The Spirit

Frank Miller On "The Spirit"...In 3D?

Joe Utichi writes: "Frank Miller is unmistakable in his famous black hat, particularly if you're expecting him. While at the Cannes Film Festival last week our friends at MySpace invited us down to meet Miller and chat about his upcoming projects and it's about time we let you know what he had to say, because we've been talking of little else around the office ever since.

"I'm out here mainly to introduce my new film, "The Spirit," to buyers and press and all kinds of people," he told Rotten Tomatoes UK, and we were keen to find out more about the project.

"It's based on an old 1940's comic by my mentor, Will Eisner, and it features a masked adventure up against all kinds of nasty people and all kinds of beautiful women," he said, "Lionsgate are negotiating with Samuel L. Jackson to play the main villain; The Octopus. As far as I know the negotiations are going fine, but I'm not a negotiator!"

Of course, by stroke of coincidence we learned just before we sat down with Miller that Robert Rodriguez had been signed onto a remake of the classic sixties sex flick "Barbarella." So what of "Sin City 2"? Rumours swirl that the project has been stalled by the breakdown of Rodriguez' marriage. "Sin City 2 is still likely to happen," says Miller, "just not right away. The script is written and Robert and I are raring to go, but it looks like I'm going to be doing The Spirit first and Robert's going to be doing Barbarella first."

Still, work proceeds at pace on Miller's new graphic novel, rather controversially called "Batman vs. Al Qaeda." "It's bound to offend just about everybody," Miller laughed, "I'm about 100 pages into it and I've got fifty more to go."

But, by far the most interesting revelation in our time with Miller was his passion for a certain filmmaking technology... "I saw U2 3D and I thought that the 3D effects were not just remarkable but historic. I think that's going to be the way to go for a lot of features and I think people are going to get used to the funky glasses before long. It's just astonishing, what they've developed, and I think they've ushered in a new era for 3D."

So could this be the biggest hint at what we have in store for "The Spirit?" Miller didn't say for certain, but the notion has us excited. "Plans to do my own 3D film are forming in my head," he teased, "and they were within ten minutes of when the movie started; it's that good.

"I think what we're going to see with this new technology isn't stuff that's transformed so much, like they did with "Nightmare Before Christmas," but stuff that's created for it. That's really going to be when the breakthrough happens, because there'll be movies you'll look at that you won't even think of as 2D movies. I've worked on several comics that I think this would translate brilliantly for and the wheels are spinning."

Miller is also optimistic that the technological revolution that's enabling CGI and 3D movies is soon to reach maturity. "I love the technological revolution we're undergoing and I love being a part of it. I'm not a Luddite about all of this, I love playing with all these new toys and, if anything, the biggest question I have, creatively, is when do you say when? Just because we can fill every inch of the screen with spaceships or whatever doesn't mean that we have to do it. I think there'll be a whole new aesthetic that arrives where we're not trying to do traditional film or trying to do one better than they do, but where we'll just be doing what we do. That pulls comics and movies that much closer together."

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=424110
 
Samuel L. Joins Frank Miller's Spirit

Will Eisner’s comic book The Spirit is widely considered to be the ‘Citizen Kane’ of comics. Now with Sin City writer turned director Frank Miller prepping a live action Spirit movie word has come along that Samuel L. Jackson is attached to play the lead villain Octopus.

“As far as I’m concerned…I’m looking forward to it,” Jackson said. “I’m anxious to find out what (Frank Miller) wants me to look like, how we want to do it, and when we want to start.”

What would the highly green screened Jackson look like up on the big screen? Miller’s description of the villain went something like, “(The Octopus is) a meek lab assistant who reinvents himself as a psychotic nightmare that kills anyone unfortunate enough to see his face. The Octopus' tentacles reach into every aspect of crime in fictitious Central City, a city he plans to wipe out."

Jackson is quite happy to be teaming with Hollywood’s newest hot director. “I’ve been trying to reach out to Frank for years,” notes Jackson. “I always knew that Sin City would make a great movie. At least one of the stories, just give me one of them. I could never really get in touch with him so I could talk to him about getting the rights, but he knew I was looking for him.”

“Maybe a month and a half, two months ago, (Miller and I) actually met,” Jackson continues. “(We) had lunch, hung out, talked about Spirit, what he was going to do (with it). He said, you know, you’ll get something from me soon.”

