It’s been a mixed bag whenever comic book legend Frank Miller adapts his own work. While the first Sin City movie, which he wrote and co-directed with Robert Rodriguez, turned out pretty good, the sequel A Dame to Kill For was pretty lousy, and don’t even get me started on The Spirit. So for Miller’s return to Hollywood, he’s adapting material that isn’t his own, choosing to turn Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese stories into a miniseries.
Deadline reports that Miller will write and produce for Studiocanal a six-episode series based on the adventuring sea captain, Corto Maltese. Set in the early 20th century, Pratt’s Corto Maltese graphic novels follow Maltese as he has real-world adventures all around the globe, encountering such historical figures as Butch Cassidy, the Red Baron, and more.
“I first discovered Corto Maltese reading the books at Forbidden Planet in New York as a young man,” Miller said. “Then on my travels, I studied and discovered an edition at a newsstand in Rome. The artwork was so expressive and so bold that it leapt off the newsprint. It swept me away. It was full of magic and romantic adventure. Maltese is a rascal who could talk to the Gods. To me it showed off the power of the comic where language is not much of a barrier. I have been a Corto Maltese fan ever since. This is the hero’s journey in its most classic form, and I couldn’t be more honored to help bring into this series the romanticism, heroism, and underlying mysticism of Pratt’s creation.”
There’s an island in the DC Comics universe called Corto Maltese, named after the character, obviously.
VFX maestro Phil Tippett will handle the visual effects, so the show should look incredible. What we don’t know is how Miller plans to format it. Will each episode be a new adventure? Or will each season encompass a single storyline? It’s still very early on, so further details will have to come later. I’m just happy to see Miller back to work on a property that most people are utterly unfamiliar with.
