is a perverse, brutal, and power-hungry fundamentalist who, oddly enough, manages to be one of Preacher’s more hilarious characters. He is easily the longest running antagonist so this is a substantial role.   MARIE L’ANGELL – Rosanna Arquette This character, much like  Arseface (to follow), will require a terrifying makeup job. Therefore, a look-a-like isn't necessarily what to look for.

This isn’t your typical wheelchair bound grandma. Marie L’Angell is pure evil. Despite her age and condition, she's the iron fisted leader of two ruthless thugs. Rosanna Arquette can scream, yell, and spit fire. She's also no stranger to dark roles. ARSEFACE - ANYBODY  When I say anybody, I mean anybody-- that means you, me, Airbud--anybody! Arseface is the least demanding recurring character of all. Not only would his entire face be covered with about an inch thick layer of make-up for the entire series, but all of his lines are mumbled and spit from his mangled mouth as if he bites his tongue with his molars every time he speaks (in the comic, his lines are written in dialect and are extremely difficult to read).    

I suggest Seth Rogen play Arseface. He seems eager to bring the character "to life," so let him pack his face with prosthetic make-up and mumble inarticulate phrases for an entire series. Whoever they cast (I'm quite confident Johnny Depp won't be playing Jesse), I just hope they get it right. Sam Catlin has quite a track record, what with Breaking Bad gracing his résumé. I just hope Rogen and Goldberg have a range beyond strict stoner comedy.