'I Am Number Four' Director D.J. Caruso to Helm 'Preacher'

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D.J. Caruso has closed a deal to direct Preacher, Columbia’s adaptation of the popular 1990s DC/Vertigo comic book series.

Neal Moritz and his Original Films banner are producing with Kickstart Prods.' Jason Netter. John August wrote the screenplay.

Created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher, which ran from 1995-2000, told the story of a down-and-out Texas preacher possessed by Genesis, a supernatural entity conceived by the unnatural coupling of an angel and a demon.

Given immense powers, the preacher teamed with an old girlfriend and a hard-drinking Irish vampire and set out on a journey across America to find God -- who apparently had abandoned his duties in heaven -- and hold him accountable for his negligence.

Caruso’s boarding gives new life to the project, which previously had Sam Mendes attached. When Mendes left for James Bond 23, the project was in development purgatory as it searched for a director. Darren Aronofsky flirted with the project at one point, but after making I Am Number Four, CAA-repped Caruso rode that movie’s buzz to slip on the clerical collar.