Frank Miller's The Spirit

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Will Eisner's The Spirit, Lionsgate's live-action comic book movie, is scripted and directed by comics icon Frank Miller.



Adapted from the legendary graphic novels, Will Eisner's The Spirit is the story of former rookie-cop Denny Colt 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; Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves; 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.

Miller made his filmmaking debut on Sin City, which he co-directed with Robert Rodriguez. Miller is taking a page from the Sin City play book and shooting The Spirit entirely on green screen sound stages.

The Spirit is Macht's most high-profile leading role in a major film thus far after supporting turns in films such as American Outlaws, Because I Said So and The Good Shepherd. The actor, who dyed his light brown hair jet black for the role, is well aware of how important The Spirit is to his promising career. Macht told how "fortunate" he is to have landed the gig and admitted that he had "no idea" why the filmmakers cast him, except that perhaps they saw his ability to capture "the absurdity" of the whole affair. He was excited to work alongside a group of people "at the top of their game," especially Miller whom he called "a dream come true."

Macht sees Denny Colt as "an honest kid" and a lover of the ladies who had always wanted to be a cop but, after coming back to life in a mysterious fashion, vows to not only fight crime but also to figure out himself. Macht admitted he initially had misgivings about having to wear a mask, but has become accustomed to the process of having it glued to his face every day. Macht had to diet and train for his action scenes, which require a fighting style that incorporates martial arts and old-fashioned street fighting.

After completing a fire escape scene with Macht, Miller dropped by to briefly chat with the press. He said how he was "blown away" when he discovered Eisner's comic book as a 13 year-old.

"I thought it was somebody new to comics because it was so far ahead of anything else that was coming out. I followed it religiously," he recalled. "There was one night when I picked up the latest issue of The Spirit, I was so excited I had to stop by a lamppost in Vermont, where I lived, and read it on the spot. It was the Sand Saref story, which is the basis for this movie." Eva Mendes plays Sand Saref, and Miller said the actress possesses "a wonderful, exquisite anger" that gives "an edge that the character really needs."

Miller was equally enthusiastic about the casting of the villain. "I always wanted to work with Sam Jackson. The Octopus was always a cipher in the old comics, and I knew we couldn't get away with two hours of a guy whose face you never see and so I thought who'd be the perfect nemesis for The Spirit? And Sam Jackson came to mind. Seems to me he's always had a part like this inside waiting to get out."

Miller wasn't daunted by either directing his first solo feature film or working with green screen technology, referring to himself as "a kid in a candy store. This is the only way I have been trained to direct, and I love it because it brings it closer to the art of the page." Miller believes filmmaking is now experiencing "a grand and beautiful collusion between anime, live-action, comic books. I feel like I'm witnessing these forces all come together and borrow from each other. So it's a very exciting time."

Odd Lot Entertainment's Deborah Del Prete, one of the producers of The Spirit who has been with the project since its inception, said Miller is more than ready to handle directing a film all by himself. Miller, she said, "really understands actors and how to talk to them and what to give them as information. Again, the man is probably one of the most visionary people out there today. His sensibility of what belongs on-screen is pretty much way advanced for somebody you might consider an early director."

Miller had long been friends with Eisner, whom he considered his mentor, and had received his blessing before embarking on turning The Spirit into a movie. Miller and the producers have been respectful of the source material even as he strives to put his own distinct spin on it. "The Spirit is definitely a different tone than Sin City because Sin City is very, very dark," Del Prete explained. "This is the darker version of Eisner, but it's funny. There's a lot of comedy in this movie. It has Noir sensibilities no doubt visually, but there's also a lot of humor. We've been very careful about protecting the things we think Will would want protected. ... Frank is always considering Will throughout all of this, but he's still Frank Miller and this it the Frank Miller take on Will."

Fans will find out what exactly Frank Miller's take is when Will Eisner's The Spirit opens January 16, 2009.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

sounds pretty lame.

[neverending]

Sounds great to me! Miller is the perfect director to bring The Spirit to the screen. As long as they don't go overboard on the comedy...

[Yellow Jacket]

Anything by Frank Miller, I'll see.

[Kane_Hodder]

This sounds good. If it's anywhere close to Sin City, I am definitely watching it.