Is a 'Sin City' TV Series in the Works?

By the time Sin City: A Dame to Kill For opens in a few months it will have been nine years between films, with a couple of delays thrown in for good measure. Despite Sin City performing well, Robert Rodriguez's busy schedule doesn't bode well for the chances of a third movie any time soon, but perhaps the serialized nature of Frank Miller's comic would work better on the small screen, anyway? Bob and Harvey Weinstein seem to think so, and in an interview with The New York Times, talked about bringing Sin City to TV...

Bob Weinstein, interviewed separately from his brother, said he was developing original projects that would be in tune with his horror- and action-oriented Dimension brand, along with several shows based on movies he has overseen for the company. He is preparing a pilot based on the “Scream” films for MTV, for instance, and developing a proposed 10-part series with Frank Darabont, based on Dimension’s film version of Stephen King’s “The Mist.”

 

Mr. Weinstein said he was also hoping to quickly follow the August release of the film “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, with a “Sin City” television series from Mr. Miller and Mr. Rodriguez.

 

Weinstein also mentioned Silver Linings Playbook and August: Osage County as more recent films that could work well as TV shows. Sin City would probably turn out the best of these since it's basically tailor made for episodic television, but I'm quite intrigued by seeing what could be done with The Mist, a film I absolutely love. Keeping a close eye on this story.

Read More

Sundance News: Bruce Willis will be back for 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For'

OH, hey Bruce Willis! What's up, guy? It's kind of crazy how packed Willis's 2013 will be: A Good Day to Die Hard comes out in February, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is hitting theaters in March, and Red 2 is for the tail-end of the summer, in August. SO MUCH WILLIS. Middle-aged men must be very excited for the next few months.

And here's some more good news: Willis will return for Robert Rodriguez's Sin City sequel, A Dame to Kill For. According to an interview with Rodriguez with MTV at Sundance, it's as simple as "Bruce is back, so you'll be seeing him." Willis joins other returning actors like Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Jaime King, and newbies like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Juno Temple, and Josh Brolin.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is supposed to come out this year, but who knows if that's true? Anyway, it's been a long time since 2005, when Sin City was released, so I guess we can all wait a little longer. Boo. Hiss.

Read More

'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For' gets October 2013 release date

After seven years of hand wringing and false promises, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is finally happening, and ever since Robert Rodriguez confirmed the summer start date the pieces have been falling into place seamlessly. Rosario Dawson is slated to return, and we'd been hearing since last year that Mickey Rourke and Jessica Alba would be reprising their integral roles as well. Now we also know when the film will hit theaters, with Dimension Films confirming an October 4th 2013 release date.

The release also has Rourke and Alba locked in as Marv and Nancy Callahan, probably the two most important characters in the Sin City stories. Rodriguez and Frank Miller will share directing credits, with the script put together by Miller and William Monahan(The Departed). Other huge names are being promised, and I'm assuming some of those will be returning cast members like Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, and Elijah Wood.

Similar to the previous film, there will be a number of stories told throughout, with A Dame to Kill For as the central, connecting piece. Miller's limited release tale, Just Another Saturday Night, would also figure prominently. Monahan and Miller also came up with two stories special for the sequel, one of which is titled The Long, Bad Night. A Dame to Kill For revolves around a seductress named Ava Lord, and it had been rumored that Rodriguez and Miller really wanted Angelina Jolie for the part. If she were to join it would be one heck of a coup. While she'd be great, whenever I've read the comic it's Rachel Weisz that strikes me as a perfect for it. Fingers crossed.

Read More

Mickey Rourke and Rosario Dawson will return for 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For'

True to his word, Robert Rodriguez has begun casting on Sin City: A Dame to Kill For this week, and the first shots out of the gate are two people that were expected to return from the very beginning. Talking to MTV, Rodriguez revealed that Mickey Rourke and Rosario Dawson would reprise their roles as Marv and Gail for the long awaited pulp sequel....

