Frank Miller's Take on The Spirit

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=15617

Source: Edward Douglas
July 22, 2006

Hours before The Spirit movie panel at Comic-Con in San Diego, Frank Miller talked to ComingSoon.net/SuperheroHype.com about his plans for the movie, based on the early Will Eisner hero, which he'll start working on after finishing Sin City 2 with Robert Rodriguez.

"I'll take some of the lessons I learned from Robert Rodriguez and that's to use the comics as storyboards and doing my best to be as faithful as possible," Miller told us. "Now, the tone I have in mind will probably surprise a lot of readers, because they're used to the kindler, gentler Spirit from after Will got drafted and his assistants took over. This is going to be a scarier take on it, much more like the earlier stories."

Considering The Spirit's long publishing history, we wondered whether Miller had any idea which stories he might use for the movie. "There's a couple," he replied. "I want to use several of the femme fatales and right now, I'm putting together how they're all going to mix up together."

He will be using a similar green screen technique used by Robert Rodriguez to make the movie in terms of presenting Will Eisner's very distinctive looking world, and he even said that he's going to try to blend The Spirit title into the cityscape just like what could be seen on Eisner's title pages.

"I'm not going to beat you over the head with the logo, but it'll be just the same way that Robert was able to capture the feel of Sin City, I think capturing the more romantic look of Eisner's city will be a lot of fun."

And as far as when they'll start on Sin City 2? "It all depends on when they're finished with 'Grind House,' but I'm still on deck." He's still hoping that Angelina Jolie will play the role of Eva in the sequel.

ComingSoon.net/SuperheroHype.com should have more with Miller on both movies, as well as Zach Snyder's 300 very soon.

 

[Jamie Madrox]

Sounds good. I don't know much about him, but I'm sure gonna check up on him now.

Lookin' forward to some more info about the film.

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://uk.media.movies.ign.com/media/739/739928/imgs_1.html

 

[Nightwing 52]

http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=5253

The Spirit Panel at NY Comic Con '07

Source: Edward Douglas
February 26, 2007

At the 2nd Annual New York Comic Con, producers Michael E. Uslan and F.J. DeSanto were joined by Denis Kitchen, former publisher of Kitchen Sink Press, to talk about Frank Miller's upcoming movie based on legendary artist Will Eisner's The Spirit, a character created in 1940. Miller will write and direct the independently-financed feature being produced by Uslan, best known for his work on the Batman and Constantine films, along with Odd Lot Productions.

Frank Miller couldn't attend for reasons that would be addressed in an E-mail read by DeSanto early in the panel:

"Sometimes life really sucks," it began. "I slipped on a patch of black ice on a Manhattan sidewalk, smashed my left hip to bits and have spent the last bunch of weeks undergoing medical procedures and losing out on all these chances to tell everybody how much fun I'm having writing 'Will Eisner's The Spirit.' Don't go expecting a nostalgic tongue-in-cheek romp here. Remember, remember how scary Eisner got whenever he chose to. Remember how he broke your heart with the story of San Serif, so expect some hair-pin turns, some dead end back alley madness, the wet kind. Get set, we're on our way to some dark places."

After reading the letter, Michael Uslan showed the teaser poster for the film--the tagline read "Down these mean streets, a man must come, a hero born, murdered and born again"--and the trio talked a bit about what to expect from the upcoming movie, as well as what they'd gone through to get the film made, including dealing with studios who wanted to change all the aspects of the character that made him such a beloved comic book icon for over six decades.

Uslan told the audience how they ended up getting Frank Miller to helm this ambitious project after they reconnected at Will Eisner's memorial service in New York mere weeks after Miller's Sin City was released. Uslan told Miller how he'd been trying to make comic books into movies and how impressed he was by how Miller made a movie into a comic book and how he could see The Spirit being done using the same technology as Sin City. Being such a fan of Eisner and his character, Miller was initially taken aback by Uslan's offer to have him write and direct the film, but after thinking about it for some time, he realized he couldn't have anyone else do it. The interview book Eisner/Miller also convinced Uslan that The Spirit would be safe in Frank's hands.

Uslan spent some time with the late Eisner before his death to try to understand what he had in mind for a film based on the character, but it's really going to be Frank Miller's job to realize that vision. "Thank God I had an opportunity over those years to spend a lot of time with Will to ask him questions, to get him involved, so that we know what he had in mind, we know what he was thinking about this, what his preference were or weren't."

