‘Preacher’ Season 2 spoilers: 5 things we know so far

Three months before “Preacher” returns for its second season, fans were already given a glimpse of what’s in store for the hit TV series. This week, AMC released a slew of photos from the upcoming installment.

The images include a behind-the-scenes shot of lead star Dominic Cooper, who plays West Texas preacher Jesse Custer with the show’s executive producer Seth Rogen. Ruth Negga, known in the series as Jesse’s ex-girlfriend Tulip also figures in some of the photos, as well as Joseph Gilgun, who plays Irish vampire Cassidy.

In Season 1, “Preacher” ended with the appearance of God’s imposter, as well as a methane leak that blew up Jesse’s town into pieces and killed Emily (Lucy Griffiths) and his nemesis Quincannon (Jackie Earle Haley). Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy managed to survive the explosion and the three geared up for a road trip to find God. Here’s what we know about Season 2 so far.

Season 2 begins exactly where the previous one ended

“The season picks up pretty much where the first season left off… on a physical road trip to find God.” Rogen tells Rotten Tomatoes during an exclusive SXSW interview this week. With Rogen was series showrunner and executive producer Sam Catlin and graphic novelist and co-executive producer Garth Ennis. In the photos released by AMC, Tulip and Jesse are seen out on the road, while Cassidy seems to run into trouble with some cops. The three are also seen lying on a hotel bed together.

Hit series beefs up its cast

Recently, reports circulated that “Preacher” Season 2 will introduce some new characters. According to an article by Deadline, fans can watch out for additional series regulars, including “Game of Thrones” actor Noah Taylor, “The Crown” actor Pip Torrens and “Better Call Saul” actress Julie Ann Emery. Meanwhile, Malcolm Barrett, Ronald Guttman and Justin Prentice will appear in recurring roles.

Since the official announcement of the new cast members, Emery has taken to Twitter to express her excitement over joining the series. In one post, she answered a fan who wanted to confirm the news. “It's true! I am joining the fun,” she replied. In another, she encouraged viewers to watch the previous season. “ My new pals on @PreacherAMC went on quite the ride in S1. If ya wanna catch up before my character arrives in S2, you can binge it here,” she wrote, before providing the link to the AMC site.

More characters straight from the comic book emerge

Fans of the DC Vertigo comic book series, where the series was based, may be happy to know that the showrunners are not veering too far from the source. “We love this comic and we just don’t want to ruin it. We don’t want to be known as the guys who ruined it,” Rogen said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada.

Catlin, for his part, revealed that the overall story archs for the characters are the same. “Some people might guess where we’re headed but I don’t think they’re going to know how we get there,” he told Rotten Tomatoes. He mentioned the appearance of the Man in White, also known as Herr Starr, who will show up in Season 2. According to Catlin, fans of the comic book would know the villain but they won’t know how he’s going to cause problems to the heroes. Starr is known as the second in command for the Grail, “an Illuminati-type organization that controls the world’s governments and protects the bloodline of Jesus,” according to Deadline.

Fans should brace themselves for more violence

Similar to Season 1, “Preacher” viewers can expect more blood and gore in the upcoming installment. It’s another way of not leaping too much away from the comic book, which contained graphic deaths and injuries. Rogen doesn’t seem too concerned about pushing the envelope when it comes to the gory parts. He told Entertainment Tonight Canada, “What’s silly about America is that you can pretty much show any level of violence on television with no real problem whatsoever.”

Earlier in January, lead star Cooper delighted fans when he posted a grisly photo of a large chunk of bloodied flesh lying on the ground while a man in snakeskin boots stand over it. “Season 2 begins,” he captioned the image.

More episodes to air this season

Making “Preacher” Season 2 even more exciting, the upcoming installment will have 13 episodes. Season 1, which wrapped in July 2016, only had 10. In December last year, Rogen tweeted a photo of the TV script, sharing, “Very excited to get started on season 2 of #Preacher for about a million reasons.” It appeared that the first episode of the second season will be titled “On the Road.”

Stay tuned for more “Preacher” spoilers and updates. “Preacher” Season 2 airs in the US on Monday, June 19, 9:00 p.m. on AMC.