Rodriguez:  "We still have to cast. I'm shooting 'Machete' next month, and we go right into 'Sin City.' It might overlap, but we haven't done any casting yet, except for the people who we know are already in it and returning. 'A Dame to Kill For,' all those people come back," Rodriguez revealed. "I just had lunch with Mickey [Rourke] this weekend. He's all excited to come back, but he's probably the first one. I saw Rosario [Dawson] too. I ran into her for something else, and she's pumped. They've always been excited about doing another one, so that will be fun."

The Marv and Gail roles are crucial to the film, as both feature prominently in Frank Miller's Just Another Saturday Night, one of the major stories the sequel will include.  Rourke had been rumored to return as far back as last October, along with Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan, the stripper who features prominently in both Just Another Saturday Night and A Dame to Kill For. Since she's now signed up for Rodriguez's Machete Kills, she's all but a lock for Sin City as well.

Others who figure in are Clive Owen's Dwight character, along with Michael Clarke Duncan and Bruce Willis. I expect we'll hear more about them and the numerous other roles that need to be filled soon.

Read More

Finally! 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For' casting begins next week; filming begins this summer

No, I'm not pulling your leg and it appears Robert Rodriguez isn't stringing us along anymore, the way he has for seven frustrating years. The sequel to Sin City is actually happening, with casting set to begin next week. Considering the crazy mix of stars who made up the last film, this might be the most entertaining film to follow since Django Unchained.

Titled Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, the film features a script by creator Frank Miller and William Monahan(The Departed), and is expected to start filming this summer, just as Rodriguez promised at SXSW last month. Assuming his previous plan is still in place, Machete Kills will film this spring, which would mean jumping immediately into Sin City.

A Dame to Kill For will be the over arcing story, but there will be other of Miller's tales filling in the gaps, including the special short story, Just Another Saturday Night. It looks as if the majority of the previous film's cast is expected to return, which included Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Clive Owen, and many more. Mickey Rourke and Jessica Alba have been rumored to come back for months, and considering they play arguably the two most important characters in Sin City, they pretty much need to return. It'll be interesting to see what new faces pop up.

None of that matters right now, though. The wait is almost over! I feel like we should be popping champagne or something.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Read More

Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba to return for Sin City 2?

The six year long tease that has been Sin City 2 finally appears to be coming to an end, with the addition of William Monahan(The Departed) doing some fine tuning on Frank Miller's script. Robert Rodriguez recently stated that shooting could begin as soon as the end of the year, which always seemed a little optimistic to me, considering the number of actors that needed to have their schedules synced up. For one, Mickey Rourke has been a little reluctant to come back to play the hulking brute, Marv, an integral character in a number of Sin City's multiple arcs. Speaking recently to MTV, Miller provided a brief update that would appear to hint at Rourke's potential return, as well as that of Jessica Alba...

Miller: 'Sin City' number two is primarily an adaptation of the book 'A Dame to Kill For'," Miller reiterated, then adding: "It also features the short story, 'Just Another Saturday Night' and two new stories. One involving Jessica Alba's character, Nancy Callahan, that I came up with for the movie in order to tie things together and make it be more united with the first."
 
Just Another Saturday Night was a special story Miller wrote and made available on a limited basis. It tells the story of what Marv was doing the night Nancy(Alba) and John Hartigan(Bruce Willis) dealt with the events detailed in That Yellow Bastard, one of the last film's main storylines. Nancy and Marv are also featured characters in A Dame to Kill For, so it's assumed Alba will return, and the possibility exists for Rourke as well. Although considering the heavy make-up needed for the Marv character, he could always be recast.

So basically this sequel will encompass four stories. A Dame to Kill For is the main storyline. Just another Saturday Night is another, and then there are two new stories, one which we already know is titled The Long, Bad Night. Miller added that shooting may not actually begin until spring of 2012, which sounds more realistic.

