Academy Award® winners Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine joined Bruce Willis (Sin City), Mary-Louis Parker (“Weeds”), Brian Cox (Rushmore) and Academy Award® nominee John Malkovich in Toronto as they began production of the big-screen adaptation Red based on the graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis. Its hard to hear about a graphic novel adaptation starring Willis along side a lot of A list actors and not think of Frank Miller’s Sin City — alas, the City casts a large shadow. Rumors of a City sequel make this an especially interesting project for Willis to take on. I hope that Red finds a unique onscreen style and feel to stand out in whats become a rather big graphic novel crowd. Production moves to New Orleans before wrapping in late March. Look for Red in theaters October 22, 2010 and watch Willis and Freeman in Lucky Number Slevin on DVD today!

Here is the press release for those of you out there that care:

Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award^®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award^®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award^®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.

“Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life.  That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him.  With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive.

Directed by Robert Schwentke (“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Flightplan”) from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber (“Whiteout”), the film is produced by di Bonaventura Pictures’ Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian (“Salt,” “Transformers,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”).  Executive producers are Jake Myers (“Shanghai,” “Hollywoodland”) and Gregory Noveck (“Jonah Hex”).  Di Bonaventura Pictures’ production executive David Ready serves as co-producer.

“Red” reunites director Schwentke with director of photography Florian Ballhaus (“Marley & Me,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) and Oscar-winning film editor Thom Noble (“Witness,” “Thelma & Louise”) who collaborated with Schwentke on “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “Flightplan.”  Additionally, “Red” production designer Alec Hammond (“Donnie Darko”) and costume designer Susan Lyall (“Rachel Getting Married”) lent their talents to Schwentke’s “Flightplan” as well.

“I’m so excited at the phenomenal cast that Robert and our script have attracted,” said di Boneventura.  “I think audiences are going to have a great time.”

Summit’s President of Production Erik Feig said, “RED is that classic project with a little bit of something for everyone.  We are thrilled to see it come to vivid life with an outstanding cast, incredibly talented director, and top notch producing team.  It’s gonna be a good one!””

“Red” will film in and around the Toronto metropolitan area for nine weeks before moving on to the road and ending in New Orleans in late March for the final two weeks of principal photography.  The film is scheduled for worldwide release on October 22, 2010.

Marv: When will you finally do A Dame To Kill For?

That’s right folks, the long developing sequel from Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez‘ 2005 hit Sin City is up for grabs. I am sure a great deal of you are asking how this came to be, and that mainly is in part due to Dimension Films and the Weinstein Company who originally obtained the rights for the flick. They did have grabs on the flick, but now word from the producers is that Miller’s people as we should just call them for now, whoever they are, are shopping around the property as good as Julia Roberts did herself in Pretty Woman.

Apparently speculation of this ‘butterfingers’ notion was denied last week, saying that Dimension and Weinstein had their arms wrapped around the property. Now, the future of the sequel that a great deal of fans expected to already have well been released by now is launched into an even deeper development hell with possibly nobody to even hold onto it. Rodriguez has not mentioned a lick about being attached to the sequel, even though his creative juices flowed throughout the original all the way to convincing Frank Miller to make several of the comics from the Sin City series into a movie at all. At this point, the future of this could-be franchise is lost in the fog.

The newest trailer for The Spirit, Frank Miller’s latest comic adaptation to come to life. Will Eisner’s The Spirit has been a classic for many a comic book fan. With big names like Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, its sure to bring the pages to life.

What do you think? Another Sin City wannabe or? Check out the forums for more chat about it all.

A first look photo of Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L Jackson in the upcoming Will Eisner’s film “The Spirit” have hit the interwebs.

While not surprising or earth shaking, the shots definitely show us some of the what the film will be looking like. I call a cross between Sin City and V for Vendetta. It should be a sight to see!

Source: IGN