As Eisner's agent, close friend and publisher, Kitchen had also been deeply involved in keeping the movie in line with the decades of Spirit strips done by Eisner, many of which had been reprinted by Kitchen Sink. "The Spirit movie is something I don't think Will ever expected to really happen," Kitchen said, "because over the years, many people optioned it, and for many reasons, wasn't an easy thing to translate. Many people had it and it just never got done right. Will also, unlike many other people in the world, did not want to direct and wasn't particularly intrigued by the idea of comics becoming movies, because most of them he felt didn't do justice to the original source. If you read Will's serious works, you know he felt that comics should be an art in its own right and he didn't like the implied superiority of film, because it was a more lucrative field to be in. Will would be very pleased to know that his friend and someone he respected is going to take this and mold it into another medium. The way Sin City was done really was a moving version of the graphic novel in a way that most haven't seen before, and I knew Frank was thinking right when he told me he was clipping out panels of Will's Spirit and taping them on his wall and [filling in the blanks]. We're all pretty confident that if someone's going to pull it off, it'll be him."

DeSanto talked about how Miller had been drawing a lot of the things that happen in between the panels of Eisner's comics as storyboards for the film and that he had an entire stack of drawings laying the entire movie out. He also told the audience how once the project was announced, every agency started calling to try to put their actors and actresses into the movie, and that they have a strong list of people who want to do it, though Frank has a number of choices that will really cement it. (Of course, they didn't reveal any of them. Bah.)

Uslan mentioned that Miller's been busy writing the final draft of the movie and that he thought they might actually start shooting The Spirit before Miller got to Sin City 2, despite the recent news from Miller to the contrary. Uslan said that their production is ready to go as soon as they get the pieces in place, particularly the actors they have in mind. "We're moving like lighting, we really are," he said. "This next draft that Frank's bringing in should really be it and we should be in a position to be moving pretty quickly."

DeSanto said the movie will "hit the ground running" with The Spirit already being The Spirit and with all the Eisner elements in place including the incorporation of the logo into the cityscapes. Central City will essentially be its own world, a "true character" in the movie, using the technology from Sin City and the upcoming 300 to keep the world "as Eisneresque as possible and true to Will's vision."

They promised that we'd be seeing the femme fatales that are so beloved in Eisner's series and that The Spirit would get into a lot of trouble with them, while the love triangle with Ellen Dolan and San Serif would be included as part of the plot. The movie will also make it clear why The Spirit's Commissioner Dolan is so different from Batman's Commissioner Gordon, though the controversial Ebony White character won't be in the film. Uslan said, "There are villains and femme fatales sprinkled throughout that will delight you and will surprise you the way Frank is dealing with them." They recommended The Best of the Spirit and some of The Spirit Archives (there's 22 of them) published by DC Comics as a good place to start for anyone wanting to read up on the character before seeing the movie.

Uslan also mentioned that people should think in terms of the first Tim Burton Batman movie as far as the era in which the movie will take place. Eisner never meant the stories to be taking place in a particular era, but to be taking place at whatever time they were drawn or being read. So instead of being set in the '40s or '50s, the film will be more contemporary or hopefully, have a timeless feel to it, or at least that is what Miller is going for with the movie.

Uslan couldn't talk too much about it, but he hinted that there may be animated projects based on The Spirit that would be a bit more light-hearted, allowing for some of The Spirit's more whimsical stories and characters to appear.

As the panel wound down, Uslan also mentioned that there should be an announcement from New Line soon about the Captain Marvel/Shazam project he's producing for them which he said had been making great progress. He's also really excited about The Shadow movie he's developing with Sam Raimi, a character that had an obvious influence on Raimi's 1990 film Dark Man. Uslan added that they're determined to do it right, now that they've cracked the tone of the story and that writer Siavash Farahani is doing a "bang-job" at getting the screenplay together.

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[da3dl3us]

I don't know about this. Frank Miller has been disappointing as of late.

He's kinda obsessed with this dark, scary hero icon. It works for Batman, but the Spirit was supposed to be a more witty type of guy. Now I've read the original run, and yes, some are dark, but the Spirit himself wasn't brooding.

The poster portrays him as this zombie-like, come back from the dead "sin city" vengeful character. I really hope it doesn't go in this direction. Personally, I wish Jeph Loeb stayed on board. His Batman meets Spirit comic was great.

 

[CConn]

I don't know about this. Frank Miller has been disappointing as of late.

He's kinda obsessed with this dark, scary hero icon. It works for Batman, but the Spirit was supposed to be a more witty type of guy. Now I've read the original run, and yes, some are dark, but the Spirit himself wasn't brooding.

The poster portrays him as this zombie-like, come back from the dead "sin city" vengeful character. I really hope it doesn't go in this direction. Personally, I wish Jeph Loeb stayed on board. His Batman meets Spirit comic was great.

That's my worry as well.

However, the one thing we have to remember is that Miller is a giant, GIANT fan of Will Eisner. While Miller may have no problem making Batman as gritty and painfully grim as he can, I doubt/hope he wouldn't change Eisner's work and characters that much. Hopefully he respects Eisner too much for that.

 

[JackBauer]

That's my worry as well.