Read More

Rodriguez says Sin City 2 next on his list

They should coin a new phrase for us beleaguered Sin City fans, "Battered Sin City fan Syndrome". Like most everyone else who loved Robert Rodriguez's violent 2005 flick, I've been eagerly waiting for the star-studded sequel. It's been promised, then shelved, then written, and whatever but it never seems to get done. Something else always takes precedent. Not really unexpected given Rodriguez's disgustingly busy work schedule, but it'd be nice to hear something concrete one way or another. Either make the damn thing or cancel it. I'm tired of the ping ponging back and forth.

Maybe, and I emphasize MAYBE we're headed in the right direction again as The Playlist found some interesting words from Rodriguez on the status of Sin City, stating that he intends it to be his next film after completion of Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, which just began shooting last month....

“Frank Miller and I are working on it. It’s slated to be the next one.” But if the script is not ready, then we’ll have to move to the next one.”

Note the caveat at the end. So the burden falls upon Sin City creator Frank Miller to punch up the draft before Rodriguez agrees, and if not then he'll start one of his dozen other projects and it'll be 2015 before the subject even comes up.

This actually isn't the first time Rodriguez has made this claim. He had similar things to say back in July.

Spy Kids 4 is due to be released in August of next year, so presuably Miller has until around that time to hammer out the script. Let's hope it works out, but I'm curious whether anybody else out there still cares about a Sin City sequel?

Read More

Sin City 2 "Could Happen Very Soon"

I love Robert Rodriguez, but that guy sure is fickle. He's got projects on top of projects, and he floats them out there casually then they disappear into the ether.(*cough*Red Sonja *cough). Asked for no doubt the gazillionth time on the subject, it looks like we might be getting what we asked for...finally!! He indicates that co-director(and Sin City creator) Frank Miller is just about to hand in a new script, seemingly invigorating Rodriguez to get the project back on the fast track.

"It's only about timing," Rodriguez tells MTV. "It could happen very soon. It could happen a little later. It could happen even later. But probably sooner rather than later."

There's a reason I threw the word "seemingly" in there, because even though Rodriguez appears to be amped up, he's still waffling a little bit. Sooner. Later. Sooner. Later. Dude, just get it done!

Ever since Sin City blazed onto the big screen back in 2005, fans have been clamoring for a sequel to the ultra stylized, violent flick. Rumors have run the gamut, whether it be casting(Angelina Jolie!) or release dates(Sin City 2 in 2008!)  Yeah, right. The film's cast has made no secret about a desire to get back to work on it, along with the film's producers. The problem is it keeps getting pushed back. Just a few weeks ago in an interview with Empire, Rodriguez seemed less than enthusiastic about it.

You can watch the full interview clip with Rodriguez and MTV right here.

Read More

Sin City 2? Eh...."Maybe"....

I'm convinced there will be no more Sin City movies, and if Robert Rodriguez's attitude towards it is any indicator I'm right on the money.  In the latest issue of Empire(via The Playlist), the director was asked about the possibility of Sin City 2 shooting anytime soon. His answer? 

"Maybe".

Maybe? No elaboration? Come on, homie. Sin City is a project that everybody seems to want to get done. The actors have talked it to death in interviews, making it seem far closer to reality than it actually is. Rodriguez seems to be throwing more projects in front of it, pushing it further onto the backburner.

Rodriguez seems content to make smaller films through his Troublemaker studios. Spy Kids 4 is in the works and likely to begin shooting this year. He also has the Nimrod Antal directed Predators due out in July, not to mention the finishing touches on Machete. The reason I'm convinced of Sin City's demise is that Rodriguez has made no secret of his penchant for producing lower budget films, and Sin City fits that mold perfectly. It was produced for only about $40M. So why keep it shelved unless the desire to make it simply doesn't exist?

Count this as another Rodriguez project to be wished out into the cornfield.

Read More

Sin City 2 in 2010?

The news on Sin City 2 continues to trickle in but this is probably the most concrete info we've received in some time. Mania.com scored an interview with producer Stephen L'Heureux, who confirmed that the film will begin shooting in the latter half of 2010. He also confirmed there has already been discussion of Sin City 3. That's the good news.