And how well does Jackson know the source material – about a detective named Denny Colt who fights crime in Central City with the blessing of the police department? “Well, the Octopus actually created Spirit when you come down to it,” Jackson said. “He was sort of a mad scientist who worked at a morgue. Spirit was a young cop who got killed. So when his body came in, he was working on this kind of serum that would make people sort of immortal. He tried it on [Spirit] and he came back to life, and then he tried it on himself, so he could be, you know, his nemesis and he became even stronger.”

Pretty well it would seem.

Jackson also noted how the movie would be updated a bit for the Y2K crowd, “Back in the day when the original comic was done, it was kind of a 1930s/40s kind of thing, so there were still Nazis and all that kind of stuff. Frank is going to update them to a point. You know there’s still a dead young cop who comes back…maybe I said too much.” Original writer/artist Will Eisner had always kept time fluid in the comic book, that when it was the forties, The Spirit occurred in the forties, but when it was the fifties the character was then in the fifties, and so on. The film will be set modern day though with lots of throwbacks to the original vision of Eisner and how he brought us Central City.

Producers for the film have said that Miller decided to ‘script’ the film by first photocopying original Eisner panels on the wall until a single cohesive story line was finally together. The producers both added that Sin City is a heavy influence for The Spirit in terms of trying to bring a comic book to life on screen. Miller is said to be done the next draft which should be the film’s final shooting script.

The film itself will not be an origin story. The characters have all already hit the streets running and, thanks to the digital technology of today, those streets of Central City will be very similar to how Eisner made the city look in the comic and therefore keeping it very true to his vision. Those streets will be filled with Spirit characters like Commissioner Dolan, Ellen Dolan, Sand Serif, as well a slew of femme fatales and bad guys that The Spirit is so known for.
 
Samuel L. Joins Frank Miller's Spirit

Will Eisner’s comic book The Spirit is widely considered to be the ‘Citizen Kane’ of comics. Now with Sin City writer turned director Frank Miller prepping a live action Spirit movie word has come along that Samuel L. Jackson is attached to play the lead villain Octopus.

“As far as I’m concerned…I’m looking forward to it,” Jackson said. “I’m anxious to find out what (Frank Miller) wants me to look like, how we want to do it, and when we want to start.”

What would the highly green screened Jackson look like up on the big screen? Miller’s description of the villain went something like, “(The Octopus is) a meek lab assistant who reinvents himself as a psychotic nightmare that kills anyone unfortunate enough to see his face. The Octopus' tentacles reach into every aspect of crime in fictitious Central City, a city he plans to wipe out."

Jackson is quite happy to be teaming with Hollywood’s newest hot director. “I’ve been trying to reach out to Frank for years,” notes Jackson. “I always knew that Sin City would make a great movie. At least one of the stories, just give me one of them. I could never really get in touch with him so I could talk to him about getting the rights, but he knew I was looking for him.”

“Maybe a month and a half, two months ago, (Miller and I) actually met,” Jackson continues. “(We) had lunch, hung out, talked about Spirit, what he was going to do (with it). He said, you know, you’ll get something from me soon.”

And how well does Jackson know the source material – about a detective named Denny Colt who fights crime in Central City with the blessing of the police department? “Well, the Octopus actually created Spirit when you come down to it,” Jackson said. “He was sort of a mad scientist who worked at a morgue. Spirit was a young cop who got killed. So when his body came in, he was working on this kind of serum that would make people sort of immortal. He tried it on [Spirit] and he came back to life, and then he tried it on himself, so he could be, you know, his nemesis and he became even stronger.”

Pretty well it would seem.

Jackson also noted how the movie would be updated a bit for the Y2K crowd, “Back in the day when the original comic was done, it was kind of a 1930s/40s kind of thing, so there were still Nazis and all that kind of stuff. Frank is going to update them to a point. You know there’s still a dead young cop who comes back…maybe I said too much.” Original writer/artist Will Eisner had always kept time fluid in the comic book, that when it was the forties, The Spirit occurred in the forties, but when it was the fifties the character was then in the fifties, and so on. The film will be set modern day though with lots of throwbacks to the original vision of Eisner and how he brought us Central City.

Producers for the film have said that Miller decided to ‘script’ the film by first photocopying original Eisner panels on the wall until a single cohesive story line was finally together. The producers both added that Sin City is a heavy influence for The Spirit in terms of trying to bring a comic book to life on screen. Miller is said to be done the next draft which should be the film’s final shooting script.

