a hero born, murdered, and born again: the spirit movie by frank miller
after leaving the criminal elements with no doubt black'n'blue bruises, Will Eisner's The SPIRIT transits from comicbook-BLUE to celluloid-BLACK in the live-action movie adaptation, directed by comicbook-writer/creator Frank Miller - at least the tie still runs RED, innit? /// READ MORE
WHAT IS THE SPIRIT?"The Spirit is a fictional American masked crime-fighter, created by writer-artist Will Eisner in 1940, who starred in a Sunday-newspaper comic-book insert. His namesake, seven-page weekly series is considered one of the comic-art medium's most significant works, with Eisner creating or popularizing many of the styles, techniques, and storytelling conventions used by comics professionals decades later ... The stories ranged through a wide variety of styles, from straightforward crime drama and film noir to lighthearted adventure, from mystery and horror to comedy and love stories, often with hybrid elements that twisted genre and expectations." [wiki]
WHO IS THE SPIRIT?
"The Spirit, (is refered to) as "the only real middle-class crimefighter", was the hero persona of young detective Denny Colt. Presumed killed in the first three pages of the premiere story, Colt later revealed to his friend, Central City Police Commissioner Dolan, that he had in fact gone into suspended animation caused by one of archvillain Dr. Cobra's experiments. When Colt awakened in Wildwood Cemetery, he established a base there and, using his newfound anonymity, began a life of fighting crime wearing only a small domino mask, blue business suit, fedora hat and gloves for a costume. The Spirit dispensed justice, funding his adventures with the rewards for capturing villains." [wiki]
/// is it just me, or does the movie-Spirit's wardrobe-colors parallel The Shadow's a
tad too much? don't you dare say "homage" becoz that's just a lazy excuse, IMHO.
WHAT ABOUT THE MOVIE: THE SPIRIT?
"The Spirit is an upcoming 2009 American film adaptation based on the newspaper strip The Spirit created by Will Eisner. 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 January 16, 2009." [wiki]
Official Movie Website Link: lionsgate.com/thespirit/ - which includes a production blog where Frank Miller updates.
Movie Tagline: " Down these mean streets a man must come. A hero born, murdered, and born again." [IMDB]
Plot Outline: "Down these mean streets a man must come. A hero born, murdered, and born again. When a Rookie cop named Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces from the shadows of Central City. The Octopus who kills anyone unfortunate enough to see his face who has other plans. He's going to wipe out the entire city. The Spirit tracks this cold hearted killer from the 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 the masked crusader" [IMDB]
[outdoor poster via]
/// the entire movie is to be shot like Sin City, with actors over green-screens ... frankly, i have not read a single issue nor panel of The Spirit (yes im a phillistine, shuddup), so can hardly comment on the "faithfulness" of the characters, visuals nor designs (except for the obvious blue-to-black suit-change) ... and perhaps i could actually "enjoy" this flick without the burden of history and memory, innit? (*cool*) but the premise and visuals so far doesn't convince me beyond a Warren Beatty/Dick Tracy-movie-vibe, differing levels of "noir" notwithstanding ... or maybe i've been too spoilt by millennium-media, and need to decide only after watching a teaser or trailer, innit? HAH ... meanwhile, here's a list of the stars/actors [via wiki]:
- 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.
- Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss: A femme fatale secretary and accomplice to the Octopus.
- Eva Mendes as Sand Saref. 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.
- 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.
- Paz Vega as Plaster of Paris.
- Meeghan Holaway as Holly.
[all character-shots via AICN / top-posted illustration by Darwyn Cooke]
