Movies Based on Fantasy Books – The Spirit

Have you noticed how many movies and TV shows are based on fantasy books? I did a little research and there are at least 4 movies being released in the next few months that are adapted from fantasy books. First up is a movie called “The Spirit.” This movie hits theaters December 25th and stars Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, and Eva Mendes.

The film, adapted from Will Eisner’s popular graphic novels, falls into the action-adventure/romance genre. It’s directed by Frank Miller, the guy responsible for the movies Sin City and 300. The story centers around a former cop (The Spirit) who mysteriously returns from the dead to fight crime. His primary mission is to locate and kill an insane megalomaniac called the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) who’s hell bent on destroying the city where The Spirit resides while attempting to achieve immortality. Along the way The Spirit comes into contact with several beautiful women, in keeping with the detective noir aspect of the film. Here’s what the director has to say about The Spirit and the women in the movie:

“The character has a terrifying side to him. This is a man who’s died and come back to life. So it twists into fantasy. And of course there are tons of women in it. There have to be — it’s the Spirit. They’re all in love with him, and he’s in love with all of them.”

However, not all of these ladies are to be trusted; some of them would like to see The Spirit killed. In particular, a flirtatious secretary named Silken Floss (portrayed by Scarlett Johannson) is actually working for The Octopus and Sand Saref (played by Eva Mendes) is The Spirit’s former love who’s now on the wrong side of the law.

Although the graphic novel is set in the 40’s and early 50’s, the movie set will convey “an alternate past with modern technologies.” Therefore expect to see women dressed as if they stepped out of a Philip Marlowe movie alongside men weilding futuristic weapons.

One of the things I really loved about the films Sin City and 300 was the set design and lighting. Both films have a wonderful otherworldly surreal look-and-feel. The Spirit was shot in a similar fashion and therefore will be a great film to see on the big screen.

I’m looking forward to seeing this movie soon after it’s released; it will be interesting to see how closely it follows the original fantasy books.

Check out these cool movie posters by Ignition Print.