The film itself will not be an origin story. The characters have all already hit the streets running and, thanks to the digital technology of today, those streets of Central City will be very similar to how Eisner made the city look in the comic and therefore keeping it very true to his vision. Those streets will be filled with Spirit characters like Commissioner Dolan, Ellen Dolan, Sand Serif, as well a slew of femme fatales and bad guys that The Spirit is so known for.
 
'Spirit' moves Frank Miller
Graphic novelist preps first solo directing outing

Frank Miller had long since sworn off Hollywood when Robert Rodriguez finagled him into co-directing "Sin City," an adaptation of the film noir-inspired storyteller's own graphic novel series.
Miller had been burned before. In the late '80s, fans of his visionary work on the "Daredevil" and "Batman" comics invited him to pen a "RoboCop" sequel. "What I learned there is that your screenplay is a fire hydrant with an awful lot of dogs lined up behind it," he told Esquire earlier this year. Disgusted with what became of his work on the second and third "RoboCop" movies, Miller retreated back to graphic novels, telling stories in which he could maintain creative control.

But "Sin City" rekindled his interest in filmmaking and appealed to Miller's visually expressive style. He even granted Zack Snyder permission to adapt his Spartan battle epic "300," the runaway success of which sent Miller's stock skyrocketing with studios. "It took a lot for me to be convinced that ("300") wouldn't have a happy ending slapped on it," Miller tells Variety.

After his experience with Rodriguez, Miller figured he might give filmmaking another try.

"The fear is fading," he says, remembering his co-director's advice on "Sin City." "Rodriguez said: 'Don't be nervous. All the stuff you've done throughout your career has been the same thing you're doing now -- you're just using different tools.'"

But rather than translate another of his own projects, Miller latched on to the idea of adapting a friend's comicbook hero instead. He chose Will Eisner's "The Spirit," assured that he intimately understood the direction of the late author's creative compass (Eisner died in 2005).

"I want to do him proud," Miller says. "It's true to the Will Eisner that I know, and I've been telling everybody working on this movie that the final film should feel like it was fun to draw."

When tasked with selecting the right hook from 12 years of "The Spirit" comics, Miller embraced an old favorite. "It's the story of Sand Saref," he says, referring to a plot that first ran in newspapers on Jan. 8, 1950, full of danger-laced romance, espionage and early germ-warfare elements. "It's about the first love of Spirit's life, who has turned to a life of crime, and he has to bring her to justice."

The choice holds special significance for Miller, who has cited Saref as an inspiration for the popular Elektra character he created for the "Daredevil" comic.

But movies have also distanced Miller from his graphic-novel roots. While his film career blossoms, a number of comicbook projects have slipped through the cracks, namely "Holy Terror, Batman" which pits the Caped Crusader against Al Qaeda.

"This movie career just sort of plopped into the middle of it," he says. "One hundred twenty pages are inked, and after 'The Spirit,' I'm going to come in and finish it before any more directing."

But that hasn't stopped rumors of other Miller film projects from catching fire.

Variety reported Miller's involvement with the Raymond Chandler adaptation "Trouble Is My Business," and Warner is prepping Miller's "Ronin" for "Stomp the Yard's" Sylvain White to direct. As for a possible "Sin City" sequel, Miller says he and Rodriguez are merely waiting for the right time.

"We have a script and an ideal cast in mind," Miller says. "It's based on the graphic novel 'A Dame to Kill For.' "

For the moment, Miller remains focused on "The Spirit." "I've been writing every word of it myself and storyboarding every frame," he says. "This is a real work of love, and it's become my life completely."
 
tim_robbins.jpg

What about Tim Robbins as The Spirit?
 
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0708/01/index.htm


THE SPIRIT MOVIE UPDATE

The Spirit live-action movie, written and directed by Frank Miller, is expected to begin principal photography on Oct. 7 and continue through the holidays.

The movie is being produced by Odd Lot Entertainment and will be distributed by Lionsgate.

Characters that have been confirmed so far are Denny Colt, Commissioner Dolan, Ellen Dolan, Plaster of Paris, Silken Floss, Lorelei Rox and Sand Saref.

The only casting announced so far is Samuel L. Jackson as Denny Colt's nemesis, The Octopus, a character whose face is never seen but is recognizable by his gloves.

