One of the big problems Lionsgate faces with Frank Miller’s adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit is that most audiences don’t know who Will Eisner is, nor do they have any understanding of his signature character. The trailers released to date haven’t done much to tackle that problem; instead they’ve highlighted the babes and the weird ultra-pulpy post-Sin City aspects of the movie.
Enter this ‘The Origin Of The Spirit‘ featurette, now playing at Yahoo. Not only does the short show off some previously unseen footage, it concisely explains who Eisner was, who the character is and why Miller wanted to make the movie. It’s a puff piece, sure, but there’s more character backstory here than in any Spirit movie materials we’ve seen so far. If enough people see this and through it get the basic idea, then Miller’s movie might be able to stand on its own merits…whatever they may be.