Seth Rogen's AMC 'Preacher' Pilot Episode Debuts at SXSW With "Explosive" [SPOILERS] Scene

Fans who attended the South by Southwest Festival in Austin were in for a treat when Seth Rogen and Dominic Cooper presented the pilot for the highly awaited adaptation of Garth Ennis's Preacher comic book series for AMC. However, the huge surprise was not the graphic violence in the episode but an unexpected appearance by A-list star Tom Cruise!

According to Entertainment Weekly, Cruise's appearance in the Preacher pilot was nothing less than explosive. Literally.

In the episode, a mysterious entity is introduced as it makes its way through the world possessing any available preacher and causing its host to explode. The supernatural phenomenon is unexpectedly televised when the force tries to take over Cruise as he is speaking at a Church of Scientology gathering. Needless to say, it did not end well for the actor.

The Preacher pilot is already getting rave reviews from people who saw it at SXSW for brilliant writing and well-placed humor. Even creator (Ennis) has expressed his admiration for Rogen and co-executive producer Evan Goldberg for doing the comic book series justice.

The show stars Cooper as Jesse Custer, a former criminal who is trying to leave his past behind by becoming a preacher in a small Texas town. However, things go awry when his ex-girlfriend, Tulip O'Hare (Ruth Negga), and an Irish vampire called Cassidy (Joe Gilgun) arrive at about the same time that Jesse is possessed by the strange entity which, instead of causing him to explode, gives him the power of persuasion.

In the comic books, the unknown force is known as Genesis, which is an offspring of an angel and a demon. When Genesis becomes bonded with Jesse, the hapless preacher develops amazing supernatural powers and decides to go on a journey to find God.

Preacher is expected to debut on AMC on May 22.