AMC's PREACHER Casts AGENTS OF SHIELD Star as Tulip
Last week, I wrote about how Marvel alum Dominic Cooper is reportedly the frontrunner for the lead role of Reverend Jesse Custer in AMC's Preacher TV series, the adaptation of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's acclaimed comic book. That casting is yet to be confirmed, but the network has made its first official casting decision, and they've brought in another Marvel player for the female lead. Deadline reports that Ruth Negga (Misfits, World War Z, the upcoming Warcraft film) has scored the part of Tulip, Custer's gun-toting ex-girlfriend. Everything I've heard indicates that the actress gave some much-needed life to the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., so while there will undoubtedly be some fans who get up in arms over the fact that Tulip won't be played by a blonde white woman, the important thing to concentrate on is that there's a solid actress embodying this character.
For those who haven't read the comic on which this series will be based (please remedy that as soon as possible), here's the official description of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's adaptation:
Preacher follows Reverend Jesse Custer, a tough Texas preacher who has lost his faith, and has learned that God has left Heaven and abandoned his responsibilities. He finds himself the only person capable of tracking God down, demanding answers, and making him answer for his dereliction of duty. Accompanying Jesse on his journey is his former girlfriend and a friendly vampire who seems to prefer a pint in the pub to the blood of the innocent. On his tail is one of the most iconic bad guys in print – an immortal, unstoppable killing machine named the Saint of Killers —a western lone gunman archetype whose sole purpose is to hunt and kill Jesse.
Tulip is described as "a volatile, action-packed, sexified force of nature, a capable, unrepentant criminal with a love of fashion and ability to construct helicopter-downing bazookas out of coffee cans and corn shine who’s not afraid to steal, kill or corn cob-stab her way out of a bad situation." Sounds pretty true to the comic version of the character to me, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the cast fills out and how Rogen and Goldberg translate this crazy source material to the small screen.