Shia LaBeouf, currently hard at work pimping TRANSFORMERS 3, has dropped some interesting news regarding the long-rumoured adaptation of classic Vertigo comic-book PREACHER.

Earlier this year EAGLE EYE director D.J. Caruso (just the latest in a long line of filmmakers attached to the project) revealed that he’d like the star to play Arseface, the tragic

ally disfigured young lad (a botched suicide left him with, well, a face like an arse) who befriends the titular Preacher and his cohorts Tulip (his girlfriend turned hit woman) and Cassidy (a hard-drinking Irish vampire) in their mission to find and kill God. “I think Arseface would be awesome”, LaBeouf told MTV, adding that he’s a big fan of Garth Ennis’s series. Progress wise, LaBeouf revealed that the script is still being written by screenwriter John August.

Could PREACHER actually happen this time? Could D.J. Caruso succeed where Rachel Talalay, Sam Mendes, Joe Carnahan, Rose McGowan (yep, that Rose McGowan) and many more have failed? I’ll be honest here, I kind of hoping not. As big a fan of the series as I am, a film adaptation is destined to fail. The story is just too dense to properly execute in that medium, the subject matter too controversial for the audience Caruso will be chasing. Even if the producers are eyeing a trilogy to tell the story, then the first film obviously has to be a huge hit – risking the rest of the story never being told. A TV series on the other hand, absolutely. Considering the growing number of cable networks producing serialized genre shows with adults in mind – TRUE BLOOD, GAME OF THRONES, DEXTER et al – the story could be done justice. With the popularity of AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD making way for more comic-book adaptations – just this week we’ve had both POWERS and 100 BULLETS announced – there couldn’t be a more perfect time for a PREACHER series.

While it’s not hard to see LaBeouf in the role, Caruso’s other choices are somewhat worrying – STAR TREK’s Chris Pine as Jesse Custer is okay if not a little uninspired, but STORMBREAKER’s Alex Pettyfer as the immortal Saint Of Killers, a character so clearly inspired by Clint Eastwood?! Madness.

Casting fail.

Excited for a PREACHER movie, or, like me, would you rather the producers return the property to TV? Do you agree with D.J. Caruso’s casting choices? If not, who would you like to see in those roles? Let us know with your comments below!