Thursday, October 29

• Frank Miller's Sin City 2 and Hard Boiled in the Works

  Film adaptations of comic book visionary Frank Miller's 300 and Sin City graphic novels have generated more than $280 million at the box office, so it's not surprising that more of Miller's ideas will be coming to the big screen soon.

  Back in June, director Zack Snyder announced his interest in making a sequel or prequel to 300, and in September actor Clive Owen, who played Dwight in Sin City, announced that a sequel to Sin City might be in the works. Also in September, it was announced that Sylvain White might be directing a 3-D adaptation of Miller's Ronin graphic novel.

  Now, there's confirmation from producer Stephen L'Heureux of Solipsist Films that production on Sin City 2 will begin in late 2010 from an original script by Miller, who will co-direct with Robert Rodriguez. In a recent interview with Mania, L'Heureux also announced that another of Miller's graphic novels, Hard Boiled, is being developed for the screen.

  We got the project in turnaround from Warner Bros and Frank. It's such a pleasure to work with someone like Frank Miller. He's so smart and passionate about story at all levels from 1940s noir pulp to modern film.

  Miller is expected to direct Hard Boiled, but L'Heureax said that it would have to wait until after Sin City 2.

  With Sin City [2] just on the horizon, I don't think we'd be able to do it with Frank right away. As simple as Sin City [2] seems, it's a very complex scheduling with all these actors and it's a very demanding shoot to be on a sound stage all day long. We have to space it for Frank. There's also talk, of course, of Sin City 3.

  
  
  

  Sin City - Trailer
  

  300 Trailer -- Version 1 (2:28)

  Posted 10/29/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Clive Owen | Frank Miller | Zack Snyder | Stephen L'Heureux | 300 | Sin City | Sin City 2 | Sin City 3

Thursday, October 22

• Nickelodeon Buys Rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

  According to Deadline Hollywood, Viacom's Nickelodean purchased the global intellectual property rights and merchandising rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) in a deal estimated at $60 million. Nickelodean plans to develop a new CG-animated TV series starring the Turtles and release a new feature film of their exploits in 2012.

  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book was originally self-published in 1984 by creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird as a parody of popular comic books of the time, including Frank Miller's Ronin and Marvel Comics' Daredevil. The comic book spawned a tremendously popular cartoon series, multiple video games, countless toys, three live-action movies, and the 2007 Imagi Animation Studios' CG-animated movie, simply titled TMNT.

  Nickelodean plans to maintain a relationship with Playmates Toyes, Inc., the company that first manufactured and marketed Turtles toys and is responsible for much of the franchise's success throughout the years.

  
  
  

  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Trailer

  The first of the three live-action movies

  Posted 10/22/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Frank Miller | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Origins | TMNT

Saturday, October 10

• Gerard Butler Open to 300 and Sin City Sequels

  Comic book visionary and sometimes film director Frank Miller is the creative force behind both 300 and Sin City, two of the most innovative movies of the past decade. Both films were based on Miller's Dark Horse Comics graphic novels, and both are currently the subject of speculation regarding possible sequels.

  Zack Snyder, director of the first 300, has said that he's ready to get started on a sequel — or prequel — as soon as Miller has completed work on the graphic novel that will serve as the basis for the film. And, actor Clive Owen, recently dropped the news that a "good source" has told him the Sin City sequel could begin filming as early as next year.

  Actor Gerard Butler gave a commanding performance as King Leonidas in 300, so it would be hard to imagine another round of Spartan mayhem that didn't include him. In a recent interview with MTV, Butler said that he would consider reprising the role, but that he didn't feel a sequel was necessary.

  I had an incredible time doing the first one and I think if the first one was just a stand-alone as a one-off, there's no bad thing in that.

  Butler went on to say that he could see himself working with Miller again, possibly on a sequel to Sin City.

  You know, graphic novels are things that I wouldn't do a lot of so I would have to really choose carefully before I did. I mean, at one point, [Miller] talked to me about one of the [Sin City Sequels] and we discussed that. There's a kind of cool character, I think in the third one.

  Butler is currently starring in F. Gary Gray's Law Abiding Citizen opposite Jamie Foxx.

