Director Sylvain White Talks Frank Miller’s ‘Ronin’

Scott Miller — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:53:04 +0000

For those who haven’t heard, it looks like Sylvain White will be jumping from one graphic-novel-to-film adaptation (The Losers, currently in production) to another. Sylvain recently shared some details of his vision for Ronin, based on the graphic novel written and drawn by Frank Miller, who also wrote the legendary Batman: The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel and was the creator and co-director of the Sin City graphic novel and film, respectively.

White had a lot to say to Steve Weintraub over at Collider, including the following quote, which addresses the ubiqiutous “how are you going to honor the source material” issue:

“So I would pay homage to him more in the production design versus the actual frames. The frames in ‘Ronin’ are some beautiful frames, and some I would go with, but what’s beautiful to me about ‘Ronin’ is the production design and the character design and the colors that are used. I think framing - you can frame things with much more depth and beauty on film than you can in a graphic. Replicating frames…that’s a different language. You want to always stay true to the graphic novel, but you’re watching a different medium. You never want to remind the audience that they’re watching a graphic novel or something from a graphic novel source. You just want them to watch a great movie.”

Sounds good to me. As far as the style of the film and the approach to it’s marketing, White explained:

“It’s a big-budget, big blockbuster take on it. I’d love to do it in 3D. I think it’d be ridiculous and amazing.”

There is much, much more to this interview, of course – head over to Collider if you’d like to check it out.

Ronin was published by DC Comics between 1983 and 1984 and follows a reincarnated Ronin (a.k.a. a samurai without a master) through a futuristic dystopian New York City that is suffering, unnervingly, from an unspecified catastrophic economic collapse. The Ronin’s quest is to destroy the demon who imprisoned his soul for about 800 years.

Miller is well known for his dark, film-noir style comic book stories and graphic novels. To avoid confusion, this project has nothing to do with the 1998 espionage thriller in which Robert Deniro subtly pushes full coffee cups off tables to test the reflexes of his paramilitary associates.

White got his break with some some award-winning short films, including The 25th Frame, and then moved on to directing groundbreaking videos in the U.S. and abroad, earning him an MTV Music Video Award nomination in 2001. His ticket to the big time came with the acclaimed (and stylish) 2007 dance flick, Stomp The Yard.

No details yet as to when Ronin is to be released. SR’s Kofi Outlaw had a lot to say in regards to how much a graphic-novel-to-film adaptation should replicate the source material, but do you think these types of movies should merely use the novels as a jumping off point? Or try to recreate the comic book on the big screen?

Source: Collider

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: October 19, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:33:44 +0000

Sunday again and that means that it is time for the Weekend Movie News Wrap Up.

This week:

We see who is top of the box office; Kevin Smith ups his budget and goes into space; Brad Pitt goes on an Odyssey and plays an Unfair Game; Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci do Life and Ronin zooms to the small screen.

Box Office

Marky Mark Wahlberg is the box office champion with Max Payne. The film should manage about $20 million over the weekend giving 20^th Century Fox their first solid hit in months.

Oliver Stone’s W bucked the political movie trend by making a solid bit of cash. Grossing around $12MM for the weekend the film should be a modest hit. Considering the current political overkill going on in the press this is a considerable coup.

The Secret Life of Bees had a modest opening too, and should match the gross of the Bush film.

Meanwhile Sex Drive stiffed it on its opening with around $3.5 million. Could it be the death of the teen sex comedy?

Beverly Hills Chihuahua is showing legs with about another $11 million barked up by Monday morning. Meanwhile Ridley Scott’s costly Body Of Lies should manage another $7 million, the same as Eagle Eye.

Movie News

1. Kevin Smith will write direct and no doubt cameo in a $50 million space comedy. The Weinstein Company has read part of the script and seems interested in forking out the cash.

Smith has this to say:

“The moment someone steps out of the spaceship, it’s going to cost a little more.
All the relationships in the flicks I’ve done have been done before, have been either a guy falling for a girl or two dudes hanging out in a ‘bromantic’ comedy. I wanted to explore a father and son.”

The film won’t be made until after Smith’s Red State.

Expect at least one Uranus joke.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. Speaking of space – Brad Pitt will star in a futuristic retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey which will be directed by George Miller.

Pitt previously starred in an adaptation of Homer’s The Iliad, which became Troy.

Expect no Uranus jokes in this one.

Source: Variety

3. Speaking of Brad Pitt – the star may appear in Steven Zaillian’s adaptation of Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. The film is set to be directed by David Frankel. According to Variety:

“The Book’s subject is Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, who assembled a contending baseball club on a shoestring budget by employing a sophisticated computer-based analysis to draft players.”

Source: Variety

4. Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci will star in After. Life (yes, the “.” supposed to be there).

Neeson will play a funeral director who is contacted by a woman (Ricci) who is caught between life and death (much like her career following Speed Racer). Agnieszka Vosloo will helm the film.

Source: Variety

5. The 1998 Robert De Niro film Ronin is coming to the small screen. The film which will likely be shot in Europe (like the film) will be co-financed by the BBC. The original film was helmed by John Frankenheimer and it played a bit like a middle-age Mission: Impossible, so a show should (or could) be interesting.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

That’s it for this week – see you at the movies!

Screen Rant » ronin

Director Sylvain White Talks Frank Miller’s ‘Ronin’

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: October 19, 2008