It appears that Frank Miller will begin shooting his live action movie adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit on October 7th.  Miller has hired Bill Pope, who shot both Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 as director of photography.  So far Samuel L. Jackson, who will portray The Spirit's nemesis, the underworld crime lord known as The Octopus, is the only announced cast member, though other announcements are expected during the coming weeks.

Lionsgate is distributing the movie, which is being produced by Odd Lot Entertainment.  The studio and producers are considering a late 2008 or early 2009 release for the film.  With Frank Miller's cachet and Eisner's extensive backlist (including DC Spirit Archives editions and its new Spirit series with a hardcover collection due out in October) The Spirit movie should represent a major opportunity for both direct market and bookstore retailers.