The Spirit: The Animated Series

[theMan-Bat]

A Spirit animated series project, most likely to involve Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke, is planned to follow Frank Miller's The Spirit film, if the film is successful.

Darwyn Cooke said, "I heard they're planning a Spirit animated project. I hope they get in touch with me to be involved. That would be a fantastic opportunity."

Prior to finding success in comics, Darwyn Cooke worked in animation as an animation storyboard artist for Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series. Darwyn Cooke says he would love to get involved in another animated project now that his Justice League: The New Frontier is complete and released.

The Spirit movie producer Michael Uslan made some interesting remarks regarding a possible animated project that could be on the way after Frank Miller's The Spirit film.

Michael Uslan brought the idea up without being prompted then quickly censored himself, claiming he was not allowed to talk about it.

http://movies.ign.com/articles/767/767756p1.html

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=10166

Brad Bird had been developing an animated Spirit project for years but couldn't get it picked up. I hope The Spirit movie is successful, I'd love to see an animated Spirit finally get off the ground, especially with Darwyn Cooke and Bruce Timm potentually involved! An animated Spirit series has the potential to be just as successful as Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated Series was.

 

[Swordmaster]

...Oh I'm all over this.

 

[CrimsonMist]

Excellent news! They should do a 70 minute movie adaptation of Cooke's version of "Sand Saref" just to rub in to Frank Miller's face! :P

But in all seriousness, i'd love for Bruce Timm to start adapting Cooke's stuff for a show. "Ice Ginger Coffee" would be a good one to start with. I love that story.

 

[C. Lee]

An animated series would be nice. I would hope that it followed Eisner's work more closely than the theatrical release appears to be doing.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated Series certainly followed the Batman comics more closely than Tim Burton's live-action Batman movies.

An animated Spirit series project, especially with Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke involved, would certainly follow the Spirit comics more closely than Frank Miller's live-action Spirit movie.

 

[Octoberist]

I wouldn't mind a cartoon show!

 

[BestGirl]

I would love an animated series. I don't know much about the Spirit, but I am aware that Timm does top-notch work and one of his cartoons would be a great way to learn about the character.

 

[OctaviusINC]

If this project gets off the ground I'll be the happiest kid in Central City. EISNER'S "The Spirit" is built for an animated series. Not to mention it'd be great to have The Spirit in the mainstream for once.

I hope Miller's Spirit is successful just so we get something closer to the source material as time moves on. If they go the animated series route, there's no doubt that we'll get a more Eisner inspired Spirit. If they go with the DC animated films, we might get some Cooke inspired Spirit. Either way it's closer and truer than Miller's Spirit.

But, alas,it's just talk. I'm getting my hopes up. We'll have to see.

 

[mego joe]

If this project gets off the ground I'll be the happiest kid in Central City. EISNER'S "The Spirit" is built for an animated series. Not to mention it'd be great to have The Spirit in the mainstream for once.

I hope Miller's Spirit is successful just so we get something closer to the source material as time moves on. If they go the animated series route, there's no doubt that we'll get a more Eisner inspired Spirit. If they go with the DC animated films, we might get some Cooke inspired Spirit. Either way it's closer and truer than Miller's Spirit.

But, alas,it's just talk. I'm getting my hopes up. We'll have to see.

But if Miller's film does well, an animated series would certainly owe something to the film that would keep it further from Eisner's stuff. Healing power anyone?

 

[BestGirl]

But if Miller's film does well, an animated series would certainly owe something to the film that would keep it further from Eisner's stuff. Healing power anyone?

Maybe Timm will go the Batman:TAS route, relying on the movie for visual inspiration while shifting towards the comics in terms of plot and character representation.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Maybe Timm will go the Batman:TAS route, relying on the movie for visual inspiration while shifting towards the comics in terms of plot and character representation.

As with Batman: The Animated Series, I'm certain Timm would rely on the Spirit movie for musical inspiration from David Newman's score and the freedom to go dark visually.
Bruce Timm: In the quote unquote “children’s animation arena,” there’s always going to be issues of the broadcast standards acceptability and, “Is this appropriate for kids?” All that stuff. But fortunately for us, thank God for the Tim Burton movie because it was so extremely darker than anybody had seen Batman before in any kind of mass media that it really gave us a precedent to point to and say, “Hey, look! That was a big, dark Batman movie, and it was the number one movie last year." That was one of the reasons why Fox even bought the show in the first place, because of the movie.

 

[theMan-Bat]

But if Miller's film does well, an animated series would certainly owe something to the film that would keep it further from Eisner's stuff. Healing power anyone?

