Frank Miller to write, direct movie based on 'The Spirit' comic

Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 11:44 AM Central

by Tim Briscoe

Frank Miller will write and direct an adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit comic for Lionsgate. The film is being produced by Odd Lot Entertainment.

In a press release from the studio, Miller said "Will Eisner's The Spirit is a product of passion and dedication for me. Will was a dear friend, a mentor, and translating his vision to the screen will be a labor of love. I look forward to working with the people at Lionsgate, and to add to their lauded reputation for genre films."

The Spirit is about a man named Denny Colt who fakes his own death and fights crime from the shadows of Central City. The Octopus is his sinister nemesis. Will Eisner created The Spirit as a newspaper comic strip in 1940. The series ran until 1952 and has since been reprinted many times in various formats. Eisner died in 2005.

Frank Miller is the artist and author of numerous comics and graphic novels including Sin City and 300, both of which were adapted into very successful feature films. Director Robert Rodriguez even fought to give Miller a co-director credit for Sin City.

Production on The Spirit will begin after Sin City 2 which again has Miller teaming with Rodriguez. We're estimating a fall 2009 theatrical release for The Spirit.