Priest (2011)

[Acapelli]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...9f56eb024ea01d

Maggie Q is joining Paul Bettany and Cam Gigandet in "Priest," a horror Western that Scott Stewart is directing for Screen Gems.

Adapted by Cory Goodman from a TokyoPop comic, "Priest" is set in a world ravaged by war between man and vampires and follows a warrior priest (Bettany) who teams with a sheriff (Gigandet) to track down a murderous band of vampires who have kidnapped his niece.

Q, an Asian action star who toplined "Mission: Impossible III and "Live Free or Die Hard," will play a priestess -- a vampire hunter as tough as the priests -- who also joins Bettany.

She is repped by CAA and Echelon Talent Management.

sounds awesome

[megladon8]

Cool.

It's an awesome series of comics, but I could see it being a terribly cheesy movie. Particularly if they decide to PG-13 it.

[Winston*]

[Dukefrukem]

After watching the travesty that is Legion, I'm less excited for this... but I still like Paul Bettany.

I think it's funny that both his recent movies have the same general idea... protagonist disobeys his own oaths to fight for the good of the people.

[Dukefrukem]

felt like posting these since I was browsing through Raimis imdb profile

love the classic walking away from fire shot... haha

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[number8]

If I was a bigger fan of the books, I'd probably be pissed about all the drastic changes. Specifically, why is this suddenly about vampires?

Twilight does ruin everything.

[number8]

For those unfamiliar with the comics, there isn't a single vampire in it.

[Dukefrukem]

For those unfamiliar with the comics, there isn't a single vampire in it.

Who is fighting in the war in the comic?

[number8]

Who is fighting in the war in the comic?

There is no war.

The comic is set in the Old West, not the future. Bettany's character is in love with his own adopted sister, but knows that's wrong so he abandons her to live a life as a Catholic Priest. She's killed by Vatican mercenaries who want him to snap and release a deranged fallen angel. So the priest denounces god, sells his soul to a demon to become immortal, and then walks the Wild West hunting down the 12 fallen angels who rebelled against God.

It's kind of a fucked up comic. You can see why they decided to change, well, everything but the title and the name of the hero.

[number8]

Basically, in the comic he fights outlaws, angels, demons, Vatican mercenaries and zombies. I find it pretty funny that someone read this and said, "Yes! Vampires!"

[Dukefrukem]

It sounds fun, but the artwork does not look good at all. And for some reason Vol 1 and 2 are not on amazon.

[megladon8]

Basically, in the comic he fights outlaws, angels, demons, Vatican mercenaries and zombies. I find it pretty funny that someone read this and said, "Yes! Vampires!"

Like the three times people have read "I Am Legend" and thought "man, this would make a great zombie/nuclear freak movie!"

[number8]

Like the three times people have read "I Am Legend" and thought "man, this would make a great zombie/nuclear freak movie!"

You mean twice. The Vincent Price movie has vampires.

[amberlita]

There is no war.

The comic is set in the Old West, not the future. Bettany's character is in love with his own adopted sister, but knows that's wrong so he abandons her to live a life as a Catholic Priest. She's killed by Vatican mercenaries who want him to snap and release a deranged fallen angel. So the priest denounces god, sells his soul to a demon to become immortal, and then walks the Wild West hunting down the 12 fallen angels who rebelled against God.

That sounds amazing. I would have seen that movie. This one? Not so much.

[D_Davis]

I think I'd rather see an adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale's Dead in the West.

[Grouchy]

I've read a Jonah Hex three-issue comic written by Joe Landsdale. It was crazy good.

[EyesWideOpen]

It sounds fun, but the artwork does not look good at all. And for some reason Vol 1 and 2 are not on amazon.

There's sixteen volumes and it looks like all of them are out of print.

[number8]

From what I know, it was never even completed. The author just... stopped doing it a few years ago.

[EyesWideOpen]

From what I know, it was never even completed. The author just... stopped doing it a few years ago.

Yep, that's what I found out online also. It also looks like Tokyopop is re-releasing it later in the year/early next year in bigger volumes.

[Dukefrukem]

2nd trailer... haha

[Dukefrukem]

Assassins Creed meets Underworld is what I think of.

[Ezee E]

Having to add "in 3D" kills many posters.

[[ETM]]

These things just seem to snowball shit as they roll along. So it's set in an urban dystopia now?

EDIT: Watched the trailer... I tried to put together a "X meets Y meets Z" comparison, but there's so much of everything mixed into it that it's like a worst-of from the past two decades or so.

[Henry Gale]

Okay, I actually think this has the potential to possibly slip under the radar and be kinda fun since it just looks crazy and varied enough to be on either end of the good/bad extremes. But I definitely won't see it in theatres and won't bother with it in 3D (even though, compared to most post-conversions, the trailer I saw before Green Hornet made it look more impressive than, say, Thor). Either way, the delay for this just to up-convert it from 2D is just going to have it struggle in a Summer that's ridiculously crammed with bigger, pre-established names and movies that honestly look more entertaining.

I feel like they just need to release it and get it over with. If they think marketing it more and more like Resident Evil and Underworld is going to make it a hit (because those worked for them in the past) then they may be spending more money on it than they should be. If it makes more than what Legion did (about $70 million worldwide), then I'd look at that as a success.

[number8]

Every time I see any ad for this, I have to shower off the smell of desperation.