The Spirit (film)

Infobox Film
name = The Spirit


image_size =
caption =
director = Frank Miller
producer = Michael Uslan Deborah Del Prete Gigi Pritzker Ben Waisbren
writer = Screenplay: Frank Miller Comic Book: Will Eisner
narrator =
starring = Gabriel Macht Samuel L. Jackson Scarlett Johansson Eva Mendes
music = David Newman
cinematography = Bill Pope
editing = Gregory Nussbaum
distributor = Lionsgate
released = December 25, 2008
runtime =
country = USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.mycityscreams.com
amg_id = 1:355798
imdb_id = 0831887

"The Spirit" (also known as "Will Eisner's The Spirit") is an upcoming 2008 American film adaptation based on the newspaper strip of the same name created by Will Eisner. Batfilm, OddLot, and Lionsgate are set to produce. [cite news | url=http://www.comics2film.com/b/index.php?blog=17&title=lionsgate_conjures_the_spirit_with_odd_l&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 | title=Lionsgate conjures 'The Spirit' with Odd Lot Entertainment and visionary filmmaker and graphic novelist Frank Miller| publisher=Comics2Film |date=May 16, 2007 | first= | last= | accessdate=2008-09-18] Frank Miller wrote and directed the film, which stars Gabriel Macht as The Spirit and Samuel L. Jackson as his nemesis, The Octopus. Filming began in October 2007, with release scheduled for Christmas Day, 2008.cite news | author=Pamela McClintock | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117985199.html?categoryId=13&cs=1&query=The+Spirit | title=Christmas gets Frank Miller's 'Spirit' | publisher=Variety | date=2008-05-06 | accessdate=2008-05-14 ]

Premise

Writer-director Frank Miller described the main character:The film series will not begin with an origin story, but will instead open with the adventures of The Spirit already having begun.cite news | author=Chris Carle | url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/767/767757p1.html | title=NYCC 07: The Spirit | publisher=IGN | date=2007-02-24 | accessdate=2007-02-25 ] The film will be more contemporary than the '40s and '50s era of the strip and will aim for a "timeless feel."

The protagonist will be involved in a love triangle with Sand Saref and Ellen Dolan, the daughter of Central City's Police Commissioner Dolan. The controversial character Ebony White will not appear in the film.cite news | author=Edward Douglas | url=http://superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=5253 | title="The Spirit" Panel at NY Comic-Con '07 | publisher=SuperHeroHype.com | date=2007-02-25 | accessdate=2007-02-26 ]

Cast

*Gabriel Macht as Denny Colt / The Spirit: A rookie cop who returns from the dead to fight crime in Central City from the shadows. Miller had required actors who wanted the starring role to audition, and Macht was able to attain the role in August 2007.
*Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus: A villain who plans to wipe out all of Central City and will kill anyone unlucky enough to see his face. Jackson was Miller's first choice for the role and was cast in May 2007. [cite news | author=Tatiana Siegel | coauthors=Borys Kit | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ie62938636be2f71fecac797ed78e3302 | title=Miller sees Jackson as evil 'Spirit' | publisher=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2007-05-18 | accessdate=2007-05-18 ]
*Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss: A femme fatale secretary and accomplice to the Octopus. [cite news | author=Borys Kit | coauthors=Tatiana Siegel | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ided21673370e52a3d7c4c2e9e6e6674d | title=It's a triple feature for Johansson | publisher=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2007-08-17 | accessdate=2007-08-17 ]
*Eva Mendes as Sand Saref. [cite news | author=Borys Kit | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ia314015383aee6d14c4065f49edf632c | title=Mendes moved to join 'Spirit' | publisher=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2007-08-22 | accessdate=2007-08-22 ] The actress told director Frank Miller that she wanted to work with him on "The Spirit" before she had seen a script for the film. [cite news | author=Larry Carroll | url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/10/10/eva-mendes-has-the-spirit/ | title=Eva Mendes Has ‘The Spirit’ | publisher=MTV | date=2007-10-10 | accessdate=2007-10-10 ]
*Sarah Paulson as Dr. Ellen Dolan: The police commissioner's daughter.
*Dan Lauria as Commissioner Dolan.
*Stana Katic as Morgenstern.
*Johnny Simmons as Young Denny Colt.
*Louis Lombardi as Phobos: One of the Octopus's henchmen.
*Jaime King as Lorelei Rox.cite news | author = Dave McNary | title = Pair joining 'Spirit' squad | publisher = Variety | date = 2007-10-08 | url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117973594.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | accessdate=2007-10-08]
*Paz Vega as Plaster of Paris.
*Meeghan Holaway as Holly.

