Sam Mendes to Direct Graphic Novel PREACHER for Columbia Pictures

Variety is reporting that Sam Mendes will next be directing an adaptation of "Preacher", a supernatural graphic novel. The film will be released by Columbia Pictures.

"Created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, graphic novel focuses on the preacher of a Texas town, who is struggling to get by and is driven only by his strong moral sense. When the city is decimated by an otherworldly force, he embarks on a journey across the country to take on the evil...The 75-issue "Preacher" series, which ran from 1995-2000, has been lauded with numerous kudos, including four Eisner Awards," describes Variety.

Sam Mendes past directorial credits include the Academy Award winning "American Beauty", "Road to Perdition", "Jarhead" and the upcoming "Follies" and "Revolutionary Road" (featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet).

Also an accomplished stage director, Mendes will next be directing a transatlantic company of actors in a double-bill of classic works for THE BRIDGE PROJECT's inaugural 2009 season at BAM, which pairs a new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard by Tom Stoppard with The Winter's Tale.

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