  
  
  Next Showing: Law Abiding Citizen opens October 16
  

  Law Abiding Citizen - Clip

  Interview: Gerard Butler

  Posted 10/10/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Frank Miller | Gerard Butler | Sin City | Sin City 2 | Sin City 3 | Law Abiding Citizen | 300

Thursday, September 24

• Clive Owen Says Sin City 2 Could Begin Production Next Year

  Director Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of comic creator Frank Miller's Sin City line of graphic novels may have been snubbed by the Academy, but it won 16 other critical awards, including the Technical Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and earned nearly $159 million at the box office, making it a prime candidate for a sequel. However, since its release in 2005, there's been nothing more than talk of that happening.

  Back in 2006, Rosario Dawson, who played Gail in Sin City, said that Rodriguez was considering casting Angelina Jolie in the lead role in Sin City 2, which was rumored to be an adaptation of Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For graphic novel. Subsequent rumors had both Salma Hayek and Rodriguez's then-girlfriend Rose McGowan competing for the role. Then, it appeared Rodriguez was side-lining Sin City 2 in favor of an update of Barbarella. Another rumor had the Weinsteins losing the rights to produce a Sin City sequel, a rumor which was squelched by their attorney in April, when he said their rights "remain intact."

  Just when it was beginning to look like a sequel would never happen, actor Clive Owen gave Sin City fans a little hope. In a recent interview with MTV, Owen said that production on Sin City could begin sooner than anyone thought.

  I'm hearing it might be next year, yes. I'm hearing it might be next year. I heard that from a very good source, recently, yeah.

  While Owen wouldn't say who the "good source" was, he hinted that it could have been either Miller or Rodriguez, and said that he would be interested in reprising the role of Dwight.

  I had a great time on the first one. Great time. Robert Rodriguez was a joy. It was a stunning film. I think it was an absolutely extraordinary achievement, what he did with that film. It's unlike ... it was a genuinely original movie.

  
  
  

  Sin City - Trailer

  Posted 09/24/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Clive Owen | Rosario Dawson | Robert Rodriguez | Frank Miller | Sin City | Sin City 2

Monday, September 14

• Frank Miller's Ronin May Come to Life in 3-D

  Frank Miller has been a legend in comic book circles for decades, but he didn't become a household name until the successful film adaptations of his works Sin City and 300.

  Despite his failed attempt to pay homage to Will Eisner's The Spirit, Miller's ideas are still considered fertile ground for feature films. Both Sin City 2 and a prequel to 300 are planned, as is an adaptation of his 1983 cyberpunk graphic novel, Ronin — not to be confused with the Robert Deniro movie of the same name.

  Director Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard) is attached to direct Ronin. Currently, White is filming The Losers, another comic book adaptation. He recently told SuperHeroHype.com that a script for Ronin is "still being developed" but could be coming to theaters in 3-D.

  I just got a new draft a week ago. It's looking really good and promising. I hope it gets to go.... [Mine is] a big-budget, big blockbuster take on it. I'd love to do it in 3D. I think it'd be ridiculous and amazing.

  Miller's story is a time-spanning tale of a "ronin" — a masterless samurai — who mystically finds himself transported from the 13th Century to the 21st Century, where he has to contend with the reincarnation of Agat, the demon who slew his master. White said that, although Ronin is a "great concept," it would take some work to translate it into movie form.

  Frank Miller is a genius when it comes to that. It took so long because the source material is so complex. It's very difficult, and it's not linear, and it doesn't really fit into a film format off the bat.

  You need a little bit of streamlining, but the story and the characters, if I get to do that movie, will all be there. I'm the guy who wants to respect the authors and the source material as a fan of graphic novels who grew up reading them whether it be in Europe or here. It's something that needs to be done right, and it hasn't really been done right.

  
  

  Posted 09/14/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Frank Miller | 300 | Sin City

Thursday, August 13

• Wolverine 2 Gets Screenwriter for "Sexier" Sequel

  THR reports that Christopher McQuarrie will write the script for the upcoming sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. McQuarrie will be responsible for adapting the storyline from the 1982 Wolverine comic book mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller that was hinted at briefly in a post-credits sequence in Wolverine. McQuarrie is no stranger to the X-Men universe, having done an uncredited re-write on 2000's X-Men.

