USA: Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez show off their latest comic-based films at Comic-con

Record ID: 574769

  • Title: USA: Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez show off their latest comic-based films at Comic-con
  • Date: 30th July 2008
  • Summary: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 25, 2008) (REUTERS) MEDIA OUTSIDE RED CARPET AT COMIC-CON DOING INTERVIEWS SAMUEL L JACKSON TALKING TO MEDIA PAN FROM GABRIEL MACHT TO SAMUEL L JACKSON (SOUNDBITE) (English) GABRIEL MACHT AND FRANK MILLER, STAR AND DIRECTOR OF THE SPIRIT, SAYING: (FRANK MILLER) "Well I had a lot to work from. Will Eisner created The Spirit in the '30s and continued to do stories for 40 years about this character. It was a matter of transferring it to another form. I was lucky to find a guy who could play him. And we, we made up our own Spirit. It's not the one form the comic. It's the one you and I.. (GABRIEL MACHT) "Yeah, it's a new one, but it does bring out the spirit of the comic. (FRANK MILLER) "And we had long talks about what a hero was and the whole focus of this movie was to define the hero because it's the kind of story it is. If the hero isn't a hero, then you don't have any story at all." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR IN THE SPIRIT, SAYING: "Well I was drawn to it because of Frank Miller. All of a sudden I got a call saying "Frank Miller wants to talk to you and he wants you to be in the film "The Spirit." The Spirit, wow, who does he want me to play? Well he wants you to be the bad guy, the Octopus. I'm like, "He's just a pair of gloves!" So we had a meeting, we talked about it and he said look. This is an opportunity to put flesh and blood on this character and I think you're the guy that can menace the Spirit and do all the things we need to do to make it happen. It was a wonderful kind of trip to go on." POSTER OF SPIRIT PULL OUT TO VARIOUS OF LIONSGATE BOOTH ON CONVENTION FLOOR SONY PICTURES SIGNAGE ON CONVENTION FLOOR POSTER OF RED SONJA ROBERT RODRIGUEZ'S HAND SIGNING POSTER ROSE MCGOWAN AND RODRIGUEZ SITTING AT TABLE SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBERT RODRIGUEZ AND ROSE MCGOWAN, RED SONJA, SAYING: (ROBERT RODRIGUEZ) "I'm a big fan of Robert E. Howard and Conan and Red Sonja since I was 12 or 13. And she came to me with the project because they were offering her the role of Red Sonja. And brought me the script and the comics and asked me if I'd heard of this. And I was like 'Uh, yeah! Every since I was a kid'." (ROSE MCGOWAN) "Yeah, I wasn't even saying, yeah, hey do this. I was saying 'What do you think of this thing called Red Sonja?' And he was like .. because he was completely familiar with it and I did not know that and he saw how excited I was because I been getting script after script and not doing it. Of the girlfriend or just some boring part. And it's very hard, after he created Cherry in Planet Terror for me to then go to do a boring role so this came along, I got so excited and gosh, luckily he's sharing my excitement." . PAN OF CONVENTION FLOOR
  • Embargoed: 14th August 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA1IO2GM1VKDIUL9382II0S06XO
  • Story Text: Comic-con may have started out as a gathering of graphic novel - loving nerds but has now become the go to point for any entertainment company trying to create buzz on upcoming projects.
    Big-time directors and producers like Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller showcased their upcoming projects. Frank Miller has directed 'The Spirit,' a film noir type film that wrestles with the difference between right and wrong and what defines a hero.
    'The Spirit,' written by Miller's mentor, Will Eisner, tells the story of a rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead and must defend the city from the villainous Octopus, played by Samuel L Jackson.
    Robert Rodriguez, who partnered with Frank Miller in '300' has taken on his own comic based film. 'Red Sonja,' which is still in the pre-production phases, tells the story of a red-haired she-devil, played by Rose McGowan.
    Neither of these films are necessarily uplifting or bright. Instead they follow the now successful mold of 'Ironman' and 'The Dark Knight.' Darker tales of heroism with a heightened sense of realism and depth.
    Movie studios fill many of the large exhibits on the convention floor and more and more celebrities come to the convention to build buzz around these upcoming films.
    The Comic-con has become a pop culture breeding ground. If studios can sell a movie idea to attendees it has the chance of getting some positive press and becoming a big hit when it actually hits theatres.
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