AMC today announced that it has ordered a pilot for a series based on the popular comic book franchise Preacher. The Sony Pictures Television and AMC Studios co-production was developed for TV by Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad) and Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (This Is the End, Superbad, Neighbors). Rogen & Goldberg will produce through their Point Grey banner, along with Neal H. Moritz's Original Film. The pilot was written by Sam Catlin. Rogen & Goldberg are attached to direct.

Here's what Joel Stillerman, AMC's executive vice president of original programming, production and digital content, had to say about Preacher in a statement.

"Every once in a while you find a project where all the elements line up beautifully. With Preacher, it starts with a bold, compelling, and thought-provoking comic book series from Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon and a whole lot of fans who already know Jesse Custer, Cassidy, and Tulip. Add to that the passionate and talented Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin, an incredible producing team in Neal H. Moritz, the Original Film team and our good friends at Sony Pictures Television, and we have everything we need to be VERY excited to move forward on 'Preacher."

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg had this to say in their statement.

"Preacher has been our favorite comic since it first came out. Garth Ennis is one of our idols and it's an incredible honor to be working on this. We promise we won't make too many dick jokes and ruin it."

Sam Catlin also offered his own statement.

"Thanks to AMC for completely losing their minds and letting us do this. I'm so excited to bring Garth Ennis' bloody, amazing and bloody amazing universe to TV."

Garth Ennis had this to say in his statement.

"Steve Dillon and I are extremely pleased to know AMC has taken Preacher to pilot. We have had an ongoing voice in the efforts of the writers whom Sony TV and Original Film entrusted with this project, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin, and have been most gratified that they continue to include us, and that they have tackled the project with the type of unwavering commitment and courage needed to present the material as Steve and I intended. This has been a long time coming, but that it continues apace, and with the chance to be delivered episodically, gives Preacher an opportunity to be seen in its best possible medium, not previously possible. And many thanks indeed to Ken Levin and Neal Moritz for their never flagging commitment to Preacher, and for never giving up well past the point when I myself grew skeptical -- we have principally gotten to where we are today because of Neal and Ken."

Based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's twisted '90s comic book series, Preacher is about 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. Along with his ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and an Irish vampire named Cassidy, the three embark on a journey to literally find God.

The pilot will be produced in the summer of 2015 for series consideration in 2016.