The questionable news is that unlike the previous Sin City, the sequel will not be based on any of the Frank Miller graphic novels, but will instead be an original script by Miller himself. It was expected that Miller's "A Dame to Kill For" would be the core story used for the sequel, but obviously that's no longer the case.

The reason this is questionable is because Miller's track record with screenplays is spotty. His most recent foray gave us the crapfest, The Spirit, late last year. I'll be generous, though, because The Spirit was not an original Miller creation, and he is considerably more familiar with the world of Sin City obviously. Frankly, I'm excited over any news on the film. Sin City was one of my favorite movies of 2005 and continues to hold up every time I check it out.

Read More

Sin City 2 in 2010?

When asked about the prospects of the long gestating sequel to Sin City, the greatest male actor working today(that's right, I said it) Clive Owen had this to say to MTV:

"I'm hearing it might be next year,"

The sequel has long been rumored to be based on Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. That story details how Dwight came to look as he does in Sin City, which is merely hinted at in the film. Rumors as to who will be playing Dwight's ex-lover Ava have been circulating for years, with Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, and Robert Rodriguez favorite Rose McGowan leading the pack. The sequel will also feature a brand new side story focusing on Nancy Callahan, the pole dancing cowgirl played by Jessica Alba.

I was a huge fan of Sin City when it came out, and I continue to love the film even now. It's not perfect, but it completely captures the spirit of the graphic novels. My biggest beef is that it's just too scattershot and all over the place, when it really needed to focus on a single thread, rather than trying to cram in every character in the entire universe. This sounds like a more focused effort. Hopefully Rodriguez can convince Tarantino to come back to direct a few scenes like he did last time.

Read More

Rodriguez Stalks New Predator Franchise

Robert Rodriguez, the visionary auteur behind such great films as El Mariachi and Sin City, is preparing to bring back the baddest hunter in the known universe. Rodriguez is relaunching the Predator franchise, kicking things off with "Predators", which I assume will have the multi-gadgeted death dealer back on earth and hunting down humans. Rodriguez has already written the script, but no word has been released on when the film is set to hit theaters, as Rodriguez is pushing around multiple projects at the moment.

Ok, I'm probably the biggest fan of the original Predator film. There's no simpler concept than the idea of one man vs. an unstoppable killing machine. But that film sported an amazing cast featuring the Governator, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, amongst others. The sequel I was not all that invested in, with Danny Glover's old ass limpin' around fighting off the Predator with a standard revolver. Whatever! The Alien vs. Predator movies have been disappointing also, and at this point of so many years without a quality Predator film I'm a little bit skeptical about this project. The fact that Rodriguez is handling it gives me confidence, as the guy knows how to draft a mean script and will certainly give the film a certain visual flair. I am interested in knowing who the Predator's main adversary will be. If it's just a bunch of no-name kid like in the AVP movies then they might as well forget it.

Read More

Sin City 2 Being Shopped Around?

The fate of the sequel of 2005's Sin City has been up in the air for quite some time. Director Robert Rodriguez has often said how much he wants to do a sequel to the film, which brought in over $150M worldwide. Frank Miller was up for a sequel as well, even though his stock has plummeted after the dismal showing The Spirit made this past Christmas.

In recent weeks there have been some stories leaking out that the rights to Sin City might have lapsed, and that the Weinstein Company might have lost them altogether. The Weinsteins/Dimension have been on record stating that they believe they still own the rights and intend to produce the sequel. However, it's now being reported that the rights to Sin City are being shopped around to producers by agents representing the Frank Miller estate. What the heck? He ain't dead! Although he might've offed himself after reading reviews of The Spirit....

Sin City has languished in development Hell for the last four years, even though Angelina Jolie has expressed interest in joining the project. It's not clear at this point how this affects Robert Rodriguez, who is very closely affiliated with both the project and the Weinsteins.

Read More