John Cusack Wants A Role In The Preacher Movie, Idris Elba Fancies A Part In 100 Bullets
John Cusack says "I don't know if there are any more superheroes left", but he knows as well as we do that there's plenty more, cape-free comic books ripe for big screen adaptation, and that a great number of them seem fit to make for rather good movies. One project in particular has caught his eye, and that's the movie adaptation of Preacher that Sam Mendes is still attached to and that John August has been screenwriting.
Meanwhile, Idris Elba – The Wire's Stringer Bell and Roque in The Losers – would really like a role in any 100 Bullets movie that might come along from Brian Azarello and Eduardo Risso's comic. I spoke to him at the MCM Expo last month (think: the UK's Comic-Con, smaller but getting bigger and better all the time) and while the full details of what I found out about The Losers are still pending, I can tell you what he was saying on the subject of his dream comic book role after the break.
First, Preacher. Cusack is out and about on the campaign trail for 2012, where i09 spoke to him about comic book adaptations:
I think the adult comics are some of the best film ideas out there... there was one or two that I heard of that sounded really cool. One of them was about, I think... it's a vampire and a killer, and they're on the road, and it's this really strange story.
They ask him if it's Preacher and the name seems to ring a bell. That's good enough for me. I mean, what else is it going to be? But is he going to get involved? If he has any say it, then yes:
I'm trying to. I heard about that one, I like that. [As] I'd say either the vampire or the priest. One of those two guys.
On the other hand, Idris Elba knew the name of the comic he was interested in, without a single ounce of doubt:
There's a thing that Vertigo do called 100 Bullets. I like that. I think it could be an interesting little thing. I've just started reading it and it could be quite interesting.
So, has he actually spoken to anybody about a role in the film? Nope. Maybe that's why he wants this idea out there, running around the interwebs. All he's done so far is make sure to be "keeping an eye on it".
I'll be doing the same, and I wont be surprised to see him end up with a role as the project moves forward and, as far as Cusack goes, I'd like to hope he'd be in with a shot too.