  Hugh Jackman has been staunchly in favor of the Japan storyline since the subject of a Wolverine sequel was raised, and promises that Wolverine 2 will be "fairly faithful" to the Miller-Clarmont book, though Jackmand says they will have to "pick and choose" portions of the story to cover.

  [Wolverine 2] will be very different from the last Wolverine movie, and that's what I like about it. I didn't want it to feel like the same thing.... It's a whole new environment and the storyline is unbelievable. Like all the Wolverine and X-Men stories, they're long. If you put together all the Japan saga stories, it's so long.

  One way Wolverine 2 will be like its predeccessor is in its supporting cast. "There will be a lot of new mutants," said Jackman. However, if Wolverine 2 stays faithful to the comics, Jackman claims that it will also be a much steamier Wolverine than before.

  Parts of that story were pretty dark. I don't know if it's the darkest, but I'm going to go out on a limb right now and say I think it will be the sexiest. There's some female companionship — and not just one — for Wolverine.... My wife might have an issue with it, but I think the fans will like it.

  Jackman says that Wolverine 2 can be expected to reach theaters in 2012. "If you look at the history [of the X-Men movies], it's been every three years — three years exactly."

  
  

  Posted 08/13/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Hugh Jackman | Frank Miller | Christopher McQuarrie | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | X-Men | Wolverine 2

Tuesday, August 11

• Hugh Jackman Talks Wolverine Sequel

  After the box-office success of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a sequel was immediately put into production. Hugh Jackman spoke to MTV to briefly update the progress on the Wolverine sequel:

  Japan is where we're heading, [and] we're starting to work on it now. We're in ... the first steps of developing that story. I think the fans love that saga. It's my favorite saga of the Wolverine stories. That's a movie I've longed to make from the beginning, so that's where we're heading.

  The story Jackman is referencing is a four-issue comic book series written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Frank Miller in 1982. In it, Wolverine heads to Japan to confront a lost love and ends up battling her father and a ninja clan called The Hand.

  No director or writer details has been mentioned, nor has a release date been given.

  
  

  Posted 08/11/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Hugh Jackman | Frank Miller | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Wolverine 2

Thursday, July 9

• Will 300 Sequel Feature Gerard Butler?

  Zack Snyder already broke the news of a 300 sequel and is patiently waiting for Frank Miller to finish the next graphic novel. The question remains, though: With the end of 300 making most of the cast, umm ... well, let's say unavailable, what would the sequel be about and who would be in it?

  Snyder previously mentioned that the sequel would follow a battle the Spartans undertook for 12 months that occurred before the events that comprise the end of 300. So the next 300 won't exactly be a sequel or a prequel, it'll be more like a near-the-end-quel. While that sounds a bit confusing, it may mean that Gerard Butler and other cast members return for the next installment.

  Producer Mark Canton isn't ruling out that possibility. "Never assume anything; never assume anything," said Canton to MTV about bringing back the original cast. "It'll be what it'll be."

  In other words, not even a movie's producer can predict what will happen in a near-the-end-quel.

  
  

  Posted 07/09/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Mark Canton | Frank Miller | Gerard Butler | Zack Snyder | 300

Monday, January 5

• Watchmen Director Wants The Dark Knight Returns

  Zack Snyder, the director of 300 and the soon-to-be-released Watchmen movie, wants to adapt yet another Frank Miller graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns" into a feature film.

  Snyder told iFMagazine that he has asked studio Warner Bros. about creating a big-screen adaptation of the classic comic, which focuses on an aged Batman/Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement to defend Gotham from a gang of hooligans terrorizing the city. Of course, his reemergence sparks similar rebirths of his gallery of rogues, and all hell breaks loose -- including an armored battle with Superman.

  "I said I'm interested in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns," he commented. "That's really my favourite comic book."

  The director admitted that his chances of making the movie are slim saying, "The studio has this massive franchise and I don't think they'll let me make a Batman movie where he's 50 years old and Ronald Reagan is President."

  
  

  Posted 01/05/2009 by Jim

  Related: Frank Miller | Zack Snyder | Watchmen | 300

Monday, December 29

• The Spirit Staggers into 9th Place

  Frank Miller's homage to comics legend Will Eisner bombed big-time over the holiday weekend with a poor 9th place performance, making only $6.5 million.

