Mark Steven Johnson is still trying to bring a series based on Garth Ennis' Preacher comics to HBO -- but director Howard Deutch is no longer attached to the project. Who might be stepping in for him?

According to a report posted at Comics2Film yesterday, the director interested in filming Preacher's pilot episode might have the action credentials required to soothe fans who cried foul after Grumpier Old Men's Deutch signed on. From the article:

Word is Robert Rodriguez is circling the project and he's just one of many top-shelf directors interested in the series.

Could be an interesting match, no?

For those unfamiliar with the comics, they followed the story of Jesse Custer, a preacher who -- try to follow along here -- becomes linked to Genesis, the all-powerful offspring of an angel and a devil. Custer goes in search of God (yes, literally) and is joined on his quest by a cast of characters including his ex-girlfriend, an Irish vampire, and John Wayne's ghost.

There are dozens of plot points, as you might expect for a comic that ran for five years, meaning Preacher would probably fare much better as an HBO series than a film -- which is probably why View Askew's planned adaptation fell through. The same fate might befall the series, however:

Our sources tell us HBO still has not committed to the show...the project is "on the one yard line." Only you can push it into the end zone, fans.

To read more about Preacher -- and for more information about how to do your part to try and persuade HBO to greenlight the series -- follow the link below.

Source: Comics2Film