New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Announces The Spirit to be filmed in New Mexico

Aug. 24, 2007 -- SANTA FE — New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced that the Odd Lot Entertainment/Lionsgate production, The Spirit, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes and Gabriel Macht will be shot in New Mexico at the Albuquerque Studios in Albuquerque.

The film will shoot October 8 through December 14 and expects to hire approximately 75 New Mexico crew members.

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Based on Will Eisner’s The Spirit, the fantasy thriller tells the tale of a rookie cop (Macht) who returns from the dead to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. Frank Miller, writer and co-director of Sin City and author of the graphic novel 300, will direct the film based on his own adaptation.

Odd Lot Entertainment and Lionsgate are production partners on The Spirit. Lionsgate has domestic and U.K. rights and is scheduled to release the film in 2009. Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker will produce along with Michael Uslan of Batfilm Productions Inc. Batfilm co-founder Benjamin Melniker and Steven Maier are executive producers. Odd Lot's Linda McDonough and Batfilm's F.J. DeSanto serve as co-producers. Cinematographer Bill Pope will lens the picture.

Since Richardson took office, over 80 feature film and television projects have shot in the state, adding over $1.2 billions dollars to New Mexico’s economy.

Source: New Mexico Governor