Following the success of Sin City, and with 300 soon to hit screens, Frank Miller’s obviously been bitten by the comic adaptation bug.
But his next film (after Sin City 2, that is) won’t be based on one of his own comics. Instead, he’s planning to adapt and direct a film based on Will Eisner’s The Spirit. Created in 1940, it chronicles the adventures of Denny Colt, an average bloke with a burning sense of justice. Without any special powers or even the money to buy cool gadgets, he protects his neighbours from corrupt cops, thugs and evildoers.
Eisner’s tales might not exactly have the brand tang of X-Men and Superman, but Miller and his producers obviously feel there’s something there. "We were fortunate enough to meet with Will before he passed," producer Deborah Del Prete told The Hollywood Reporter. "One of the things we discussed was keeping it true to the character but that the period was not the issue. We want to keep it in a comic book world, not a real world, but kind of noir and suggestive. The Spirit was completely contemporary for the time in which he was created. What is very important is that we keep his key qualities - his self-awareness and his humour."
Miller will make his big announcement this weekend at the San Diego Comic Con. But he’s already been working on the script, in between writing duties for Sin 2. Expect him to shoot The Spirit next year.