Posted: Thurs., Aug. 2, 2007, 1:59pm PT

Gabriel Macht to star in ‘Spirit’
Sony picks up rights to comicbook adaptation

By MICHAEL FLEMING, DIANE GARRETT

Writer-director Frank Miller has tapped Gabriel Macht to star in “Will Eisner’s The Spirit,” the Miller-scripted adaptation of the classic Eisner comic book series.

Shooting on the pic co-financed by Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment begins in October for release in 2009. Odd Lot partners Gigi Pritzker and Deborah Del Prete produce.

The Bronx-born Macht was most recently seen in “The Good Shepherd” and just wrapped the Dominic Sena-directed “Whiteout,” in which he stars opposite Kate Beckinsale.

Separately, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has picked up several overseas territories for “Will Eisner’s The Spirit” from Odd Lot Intl.

Sony will distribute the comicbook adaptation, Miller’s first solo directing effort, in France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and wide swaths of Latin America. Lionsgate is distributing the pic Stateside and in the U.K. (Daily Variety, May 16).

Macht will play the title character, a man who has faked his own death so he can battle crime from the shadows of Central City. He runs up against the Octopus, a villain who’s bent on wiping out the entire city and kills anyone unlucky enough to see his face.

Read the full article at Variety.com.

© 2007 Reed Business Information