The Spirit at the New York Comic Con

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=43463

Source: New York Comic Con
March 28, 2008


New York Comic Con (NYCC) today announced Lionsgate will be at its 2008 event promoting The Spirit, based on the classic comic book series created by Will Eisner and written for the screen and directed by Frank Miller.

At NYCC, production partners Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment will present an exclusive first look at The Spirit on Saturday, April 19 in New York Comic Con's IGN Theater, featuring the world premiere of the film's teaser trailer. Miller and Mendes will be on hand to speak about their respective roles in the upcoming film, which is produced by Deborah Del Prete, Gigi Pritzker and Michael Uslan. Co-CEO of Odd Lot Entertainment Deborah Del Prete and Michael Uslan, President of Comic Book Movies, will also be speaking. MTV News Correspondent Kurt Loder will moderate the panel and the teaser trailer will debut to a global audience on MTV.com later that night in high definition, and on MTV the week of April 21. NYCC will also feature the debut of the film's first teaser poster, which Miller and Mendes will sign in a formal autograph session scheduled for 5:00pm.

New York Comic Con is the second largest popular culture event in the United States and features guests including Neil Gaiman, Mike Mignola, Grant Morrison, and T.M.Revolution.

Frank Miller is an American writer, artist, and director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of today's most widely-recognized and influential graphic novelists. His works include "The Dark Knight Returns," "Sin City," and "300." Eva Mendes can be seen in films including Training Day, Once Upon A Time in Mexico, Hitch, We Own the Night, Ghost Rider, and this fall's The Women. She plays Sand Saref in the new film. "The Spirit," which debuted in 1940, chronicles the adventures of a masked vigilante working on behalf of the police and is still regarded today for its deep and diverse narratives spanning film noir and crime drama as well as adventure, mystery, horror, comedy and romance.

"New York Comic Con welcomes the legendary Frank Miller with open arms, and we're delighted to have an actress of Ms. Mendes's caliber join us," Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. "It is a true honor to have them with us, and we earnestly thank all our friends at Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment who are making this spectacular event possible."

Adapted from the legendary comic book series created by Will Eisner, The Spirit is a classic action-adventure-romance written for the screen and directed by genre-twister Frank Miller (creator of "300" and "Sin City"). It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) has a different mission: he's going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City's rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Surrounding him at every turn are Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen; Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; Lorelei (Jaime King), a phantom siren; and Morgenstern (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop. Then of course, there's Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. She's the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him? In the vein of "Batman Begins" and "Sin City," "The Spirit" takes us on a sinister, gut-wrenching ride with a hero who is born, murdered and born again.

The Spirit will be released theatrically on January 16, 2009

 

[Gotham]

Finally! Something substanial about the much debated film. The teaser should be rockin'.

 

[Darth Elektra]

Can't wait for the teaser!

 

[JP]

Can't wait till I'm there!

 

[Nightwing 52]

Looking forward to the teaser.

 

[Noir]

Teaser.. I can almost taste it.

 

[tzarinna]

Hmm, I'm still going to go. Last year was crazy.

 

[Sand-Saref]

Anybody here going to NYCC? I might be all deponds on the price of flight and hotel. I would love to get Millers and Mendes autographs.

Update I am now a proud owner of 2 Tickets to NYCC. Can't wait to see the teaser and Mendes in person.

 

[jrd550]

I'll be there!

 

[Sand-Saref]

I'll be there!

Are you going to the spirit presentation?

 

[tzarinna]

I just left NY, so yeah, I'm not going.

 

[Antonello Blueberry]

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0804/19/thespirit.htm

NEW YORK -- Lionsgate staged a presentation for The Spirit on Saturday New York Comic Con.

Following are highlights:

* Panel host Kurt Loder introduced director Frank Miller and producers Michael Uslan and Deborah Del Prete and actress Eva Mendes.

* Introducing Eva Mendes, Miller said, "A week or so into shoot, I realized she had created her own Sand Saref and I was along for the ride.

* Miller said adapting The Spirit wasn't so much distillation as discovery. He said based the script around Will Eisner's 14-page Sand Saref story.

* Miller said he is "very proud" of how the movie is coming together and praised Del Prete's help.

* Miller said the film had to be as bold as the comic was in the 1940s and purists might be in for "a bit of a shock."

* Uslan said he met with Eisner 14 years ago and promised to make The Spirit right.

* Mendes said she was a little nervous initially. "Is he going to be weird? Let me tell you, he's very weird and what a joy to work with.

"He's an amazing actor's director. He referenced movies I didn't even know."

* Del Prete said she was with Eisner at his last Comic-Con appearance in San Diego and talked to him about what was important to him for the film.

* Asked about green-screen filming, Miller talked about Robert Rodriguez's work on Sin City, but noted that The Spirit is increasing that technology exponentially.

* Miller said he wanted the actor to play The Spirit to be a lesser-known and become famous in the role. He said it was a long, hard look to find Gabriel Macht in the role.

"He is actually able to stay on the screen with Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlet Johannsson," Miller said. "That's quite a feat."

* Mendes said her character "is a jewel thief who has been married 15 times and killed every one of her husbands."

* Del Prete said it was important to have a blend of action, humor and romance for the film. "It is not a camp movie in anyway," she said. "The funny parts are very organic to the movie."

* Del Prete said more than 1,600 special effects shots still need to be done.

* Del Prete said The Spirit will feature an original score.

* Mendes said Ghost Rider was a completely different film that The Spirit, "more like a fun cartoon."

* Miller said he's written part 2 of what he sees as a trilogy of Sin City movies. He said he's "allergic" to discuss any kind of scheduling.

* Miller said he will definitely direct more films in the future. "I love the job," he said.

 

[I Am The Knight]

Miller said the film had to be as bold as the comic was in the 1940s and purists might be in for "a bit of a shock."

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0804/19/thespirit.htm

Haha.

 

[The Batman]

The Q & A was filled with lame fanboys making come ons to eva mendes. truly cringe worthy

 

[Gotham]

The Q & A was filled with lame fanboys making come ons to eva mendes. truly cringe worthy

Yeah, I had heard from a friend there that the Q & A wasn't all that exciting.

He wished he had gone to the Hulk panel.

 

[The Batman]

there werent many actual spirit questions either....

 

[Gotham]

there werent many actual spirit questions either....

I heard the most exciting part of the entire Con was seeing the new Dark Knight trailer. I love The Spirit teaser, though, and I can't wait for the theatrical trailer.