Ever since "Sin City" proved to be a robust hit on its release in April 2005, talk has percolated about a sequel. After all, the film was relatively inexpensive to make, and there were plenty more stories from Frank Miller's source material comics that could lead to another film. But between the ups and downs of the Weinstein Brothers' Dimension Films, the busy-ness of co-director Robert Rodriguez, and the difficulty of re-assembling the all-star cast, it was much-discussed, but never quite came together.
But that's all changed recently: Oscar-winner William Monahan ("The Departed") was brought on board to work on the script, Rodriguez announced that he and creator Miller would be shooting the film this summer, once he's wrapped on "Machete Kills," and we even got a teaser poster for the project a few days back. And now, more than ever, the film seems to be set in stone, as a press release from the Weinstein Company announces that "Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" (for that is it's full title) will hit theaters on October 4th, 2013, almost exactly eight-and-a-half years after the release of the original.
Right now, there's only one other film slated for that date, Henry Selick's untitled film for Disney, and other than our own Drew Taylor, we're not sure there'll be much crossover between the audiences, although it may get more competition as time goes on. As for the cast, the release confirms that Jessica Alba and Mickey Rourke, whose characters are pivotal to the story the film will be partly based on, will be coming back. There's no word if anyone from the original cast will be back, and given that Rourke's character died in the first film, pretty much anyone's up from grabs, from Bruce Willis and Clive Owen to Benicio Del Toro and Elijah Wood. And the press release promises 'huge names,' so expect a few new additions as well. Filming will start at Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios in the summer and, once more for the cheap seats, the film hits on October 4th, 2013.
Oh, and speaking of the Weinsteins, they're so eager for you to see John Hillcoat's "Lawless," which premieres at Cannes this Saturday, and stars Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Guy Pearce and Gary Oldman, that they've moved it up two days, to August 29th. So you have 48 hours less to wait. Unless it unexpectedly turns out to be terrible: we'll have our review with you on Saturday, so check back then to find out. [Box Office Mojo]