However, the one thing we have to remember is that Miller is a giant, GIANT fan of Will Eisner. While Miller may have no problem making Batman as gritty and painfully grim as he can, I doubt/hope he wouldn't change Eisner's work and characters that much. Hopefully he respects Eisner too much for that.

that "poster" doesn't fill me with confidence though. it's Miller in his worst.

 

[CConn]

Thankfully, Miller won't be drawing the film.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

You never know.....I saw his new interview, with his kick ass fedora and hollywood goatee.......

He did warn us, too, that fans will be shocked (or something.....) by the change.

He did say the Spirit would be younger, and "grittier"......so, take that for what you will.

 

[Artistsean]

Wo do you want to see in it, or expect to see in it?
Like who would play the Spirit?
Who would play the other characters?

Any actors you want in it no matter who they play?
Like I wouldn't mind Rosario Dawson being in it.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Well, The Spirit will be younger (Miller is probably being ordered to do that).

 

[Artistsean]

If it is grittier do you think it will be the same tone as the Spirit, I mean I haven't read alot of Spirit so I don't know exactly what the tone is.

Also if the studio is forcing him, I hope that is the only thing he is letting the studio change. But I think he might be doing it himself, he doesn't seem like someone who would let the studio force him to make those changes.

 

[jaydawg]

This shall suck. Quite hard.

 

[Ceb-Man]

I am really looking forward to this movie. I hope Frank will do a good job.

 

[Antonello Blueberry]

Part of me would still love to see the movie written and directed by Brad Bird, something he wanted to do.

 

[jaydawg]

Now if Brad Bird did that, you could be promised nostalgia, characterization and awesomeness. With Frank Miller? Depression and ****es. Thats about it.

 

[TheVileOne]

I really hope it doesn't turn out like All Star Batman and Robin, which is what it sounds like right now.

Bird/Pixar doing a Spirit movie would've been perfect.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

The reason I say the studio is forcing him to cast younger is b/c he's still a newb when it comes to directing......and Franchise. Franchise. Franchise.

Cast younger, and you can milk out atleast 2 sequels if it's any good. Frank probably doesn't think like that, but the studio does. So, that's why I'm assuming that Frank said that the Spirit will be younger.

 

[Artistsean]

I heard Mike Kunkel talk about him trying to make a Hero Bear and the Kid movie, and he talked about how the studio wanted to make the Kid a teenager who played the drums. They also wanted Hillary Duff to be in it, and it to be CG animated.
Studios have the strangest ideas for what would help a box office draw.
I would have loved to see a Brad Bird Spirit movie, he is someone who wouldn't back down in what he wants in a film. he has also done enough films (Oscar winning Incredibles) that he can do that.
He would have transfered the comic straight to the film.
I am going to give Frank a chance though, Eisner's Spirit is a comic treasure. There is no way he would let it be a bad film.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

He might be too old, and too big a name though.

 

[Ben Breeck]

None of the early Spirit stories I've read, even the ones when Mr. Eisner was defininitly at the helm, were at all that scary. Not like Black Archer or The Shadow, anyway.

Mr. Miller makes him sound like Rorschach!

 

[Artistsean]

Thats what I was affraid of. That he would make it darker and creepier when the book wasn't really like that. I hadn't read them though so I wasn't sure. But it didn't sound like the Spirit I thought of when I saw Eisner's art.

But still, maybe he is trying to say that it is not just a happy super hero story. But more of a gritty detective story. I am getting a little worried though.

 

[K.B.]

I already know it's going in the wrong direction and not from all the grim/gritty/dark talk that they've been saying but from what they've said about the character of Ebony.

They have stated that he WONT be in the film because he is a racial sterotype and nothing more than a bad idea by Eisner on a bad day.

While yes he was done in a very unfrendly way (though I'm sure this was NOT Eisners intent) he is a great character and CAN and SHOULD be used....

I'm not sayin portay him or make him look the way he was drawn/written etc but go read what Darwyn Cooke is doing with him and tell me that it is in ANYWAY a bad character/racial sterotype.

 

[Kurosawa]

I already know it's going in the wrong direction and not from all the grim/gritty/dark talk that they've been saying but from what they've said about the character of Ebony.

They have stated that he WONT be in the film because he is a racial sterotype and nothing more than a bad idea by Eisner on a bad day.

While yes he was done in a very unfrendly way (though I'm sure this was NOT Eisners intent) he is a great character and CAN and SHOULD be used....

I'm not sayin portay him or make him look the way he was drawn/written etc but go read what Darwyn Cooke is doing with him and tell me that it is in ANYWAY a bad character/racial sterotype.

Once again, Miller doesn't get it. All he can do is dark and gritty. He's a one-trick pony.

And Darwyn Cooke>Frank Miller every day of the week imo. New Frontier is way better than anything Miller could ever do. And his Spirit series is great so far.

 

[CConn]

I find it funny that Darwyn Cooke's Spirit series is great, yet, for me at least, it's still nowhere near as good as Eisner's. Eisner was that ****ing good.