CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Warrior 4 Jesus wrote:It looks nothing like the original comic

Sci Fi Channel wrote:Exclusive: Miller On Spirit, Sin 2

Down these mean streets a man must come, and that man is Frank Miller, who took it upon himself to write and direct The Spirit, the upcoming film adaptation of Will Eisner's most famous comic book creation.

The story follows Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht), a murdered rookie cop who returns from the dead as the Spirit, a seemingly immortal masked hero on a mission to protect his beloved Manhattan-like Central City and to understand the hows and whys of his impossible existence. Along the way, he encounters a super-psychotic super-villain, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), and a bevy of beautiful babes, among them Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega) and Lorelei Rox (Jaime King).

SCI FI Wire spoke to Miller by telephone on Dec. 13. Following are edited excerpts from that exclusive interview. The Spirit opens on Christmas Day.

Everyone's talking about the visuals of your film, but how about the screenplay? How hard or easy was it to take the comic-book saga and adapt it into a script?

Miller: It was very difficult, actually. At first, I approached Will Eisner like he was Raymond Chandler, and I then realized that he was O. Henry. He wrote very short stories, and it was a matter of adapting my favorite of his short stories and then expanding on them. My favorite of his short stories was a two-parter he did [on] Sand Saref, and I based the entire move on that. Then I extended it outward to involve his villain, the Octopus, and wonderful characters like Silken Floss and the new characters that I'd created, like Morgenstern [Stana Katic]. And, of course, Commissioner Dolan [Dan Lauria] had to be all through it.

This story continues below the video window.



Speaking of Eisner, is it true that you initially turned down the offer to direct the film and that you then, after a few minutes, agreed to do so because you simply didn't want anyone else to touch it?

Miller: That's exactly true. It took place within three minutes.

Why were you so reluctant initially and what made you so quick to change your mind?

Miller: Will Eisner was my mentor, and The Spirit was so awesome a property that I at first thought I was not worthy to do it. And then I couldn't think of anybody else who was, so I decided that I was the right man for the job.

Some of the imagery is of a different era, very '20s, '30s and '40s, and much of what we see, things like cell phones and high-tech guns, is very modern. How did you choose what would be retro and what would be contemporary?

Miller: Well, what I wanted to maintain mostly was the dignity and the gentlemanly quality of the Spirit himself. I wanted to recapture some of the glory of manlihood that I feel the world has lost. I wanted to bring it back through the Spirit. Meanwhile, I wanted to keep everything looking as good as possible. So, as a cartoonist, I've learned to structure stories around things I like to draw. And in the case of The Spirit, I wanted New York to be captured in all its glory from the '20s through the current era. That meant sewer grates from the '20s and cars from the '50s and cell phones from the present.

You directed The Spirit by yourself, but are reportedly going to re-team with Robert Rodriguez for Sin City 2. What's the latest update on that?

Miller: The script is ready. Robert and I are now working on how to actually make it happen. There's many, many a slip between conception and production.

And the story is still based on "A Dame to Kill For"?

Miller: The story is based on "A Dame to Kill For." And it features several other, new stories that I have created for it. --Ian Spelling

That Dude (post: 1278674) wrote:I like the visual stylings of it but I honestly haven't seen anything that Frank Miller has done that I didn't hate.

That Dude (post: 1278674) wrote:I like the visual stylings of it but I honestly haven't seen anything that Frank Miller has done that I didn't hate.

ShiroiHikari wrote:Well, I saw it tonight

Tommy wrote:And yet another monumental comment from Nate.
I shall add that to the holy list.

Stephen (post: 1279314) wrote:From the book of Steve, chapter 19 and verse 25.

"Thou shalt not pick on Nate, unless you desire a terrible beating with a sack of doorknobs"


Careful Tom.