It was in 2005 that Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s first Sin City feature film hit theaters and, for the intervening six-plus years, rumors have persisted of development on a big-screen sequel. At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Rodriguez announced that a script was ready and that the project could go before cameras before the year’s end.
Today, MTV has an update from Miller, who says that some tinkering is still being done on the script and a more realistic start date would be the spring of 2012. Already heavily rumored, Miller also confirms that the character of Nancy Callahan (played by Jessica Alba in the original) will again make an appearance, as will Marv (originally played by Mickey Rourke).
“‘Sin City’ number two is primarily an adaptation of the book ‘A Dame to Kill For’,” Miller reiterated, then adding: “It also features the short story, ‘Just Another Saturday Night’ and two new stories. One involving Jessica Alba’s character, Nancy Callahan, that I came up with for the movie in order to tie things together and make it be more united with the first.”
Callahan is also featured in “A Dame to Kill For” and, with Alba’s recent appearance in Rodriguez’s Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World, another teaming with the director isn’t surprising (although still not fully confirmed). What is a bit more of a twist is the inclusion of “Just Another Saturday Night”, a Marv-centered story that originally ran in “Sin City #1/2”. The timeline of it runs concurrently with “That Yellow Bastard” (adapted in the first film). Marv also appears in “Dame” but there has, for years, been fan speculation that the story might have removed the character due to Rourke’s announced reluctance to return to the role. Whether the actor’s thoughts have changed or whether the part might be recast remains to be seen.
For those keeping score, a shot-for-shot adaptation of “Dame” would also include parts for Gail (Rosario Dawson), Miho (Devon Aoki) and Manute (Michael Clarke Duncan). The story’s lead is the character of Dwight McCarthy who, though played by Clive Owen in the original, is supposed to have undergone significant facial reconstructive surgery between the events of “Dame” and “The Big Fat Kill”.
At SDCC, Rodriguez also revealed the title of one of the new stories as “The Long Bad Night”, meaning that, unless things have changed, there’s just one title left to be revealed as part of the new film.
