The producers behind “The Spirit” obviously have a lot of faith in Frank Miller, because they have just handed him another directing gig. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Miller is in the final negotiations to direct “Buck Rogers” for Oddlot Entertainment and Millennium Films.
“Buck Rogers,” for those of you feeling lost, was one of the first major sci-fi stories. In fact, it was the very first sci-fi comic series, kicking off with its first strip in 1929, and it ran until 1967. The series followed an ordinary American and former Air Force pilot who was exposed to a gas that put him in a state of suspended animation for 500 years. He wakes up in the future, where he’s eventually recruited to help battle intergalatic menaces to Earth.
It had a brief revival in the ’80’s (E.T. gets the idea for his communicator from a Buck Rogers strip), and the character has been adapted numerous times for radio, television, and movies.
Miller has been rumored to have the directing job for months. He will be writing and sketching his own version of Buck Rogers and not surprisingly, it’s expected to be dark, with his usual focus on corruption, sex, and violence. As the original Buck Rogers was good, clean, all-American fun, you can expect a fair amount of controversy when his take is revealed.
It’s really quite surprising that Miller would get another directing job before “The Spirit” even hits theaters. Buzz on the comic legend’s debut has been mixed, and negative reviews are beginning to hit the press as we speak. Will Oddlot and Millennium regret they didn’t wait until the critical reviews and box office numbers were tallied?
Are you interested in seeing Miller’s take on Buck Rogers? Or should he just stick to comic books?
