UPDATE: THR is now confirming that Caruso is indeed now the next director to try and bring Preacher to the movies. The screenplay was written by John August (Go, Big Fish) and the movie will be produced by Neal Moritz and Jason Netter.

Last week a rumor hit that, after years in development from various directors, the adaptation of the Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon graphic novel Preacher had finally found a director in D.J. Caruso, the man behind Disturbia, Eagle Eye and last week's I Am Number Four. If you think working on source material as dark and complex as Preacher is a big switch for Caruso, well, so does he, according to his Twitter account:

My deal just closed on Preacher. Going back to the dark side and pretty fucking pumped!

There are some actual parallels between I Am Number Four and Preacher, believe it or not, namely in that they both focus on a main character with supernatural powers (Number Four is an alien; the preacher of the title is a pastor possessed by the spawn of an angel and a demon) who go on a journey to discover the truth behind their powers. Beyond that, though, they diverge pretty significantly-- Number Four, along with Caruso's previous two films, have catered to younger audiences, while Preacher has been revered for its treatment of violence and grappling with religious issues. Clearly Caruso is excited about the opportunity to return to something darker and maybe more meaningful, but has all his time working for the PG-13 realm softened his sensibilities?

We're working to confirm that this twitter account even belongs to Caruso, so stay tuned for any kind of official confirmation from either the producers or Caruso himself. In the meantime, Preacher fans, please chime in in the comments!