At least one more casting announcements ix expected in the next two weeks.

Bill Pope, whose credits include Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3 and The Matrix films, has been hired as director of photography

A release date has not been set, but producers Michael Uslan and Deborah Del Prete said they are tentatively aiming for the end of 2008 to early 2009.
 
From an interview with Samuel L. Jackson
http://www.collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp/aid/5033/tcid/1
The Spirit Questions:

Question: What are you attached to in the future?

Samuel L. Jackson: What I’m attached to in the future? Right now I’m shooting Lakeview Terrace with Neil LaBute. In October I start The Spirit with Frank Miller.

He told us that at Comic Con. You play Octopus?
eisner_the_spirit_1947.jpg

Octopus, yeah.

Are you looking forward to having him as a director?

Yes I am. I’m anxious to get down there and start doing that film. It’s going to be great.

I was going to ask, has he told you anything or has he alluded to you about the casting of The Spirit?

I keep asking him and he says nobody else has been cast. I was the only person right now that’s totally locked in.

He said to me he’s having a tough time getting people to audition and he wants to make sure the chemistry is right.

Um. Well agents do that because they start saying I don’t want my client to read, because sometimes they don’t want you to realize the client can’t act. I’ve never been afraid of that. It’s kind of like, sure I’ll read. No problem.

Did he show you the script? Or did you just know Frank Miller?

I read a script, yeah. That’s pretty exciting.

... I wanted to know for the people who aren’t familiar with The Spirit and the character. Could you talk about your character in that film, or is it confidential?

The Octopus? No, I guess if people had read the comic they’ll know who he is. He’s like the crime kingpin of this kind of city sort of like Gotham City I guess. They have their own little metropolitan place that this guy is like the crime kingpin of and Spirit is kind of a mysterious character that shows up all the time to save the day like Batman does in Batcity. The Octopus is sort of indestructible kind tough guy, psychotic killer. The kind of thing I’ve been wanting to do for awhile.

I just have to say and I’m speaking for all fans that all of us cannot wait to see what’s he’s going to be doing.

Yeah, we love Frank so we can’t wait to jump in there.
Click to expand...

 
I'm not so sure about this guy as the Spirit. Sure if he brings his woman to the movie, that would be a plus.
 

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http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=23027

Gabriel Macht is Frank Miller's Spirit
Source: Variety
August 3, 2007


machtspirit.jpg
Writer-director Frank Miller has signed Gabriel Macht to star in Will Eisner's The Spirit, the Miller-scripted adaptation of the classic Eisner comic book series, reports Variety.

Shooting on the film co-financed by Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment begins in October for release in 2009. Odd Lot partners Gigi Pritzker and Deborah Del Prete produce.

The Bronx-born Macht was most recently seen in The Good Shepherd and just wrapped the Dominic Sena-directed Whiteout, in which he stars opposite Kate Beckinsale.

Macht will play the title character, a man who has faked his own death so he can battle crime from the shadows of Central City. He runs up against the Octopus, a villain who's bent on wiping out the entire city and kills anyone unlucky enough to see his face.

Miller insisted that actors who wanted the starring role audition, and Macht won the job in the room.

"We think Gabriel has a devilishly charming quality, and the dry wit that embodies the Spirit, and we wanted to do this with someone who can embody this character for the next few years, because we anticipate we'll be making more than one Spirit movie," said Lionsgate prexy of film production Mike Paseornek.
 
Let the photo manips begin.

I really would like to see what he would look like though.
 
He definitely has a good look for The Spirit.
 
I can't believe there isn't a thread or a BOARD for this. Is The Spirit not a superhero? A comicbook hero? The movie is in pre-production already, but no board or thread in sight... Until now. This is my first thread btw. Now let's discuss all things Spirit. Frank Miller is attached to write and direct the film adaptation(yes, straight from the old reliable - Wikipedia), and starring Gabriel Macht as the title character. Samuel L. Jackson is the villain Octopus.

miller_spirit_poster.jpg
 
Ahhahahaha! So everybody... umm... how's it hanging? Everyones SPIRIT is up, yes?
 
Could be cool. I wonder what it'll be like - noir, drama, comedy...all three?
 
it'll be dark and gritty and a detective story that's who the spirit is a hero who solves mysteries in the shadows.
 
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