  That really hurts the first-time director who, it was just announced, is slated to direct the Buck Rogers movie. For Miller's sake, his street cred for previous hits like Sin City and 300 will hopefully protect him from Hollywood's practice of dumping directors of box office bombs.

  The Spirit earned an average of $2,595 per screen compared with Marley and Me's $10,632.

  The takeaway: Cute puppies and cute couples sold better than superheroes over the holidays.

  
  

  Posted 12/29/2008 by reelz

  Related: Frank Miller | The Spirit

Friday, December 19

• Frank Miller Takes On Buck Rogers as The Spirit Gets Hammered

  Odd Lot Entertainment has chosen comic book legend and novice director Frank Miller to lead the Buck Rogers movie, so says The Hollywood Reporter.

  This will be Take 2 for Miller, who has his directorial debut with The Spirit, opening in theaters Christmas Day.

  Many comic book movie fans have openly panned The Spirit as an aesthetic rip-off of Sin City, and for looking too cornball, but a few of the more open-minded have expressed a "wait and see" attitude.

  Now the first reviews are hitting the web, and if they're all like the critique at Latino Review, Odd Lot may want to reconsider:

  "The costumes are bad, the sets are bad, the lighting is bad, the performances are bad. Everything! BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD!"

  
  
  Next Showing: The Spirit opens December 25

  Posted 12/19/2008 by reelz

  Related: Frank Miller | The Spirit

Friday, May 9

• Frank Miller to Direct Buck Rogers Flick

  Given all of the other '70s and '80s titles that have been dragged out of storage, re-tooled and plastered on the big screen over the last decade, it seemed inevitable that Buck Rogers, the swingin' space cowboy who cruised the galaxy for three seasons on NBC from 1979-1981 (and in numerous comic books and movie serials in the decades prior), would get his shot. IGN Movies reports that Nu Image/Millennium Films, the folks behind the recent Rambo revival and the upcoming Conan the Barbarian reboot, are moving forward with a new Buck Rogers movie, with Frank Miller -- yes, the same Frank Miller who gave us Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns and various other dark, cynical and intensely violent graphic novels -- slated to direct.

  Can't wait to see how this one turns out.

  Source: IGN Movies

  
  

  Posted 05/09/2008 by reelz

  Related: Frank Miller

Friday, August 3

• Fanboy update: The Spirit and Return to Castle Wolfenstein

  Gabriel Macht, the shining light from last winter's Because I Said So, will be making his foray into the fanboy genre with Will Eisner's the Spirit. Macht will star as The Spirit, a man who fakes his own death to help battle crime, most notably crime committed by a villain named The Octopus--a part that IMDB shows Samuel L. Jackson in talks for. The script was adapted from Eisner's comic and will be directed by Frank Miller, the comic god behind Sin City, The Dark Knight, Daredevil, etc.

  And the videogame Return to Castle Wolfenstein, about a WWII army ranger who has to strom the castle to investigate the Nazi's SS Paranormal Division may be making its way to the silver screen. Producer Samuel Hadida (Resident Evil, True Romance) has bought the rights to it. Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, The Rules of Attraction) is attached to write and direct.

  Source: Variety.

  
  

  Posted 08/03/2007 by reelz

  Related: Frank Miller | Gabriel Macht | Roger Avary | Will Eisner's The Spirit | Return to Castle Wolfenstein

Wednesday, May 2

• Prepare for some hot Samurai abs

  Hot on the heels of the stunning success of 300, another Frank Miller graphic novel, Ronin, is set to get the green-screen treatment, reports Variety.

  Warner Bros. optioned the rights to the story, about a 13th century ronin, or disgraced samurai warrior, who resurfaces in mid-21st century New York to battle gangs of mutants and thugs to try to recover a mythical sword that once belonged to his master.

  Like 300, Ronin will be chock full of CGI goodness. The real question is whether it can equal the latent homoeroticism of its Greek predecessor. If the picture above is any indication, methinks the answer is a resounding yes.

  
  

  Posted 05/02/2007 by reelz

  Related: Frank Miller | 300