What's Happening With... Sin City 2?

Gary Collinson looks at the status of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s sequel to Sin City, and wonders whether the project has slipped into the dreaded Development Hell…


The original Sin City (2005), co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and series creator Frank Miller, is one of a handful of films in recent memory where I struggled to take my eyes from the screen for a split-second. A stylish and violent film-noir, it was among the first movies to be filmed primarily on a digital back-lot; an approach which enabled the film-makers to truly bring the source material to life. Based on four of Miller’s stories – The Customer is Always Right, That Yellow Bastard, The Hard Goodbye, and The Big Fat Kill – Sin City featured an all-star cast including Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, and Elijah Wood to name but a few.

Sin City opened to mostly positive reviews and proved successful at the box-office, grossing over $150m world-wide against a $40m budget. This immediately led to suggestions of further adaptations, and it was soon announced that two sequels would follow – the first of which would be based on A Dame to Kill For, a prequel to The Hard Goodbye. A Dame to Kill For sees the return of several major players from the first movie in addition to that of Ava Lord, the titular “Dame” who has been linked to a number of actresses including Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowen, and Salma Hayek.

In 2007, Frank Miller announced that “both Robert and I really want to be shooting this thing as soon as possible”, suggesting a late spring start date, , which was then delayed due to Rodriguez’s involvement with his proposed Barbarella remake. Things then seemed to be moving forward once again in 2008 when Miller claimed that the script was completed and they were looking towards an April 2009 start, although Mickey Rourke seemed cautious of a return following his rejuvenation post-The Wrestler.

Fast-forward to April 2009 and rather than starting production, IESB.net broke the news that The Weinstein Company have lost the rights to the follow-up, although they also suggest the alternative finance has been arranged with a private equity group. It has to be wondered whether the disappointing failure of Frank Miller’s latest movie, The Spirit - which was very similar in style to that of Sin City – along with the less-than-expected success of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, might have cooled some interest in the project.

With little casting news forthcoming (only Rosario Dawson is confirmed as returning), and Rodriguez attached to new projects on a daily basis - Red Sonja, Machete, Nerverackers, and the long-gestating live-action Jetsons movie are but a few examples - it is difficult to imagine that the project is anywhere close to the filming stage at the moment. Worryingly, it does seem to be slipping into a cycle of delays and I’m starting to brace myself for the realisation that it could be some time – if ever – before Sin City 2 sees the light of day.