A promotional poster featuring Scarlett Johansson with presumably one of her trademark lines from Frank Miller’s new comic-book adaptation of Will Eisner’s “The Spirit” was released last week.
And? Why should you give a flying fuck? Because the man behind the camera is none other than Frank Miller. Whatever derision you want to foist onto comics, Miller’s vision for the “Dark Knight” Batman series in the late 1980’s was a seminal Rosetta stone, that resurrected the gritty, realistic feel the comic book originally had but lost during the 60’s and 70’s. Since the series’ publication, nearly every comic-book movie adaptation has drawn from its tone in an attempt to capture that realistic crime movie feel in their comic-book universe.
Miller has also been a pioneer in the realm of comic-book movie effects with” Sin City,” his Robert Rodriguez assisted, co-adaptation that was a unheralded revolution in stunning comic book visuals. This photograph, with its black and white with a hint of color makes the movie seem as though it could be a decent neo-noir, much like Miller’s previous projects or just a simple rehash of ‘City’. But then again, it is just a picture. Keeping in mind Miller’s penchant for showing off the female form in his flicks (again, see ‘City’), who knows, maybe if we’re lucky he’ll at the very least follow this skin baring trend with Scarjo. Judging from the poster, and the phrase on her face, maybe she will finally shake her stuffy image and start engaging in some dominatrix type action. The insinuation alone should be enough to fill a few seats come Christmas time, and who knows, maybe Miller will come through again. Let’s just hope it’s nothing like “Elektra.”
What the hell’s it about? A rookie cop that returns from the grave to rennact vengance on the bad forces of Central City (ok, certainly less sexy) The film also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, Paz Vega and Jaimie King (slightly more sexy!)
– Spencer Martin
