Though Frank Miller says nothing of real interest throughout this brief video diary just posted to Lionsgate’s official website for The Spirit, he’s certainly more skilled at saying nothing than Zack Snyder.
Let’s just hope that, when there is stuff to show, Miller delivers the (tantalizingly vague) goods as Snyder has done in the past few weeks for Watchmen. From what I hear (and I hear a fair amount on this particular production), the cast and crew are really enjoying themselves – which is a useless bit of info until you realize that they’re all stuck on a soundstage in Albuquerque, New Mexico. No offense to our Albuquerque readers, but that town ain’t exactly a hotbed of happenin’, especially for Hollywood folk.
I can’t divulge too much, but it sounds like Paz Vega’s scintillating appearance as the knife-wielding Plaster of Paris will be a highlight (her big fight sequence calls for her to essentially quisinart the protagonist), while Samuel L. Jackson is whooping it up as The Octopus. Though some have worried how Miller might fare as a solo filmmaker, he’s apparently running a smooth, collaborative set. Though it’s impossible to tell how it’ll all look once the greenscreen gives way to CG environs, the presence of cinematographer Bill Pope suggests that Miller might be getting something special.
Again, it’s early days in Albuquerque, but at least all is proceding cheerfully and efficiently. When the fistfights start breaking out, you’ll be the first to know.