Ronin — one of the last stalwarts of Frank Miller's illustrated genius not to garner the soundstage treatment — has been tapped by Warners bigwigs for full-scale cinematic realization. After Sin City and 300 made a boatload, how could they resist?
Ronin is the twisted, futuristic tale of a samurai warrior reincarnated from his 13th-century era into post-apocalyptic New York, hell-bent on tracking down and (you guessed it!) destroying the evil demon Agat. Miller's writing is sharp, witty, and there are Big Bads aplenty. Lynn Varley's coloring is nothing short of spellbinding, mixing psychedelic futurescapes with the modern-day misery suffocating a dystopic Big Apple. Ronin was originally published in 1983, so it predates (arguably) his crowning achievement, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which debuted in 1986. While the best was yet to come, Ronin set the stage.
What's that? Well, I'm glad you asked. No, this isn't the disappointing Bob De Niro chase flick from a few years back. Although, this* Ronin* may not end up being much better. In negotiations to direct this one is Zack Snyder. Robert Rodriguez. Quentin Tarantino. Sylvain White. Who, you ask? Why, he's the fine fella who directed the BREAKOUT HIT OF 2006, Stomp the Yard! Not familiar? Well, maybe you might remember a little direct-to-DVD diddy called I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer? Yeah, I know, not helping.
The big question is, what of Miller's properties after this? What is there left to shove in front of a big blue screen? RoboCop vs. The Terminator? The Martha Washington series?
