MTV Movies Blog » EXCLUSIVE: Frank Miller In Talks To Direct ‘Hard Boiled’ Movie

EXCLUSIVE: Frank Miller In Talks To Direct ‘Hard Boiled’ Movie

Published by Brian Jacks on Monday, April 21, 2008 at 2:37 pm.

'Hard Boiled' It’s been called one of the most violent comic books ever created, and now Frank Miller’s “Hard Boiled” may finally be seeing its way to the big screen.

At one time developed as a starring vehicle for Nicolas Cage with none other than David Fincher directing, MTV News can exclusively reveal that the acclaimed three-issue miniseries is once again inching closer to a Hollywood reality, this time under the tutelage of “Spirit” producer Deborah Del Prete.

“We’re talking about [it],” Miller declared to us at NY Comic Con. “I’ve got a really unusual way I want to do it.”

But that’s not all…after co-directing “Sin City” and single-handedly helming the upcoming adaptation of Will Eisner’s “The Spirit,” Miller has decided that the only person he’d want directing a “Hard Boiled” movie is himself.

“I’m in love with directing,” he gushed. “I’ve found a way to expand my career. Comics and directing are really two sides of the same coin. That’s what Robert Rodriguez taught me…good drama is good drama.”

Originally published in 1990 by Dark Horse Comics and drawn by Geoff Darrow, “Hard Boiled” follows Carl Seitz, an insurance investigator who unexpectedly discovers that he’s actually a cyborg named Nixon, a psychotic assassin/tax collector who’s also heralded as the future savior of the robot race. This is, obviously, unrelated to the John Woo movie of the same time.

For more of our coverage of NY Comic-Con, including the exclusive premiere of “The Spirit” trailer, click here.

Do you think “Hard Boiled” should make the leap to movies? Chime in below!

13 Responses to “EXCLUSIVE: Frank Miller In Talks To Direct ‘Hard Boiled’ Movie”

dude says:

4:30 on 04/21

ugh, frank miller doing another film, please no more. I was one of his fanboys through out the 80s and 90s and now this mess he's making. Just look at the spirit, god damn he only knows one thing, make him stop
Mitchell says:

6:54 on 04/21

Bring it on! Miller made Batman BETTER and now he's doing the same with The Spirit!!! Ignore the above poster as he wishes Batman was wearing underwear and The Spirit would stand out of the shadows in blue trench coat. What may work in the comics doesn't always translate well to film.
smatt584 says:

8:06 on 04/21

"Dude" you haven't seen more than a couple photos and about forty seconds of commercial footage for The Spirit, so guess what that means? Not only does that mean that you have no idea what you're talking about, but that you really obviously have no idea what you're talking about. So please, do the world a favor and keep your uninformed opinions to yourself.
John says:

1:35 on 04/22

Awesome! Can't wait. While it'd be okay if Miller continues to use the CG backgrounds, I'd really like to see some actual set pieces on this one!
tom says:

4:54 on 04/22

what a tool. the spirit looks like @*??, so i think that that will decide which project he directs or doesn't direct next time. what a shitty writer.
Barry Orton says:

7:39 on 04/22

Mitchell: "What may work in the comics doesn't always translate well to film."

Except that Miller co-directed the film that disproves that rule.

That said...

Frank Miller: "I've got a really unusual way I want to do it."

Let me guess... hi-contrast B&W on a digital backlot? Miller is quickly turning into a one-trick pony that is quickly becoming a dead horse (he's long since become that for at least the last 10 years in comics)
Steven Gilpin says:

11:23 on 04/22

Geoff Darrow is also the artist who did a lot of the main concept art that we see in The Matrix movies....he's the man! This could be an awesome movie if done properly.
Tormented Soul (From SHH!) says:

4:11 on 04/22

Given Miller's sheer (and rare) enthusiasm for movie-adaptations nowadays, Hard Boiled for a movie would be nothing more than sheer genius. I for one believe that it is a NECESSITY to KEEP the comic-book genre alive in Hollywood, and honestly speaking, as a viewer and long time reader I am not satisfied with some of the other adaptations Hollywood has come up with. Miller is bringing to Hollywood that part of the Comic Book (as he said, good drama is good drama) that sparked fire among the readers of the original books, Sin City and 300 are not only faithful completely to the books, but if all the rumors about SPIRIT is true, then Miller will have the damn bragging rights of how good drama can only be done by good dramatists, and mere adaptation is not the only way to win fans nor is new material the only way to sway critics. Hard Boiled should be made and made by Miller, and if in the off chance in the far off future, why not... The Dark Returns? Perhaps after Nolan rounds off his trilogy, we might see someone else continuing the torch and jumping the franchise a few years ahead with another trilogy (perhaps with a different cast and a different theme than Nolan's, maybe a return to Gothicism?) with an older version of the Bat-Clan (presumably the tales we find in mainstream comics) and then, once future is upon us, Miller just might, JUST may, bring forth the Ides of March and adapt DK:R, rounding off a major movie franchise by providing the big, red cherry on top, after these other two trilogies enthrall Bat-fans with a LEGACY that will leave its mark on Hollywood for generations to come. That, in my opinion, is how the comic-book movie genre should be. As for Mr. Miller until then, well, why NOT Hardboiled? After all, directing is a physical act...
David says:

6:04 on 04/22

Hard Boiled would be interesting but I want Frank Miller to focus on doing Sin City 2 and 3. What Rodriguez and Miller did together completely changed the way people look at movies based on comics. Johnny Depp is rumored to play Wallace from to hell and back. I cant wait.
Geoff says:

11:45 on 04/22

Geoff Darrow's are hyperdetailed, not hyper-contrast, I pray for a new art style with this film.
andrea says:

11:06 on 04/29

Good for Miller...but where are Sin city 2 & 3?!!!! he and rodriguez will do it or not?
Vale says:

1:27 on 05/15

Geoff Darrow is the most incredible comic artist ever, the colours he used and the details were ingeniously thought. I think he deserves respect, the movie should have the same enviroments and detail production.
Shanna says:

2:13 on 05/20

This made my day. Thank god Frank Miller is finally getting to adapt these comics. Can't wait to see Hard Boiled - one of my all time favorite comics on the big screen! Only Frank Miller can be trusted.