Tinker Toys

MTV.com's Jennifer Vineyard sat down with Frank Miller recently to get a progress report on the forthcoming Sin City 2:

He confirmed, once again, the story for the sequel's story will focus on the second book in the series, A Dame To Kill For, but added:

"It jumps around a bit...but mostly it's one story, incorporating some short stories that weave in and out of that." Miller went on to reveal that his "Blue Eyes" short story might also be included in the sequel, as well as a new original story focusing on stripper Nancy (Jessica Alba) after Det. Hartigan's (Bruce Willis) death.

He also had some interesting things to say about Hollywood:

"I was very, very fortunate," Miller said. "I won the lottery the first time out [referring to the first Sin City film] and got to do the movie it needed to be, a movie that knew what it was, and didn't have to go through the bureaucratic nonsense that most movies do."

So many movies are being made from graphic novels lately because "Hollywood sees us as a vital source of material," Miller said. The problem, though, is that Hollywood usually wants to tinker with the source material and make it "some vehicle with some star with a slapped-on happy ending because some focus group asked for it," he said.

And Miller, like his pulp characters, isn't about to let anyone sully his name. He's resolved not to let any of his other comics be adapted without him behind the camera. "I can't send my little baby down like Moses in the river and say goodbye to her," Miller said.

Unlike fellow comic book scribe Alan Moore, who wants nothing to do with films based on his books, I like the fact that Miller wants to be in the trenches, making sure he likes what he sees.

I'm torn on the whole "tinker" issue...Sometimes the story changes are OK and work out fine---ala' V For Vendetta, and sometimes they don't--Elektra.

I guess it really all depends on the team assembled, to make these films and what kind of changes they want to make. If they want to alter key elements that ultimately change the characters then I say "no way" . But if the movie retains the "feel" of the book, even with the changes then I'm with ya.

It's very difficult to squeeze a 12-part series, or decades worth of mythology, into a 2 hour film...

For the record, Miller seems pleased with the film version of his "300", even though he's not directing the film .

Read the entire MTV post here