Production

In the early 1990s, producer Michael Uslan obtained the rights to Will Eisner's 1940s newspaper comic strip "The Spirit" for a live-action film adaptation. The producer promised Eisner that he would not permit anyone who "didn't get it" to work on the project. Two ideas pitched to Uslan were to put The Spirit in a costume and to have The Spirit really be a resurrected dead man that possessed superpowers.cite news | author=Justin Jordan | url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9802 | title=NYCC, XTRA: "WILL EISNER’S THE SPIRIT" PANEL | publisher=Comic Book Resources | date=2007-02-25 | accessdate=2007-02-26 ] John Turman, a comic book fan, expressed interest in writing the screenplay. [cite news | author = Rob Worley | url = http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=2196 | title = Countdown To "Hulk": John Turman talks about "Hulk" and other heroes | publisher = Comic Book Resources | date = 2003-06-01 | accessdate = 2008-06-13]

In July 2004, financier OddLot Entertainment acquired the rights to the film. OddLot's producers Gigi Pritzker and Deborah Del Pete began a collaboration with Uslan, working at Batfilm Productions, to adapt the story. Eisner, who was protective of the rights to his creations, said that he believed in the producers to faithfully adapt "The Spirit". [cite news | author=Michael Fleming | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117908165.html?categoryid=1238&cs=1 | title=Odd Lot, Batfilm join forces for 'Spirit' | publisher=Variety | date=2004-07-22 | accessdate=2007-02-13 ] In April 2005, comic book writer Jeph Loeb was hired to adapt "The Spirit" for the big screen, [cite news | author=Ian Mohr | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117920635.html?categoryid=1350&cs=1 | title=Loeb will get into 'The Spirit' | publisher=Variety | date=2005-04-05 | accessdate=2007-02-13 ] but the writer eventually left the project. Later in April, Uslan approached Frank Miller at Will Eisner's memorial service in New York several weeks after Miller's "Sin City" was released in theaters, interested in initiating the adaptation technique with Miller's film for "The Spirit". Miller had initially hesitated, doubting his skill in adapting "The Spirit", but ultimately embraced his first solo project as writer-director.

In July 2006, Miller was officially confirmed to write and direct the film adaptation for "The Spirit". Miller announced that he was putting together a film treatment that included large parts of "The Spirit" strip panels. Miller described the project, "I intend to be extremely faithful to the heart and soul of the material, but it won't be nostalgic. It will be much scarier than people expect."cite news | author=Pamela McClintock | coauthors=Ben Fritz | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117947038.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | title=Odd job for Miller | publisher=Variety | date=2006-07-18 | accessdate=2007-02-13 ] Miller plans to film "The Spirit" using the same digital background technology that was used for "Sin City" and "300".cite news | author=Eric Moro | url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/745/745055p1.html | title=Exclusive: Frank Miller Talks "The Spirit" | publisher=IGN | date=2006-11-09 | accessdate=2007-02-13 ] The film would also copy specific shots from the comic, similar to "Sin City".

In February 2007, Miller completed the first draft of the screenplay, and began work on a second draft. Principal photography was initially slated to begin in late spring 2007. Miller also plans to begin filming "Sin City 2" in late spring, [cite news | author=Ian Spelling | url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=40259 | title=Miller: "Sin 2" Is Ready To Go | publisher=Sci Fi Wire | date=2007-02-23 | accessdate=2007-02-26 ] but Uslan indicated that filming for "The Spirit" will begin before Miller starts "Sin City 2". Following the casting of Gabriel Macht as The Spirit in August 2007, filming was re-slated for the following October.cite news | author=Michael Fleming | coauthors =Diane Garrett | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117969608.html?categoryid=13 | title=Gabriel Macht to star in ‘Spirit’: Sony picks up rights to comicbook adaptation | publisher=Variety | date=2007-08-02 | accessdate= 2007-08-03 ] It will take place in Albuquerque Studios in New Mexico.cite news | author=Borys Kit | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib429a97580f60ae2166395f1268d6bf8 | title=Miller's 'Spirit' finds love with Paulson | publisher=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2007-09-25 | accessdate=2007-09-25 ]

"The Spirit" was shot using Panavision's Genesis digital camera.cite news | author= | url=http://www.broadcastbuyer.tv/publish/New_Contracts_24/The_Orphanage_Brings_VFX_And_DI_Processes_Together_With_Film_Master_15639.shtml | title=The Orphanage Brings VFX And DI Processes Together With Film Master| publisher=broadcastbuyer.tv | date=2008-04-09 | accessdate=2008-04-10 ]

Marketing

At the New York Comic-Con on February 24, 2007, director/writer Frank Miller and producer Michael Uslan was scheduled to present a panel for "The Spirit", [cite news | author= | url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9495 | title=NYCC ANNOUNCES MORE SPECIAL GUESTS; IMPORTANT DEADLINES | publisher=Comic Book Resources | date=2007-01-29 | accessdate=2007-02-13 ] though Miller was unable to attend due to recuperation from hip and leg injuries. Instead, Uslan, fellow producer F.J. DeSanto, and former "The Spirit" publisher Denis Kitchen presented a panel at which they described the history of the film and the film's progress.

Titan Books is producing a deluxe making-of book for the film, featuring interviews with the cast and crew, color photos, storyboards and production art, plus the full screenplay. It is scheduled to be released in December 2008, the same month as the film.

The film got a PG-13 rating from the MPAA for "intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity". [cite web | url=http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/latest_mpaa_ratings_119 | title=Latest MPAA Ratings: #119 | date=2008-08-27 | accessdate=2008-08-29 ]

The film will be released on 25 December 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.mycityscreams.com Official website]
* [http://lionsgate.com/thespirit/ Official teaser page]
* [http://media.movies.ign.com/media/739/739928/vids_1.html Video interview with "The Spirit " producers] at IGN
*imdb title|id=0831887|title=The Spirit