Frank Miller's RONIN

[GreenScar]

Last week I was able to speak with director Sylvain White. While most of our conversation is under embargo, I’ve been given permission to post some of what was said. Since Sylvain is currently attached to Frank Miller’s “Ronin” movie, I figured you’d like to hear what he said about his take on the property and where it currently is in development.

According to Sylvain, he’s about to get a new draft of the script and he envisions the film as a “big-budget, big blockbuster.” He went on to say he’d “love to do it in 3D.”

Another interesting thing Sylvain told us was if he were to do the project, he doesn’t envision doing it like Zack Snyder did “300″ or “Watchmen”. He told us he’d pay homage to the material via “the production design versus the actual frames. The frames in “Ronin” are some beautiful frames, and I would go with some. 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.”

Here’s exactly what he said about “Ronin”:

Question: Are you still looking at “Ronin”?

Sylvain White: Absolutely. It’s still being developed. I just got a new draft a week ago. It’s looking really good and promising. I hope it gets to go.

Q: If “Ronin” was your next project, does it concern you at all to go from one graphic novel project to another?

Sylvain: Well, you always worry about being pin holed. I haven’t been yet. You always worry about that, no matter which genre you do. Luckily for me so far, every time I’ve done a movie it’s been a completely different genre. If I went to ‘Ronin,’ it would be a very dark, futuristic, sci-fi film, so I’m not worried.

Q: If you happened to do “Ronin”, it has a lot of comic book fans who are reverent to the material. How much would that affect the way in which you stick to shots? Would you do it like Zack [Snyder] did with ‘300′?

Sylvain: The fortunate thing is that ‘Ronin’ is some Frank’s earlier work. What’s great and what for me works in the graphic novel, aesthetically-speaking, is the design of Aquarius…the design of New York. 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. And if they know it’s based on a graphic novel, awesome. And if you make the fans happy because you paid good tribute to the source material, awesome. I don’t think you make fans happy by just replicating frames. What they want to see is that you stayed true to the story, true to the characters and true to the design.



Q: Are you still trying to do “Castlevania”?

Sylvain: No. “Castlevania” is a project that I developed for a couple of years at Universal. We got to a really good point, then the division of Universal folded, and I jumped on this movie. Now it’s set up somewhere else, and I believe that someone else got attached. It’s one of my favorite video games, and I’m a huge video game player. I played that game for 25 years, and I loved developing it. I almost feel like I’ve already shot it because I was so into it for a while. I think it’ll be a great movie if they do it right.

Q: Thinking of “Ronin”, that’s a project that’s been in development for a long time. With something like that, I don’t know what you’re thinking in terms of budget. Is that sort of a big summer event film?

Sylvain: Yeah. 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. That’s an additional budget issue, but it’s the kind of movie that would be great. I think it’d make a brilliant video game as well - something along the lines of “Assassin’s Creed” but from a first-person perspective. I think it’s just a great property and a great concept. It’s got so many ideas in it in terms of commentary and philosophy. Frank Miller is a genius when it comes to that. It took so long because the source material is so complex. It’s very difficult, and it’s not linear, and it doesn’t really fit into a film format off the bat. It’s not a straight adaptation like “300″ was or even “Watchmen”. It’s not as simple. Zack’s going to kill me. [Laughs] But I think with “Ronin” we need a little bit of streamlining, otherwise it’s too esoteric. You need a little bit of streamlining, but the story and the characters, if I get to do that movie, will all be there. I’m the guy who wants to respect the authors and the source material as a fan of graphic novels who grew up reading them whether it be in Europe or here. It’s something that needs to be done right, and it hasn’t really been done right.

Look for the rest of the interview when the embargo lifts.

[Blu-Ron]

This was only a matter of time. I read these comic books when they first came out and knew it would eventually turn into a movie.

[Foggy]

I like the more gory graphic novels, like sin city, watchmen and 300, they seem to come across more adult, while not being particually realistic. I hope this is the same.

[Teabaggins]

let's hope the movie is more like "Sin City" and less like "the Spirit"

[progers13]

Originally Posted by Teabaggins

let's hope the movie is more like "Sin City" and less like "the Spirit"

Amen, brother. Amen.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Teabaggins

let's hope the movie is more like "Sin City" and less like "the Spirit"

as much as I like the spirit, it is not a good movie.

[GreenScar]

Frank Miller won't be directing.

[Lord_Stewie]

That is all I could say about this.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by GreenScar

Frank Miller won't be directing.

THANK HEVEANS

[GreenScar]

Updates on Frank Miller's Ronin From Director Sylvain White

Way, way back in '07, before 300 had even opened, it was discovered that Sylvain White (director of only Stomp the Yard at the time) had attached himself to an adaptation of Frank Miller's Ronin, which was exciting at the time because everyone wanted to know what the next awesome Frank Miller movie might be (and this was before The Spirit). Well, we haven't heard all that much since then, but Sylvain White did give us an update last September talking about the design of the movie and how awesome it'll be, but no update on its status. However, SuperHeroHype finally caught up with White and got a good update on its progress.

Will White be getting back to Ronin soon? "Yeah absolutely," he told SHH. "That's something I had to let go of for a period of time while I was directing The Losers but I'm back here in Los Angeles and as I'm finishing post-production on The Losers, I will be diving back into the development of Ronin. I'm just working along with the studio executives developing the story elements and they're attaching a writer in the spring to do a new pass on it." That's great to here, but if we may ask, what's taking them so long? Thankfully it's because White's got plenty of appreciation for the graphic novel. He goes on to talk about being careful adapting it:

I'm loving the way he's pitching this, sounds like a challenge, but he's working hard to figure it out. "I'm taking my time with it," White said. "If I'm able to stay on it and develop it the way I want, I just want it to be done right. I don't want to rush it or anything like that. I want the right writer on it and it to be done carefully." Couldn't have said it any better. This guy definitely knows what he's doing and what he needs to do in order to pull this off and I like seeing that. But it will take time. He keeps saying, "If they give me the time to do it, I will take it to do it right." But how much longer will it take? We don't want to wait forever.

White says he's "been in contact" with Frank Miller recently, since it is his graphic novel after all. "The producers, which is Gianni Nunnari and Hollywood Gang, have been very collaborative and obviously have worked with [him] because they did 300, so the link is there. We're just sort of at an early stage where we're trying to structure the story and balance… Some people rush and do it quickly and you end up with bad adaptations." And no one wants that! It sounds like they're moving in the right direction, but it won't be ready anytime soon. For now, we'll let White finish The Losers and get back to this later. Sound good?

[Foggy]

I'll see what The Losers will be like before I make judgment on whether or not this will be good. As the only other film he has directed was Stomp the Yard, which isn't a good representation.

[6AM]

Come on DC! The Losers and now this? WTF?!?! I want the Sandman or Death movie already.

I am excited about the Jonah Hex movie, though.