Burton's Batman films did well, did the Batman animated series owe something to Burton's films that kept it further from the comics? A Batman with black body armor? A Batman with guns and no oath against killing? An Alexander Knox? A Red Triangle gang? A Max Shreck? A Jack Nicholson Joker? Or a secretary Catwoman in black vinyl with metaphorical 9 lives? No. The animated series was in fact closer to the comics, not further.
Bruce Timm: We had a love/hate thing with the Tim Burton movies. Obviously our show wouldn't have gotten made if it hadn't been for the success of the first movie. There are some interesting parallels, somewhat, in the design of the movie, and what we did, but I made it clear when we first got the gig that that I didn't want to make the TV show just a spin-off of the movie. I didn't want the show to look just like the movie. I didn't want to use their Batman design, I didn't want to use much of anything they did. I want the show to be unique. We wanted to bring this film noir/pulp/Citizen Kane/Fleischer Superman feel to it. There was something about setting it in that old-timey, moody world which seemed to be just a no-brainer. We knew we were doing something that was ultra-stylized and at the same time really respectful of the comics.

 

[IDrawDeadPeople]

and at the same time really respectful of the comics.

Well, if they would choose to take THIS approach, we wouldn't have to worry about it resembling Miller's version at all.

I'm actually excited about an animated series. It's nice to have at least the prospect of something Spirit related coming to screens.

 

[Bubastis]

A Spirit animated series? From Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke?

Holy ****ing **** that's perfect

 

[Bubastis]

A Spirit animated series project, most likely to involve Bruce Timm and Darwyn Cooke, is planned to follow Frank Miller's The Spirit film, if the film is successful.

Darwyn Cooke said, "I heard they're planning a Spirit animated project. I hope they get in touch with me to be involved. That would be a fantastic opportunity."

Prior to finding success in comics, Darwyn Cooke worked in animation as an animation storyboard artist for Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series. Darwyn Cooke says he would love to get involved in another animated project now that his Justice League: The New Frontier is complete and released.

The Spirit movie producer Michael Uslan made some interesting remarks regarding a possible animated project that could be on the way after Frank Miller's The Spirit film.

Michael Uslan brought the idea up without being prompted then quickly censored himself, claiming he was not allowed to talk about it.

http://movies.ign.com/articles/767/767756p1.html

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=10166

Brad Bird had been developing an animated Spirit project for years but couldn't get it picked up. I hope The Spirit movie is successful, I'd love to see an animated Spirit finally get off the ground, especially with Darwyn Cooke and Bruce Timm potentually involved! An animated Spirit series has the potential to be just as successful as Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated Series was.

Aww crap, nevermind.

 

[rogue trooper]

Timm and Cooke are perfect for an animated Spirit. One episode of BTAS(House and Garden, I believe) pays a little tribute to The Spirit when Bruce Wayne is dressed in an blue suit and hat.

 

[Ziggyman]

Would really like to see this happen...!

Would be really cool if they used a Samurai Jack type style of animation!

 

[:-}]

im excited BTAS was excellent

 

[deathshead2]

I could see this happen. With Timm doing covers for the comic, and the producer of the movie wrtitng the comic. Maybe their both getting practice before they start work on a show.

 

[theMan-Bat]

I could see this happen. With Timm doing covers for the comic, and the producer of the movie wrtitng the comic. Maybe their both getting practice before they start work on a show.

That's right. Bruce Timm recently did these covers for the Spirit comic:

Of course Darwyn Cooke did a 12 issue run plus this cover:

And the producer of the Spirit movie, Michael Uslan, has a 3 issue run writing the Spirit comic. With them all involved in the Spirit comics an animated series will certainly follow the Spirit comics closely. What their doing in the comics gives us a good idea of what an animated series would look like. Both Timm's and Cooke's art looks like cartoony animation for a Spirit animated series. Heck, Cooke's run looks like storyboards for a Spirit animated series.

 

[Killing Joke926]

Another Bruce Timm cartoon.........?!?!?!!? Okay, I'm stoked. :heart:

 

[Comic Book Boy]

I would be SO stoked if this pulled through!

 

[Sawyer]

O....M....G.....

I'd be all over this like flies on s***.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

Whats going to be interesting about this is whether or not they're using Ebony White, The Spirits Plucky (and intensely controversial) sidekick...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebony_White

 

[BestGirl]

Whats going to be interesting about this is whether or not they're using Ebony White, The Spirits Plucky (and intensely controversial) sidekick...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebony_White

They could use him if they update his appearance and personality. He could be like Robin (or Short Round). It'd be controversial for a bit, but if his character were treated with respect people wouldn't mind.