For the better part of just over three decades, Frank Miller’s name has frequently popped up when praising the best comic book writers that the industry has ever had to offer. If there was ever a Mount Rushmore for comic book writers, there’s a good chance that there is already a spot reserved with Miller’s name on it, thanks to his contributions to characters like Batman and Daredevil.
However, as is the case with many of the comic industry’s best writers, Miller wanted to try something different – specifically, the movie industry. While he doesn’t have the biggest filmography list nor the most noteworthy, Miller has had enough successes that his movie career cannot be overlooked.
9 RoboCop 2 – Screenwriter
Frank Miller’s first foray into Hollywood was something of a discouraging one. A year removed from the success of The Dark Knight Returns, Miller was determined the right fit for an edgy RoboCop sequel. However, upon turning in his script, the studio felt that his script may have been a little bit too edgy.
Miller’s script was considered “unfilmable,” per Stephen Kelly, so Walon Green was brought in to re-write the whole thing. Anyone interested in what Miller’s script without studio interference would look like can read its adapted nine-part comic book series, Frank Miller’s RoboCop.
8 RoboCop 3 – Screenwriter
The experience did not discourage Miller as he returned to pen RoboCop 3, hoping that unused details from his previous script could work their way into this movie. Alas, as much as his original ideas for RoboCop 2 were slashed to bits, Miller’s RoboCop 3 script suffered even more rewrites and edits to the point that it was practically unrecognizable.
This was enough to discourage Miller from working behind the scenes of a movie again until Sin City, 15 years later. It’s worth noting that much like with the previous sequel, Frank Miller’s RoboCop 3 script was adapted and fully realized in another comic series, RoboCop: Last Stand.
7 Jugular Wine – Acting With Stan Lee
Fans would be hard-pressed to find much information online about Jugular Wine: A Vampire Odyssey. It appears the movie has become a rare commodity on account of not being available on any streaming services, having a small production, and because, based on reviews from those who have seen it, isn’t very good.
But the quality of the movie doesn’t matter. What does matter is that, for some reason, it includes some random cameos from not only a young Frank Miller as “Frank,” but from Marvel’s Stan Lee as Professor Baker, and even punk rocker Henry Rollins as himself.
6 Daredevil – Brief Cameo
In many ways, Frank Miller crafted the blueprint to make the first Daredevil movie back in 2003. In fact, a large portion of the Ben Affleck vehicle was based on Daredevil stories written by Miller, to the point that Colin Farrell read Miller’s Daredevil stories to properly research and understand his character, Bullseye.
Although Miller himself had no involvement in writing the movie, the filmmakers behind it decided to pay homage to Miller and his work as a special thank you by offering him a cameo appearance. In a blink-and-miss-it moment, Miller plays Man with Pen in Head, a corpse killed, ironically enough, by Bullseye.
5 Sin City – Co-Director
Sin City rests comfortably among the most critically praised and beloved graphic novels ever penned by Frank Miller. It only made sense for Hollywood to approach Miller for his help in adapting his unique imagery. Not only did he accept the offer, but he also came on board as a co-director of the movie alongside Robert Rodriguez of Spy Kids fame, who wrote Sin City‘s screenplay adaptation.
Like the graphic novel, Sin City was an immense success and gave Miller his first blockbuster, convincing him to do further work in Hollywood for the next few years.
4 300 & Rise Of An Empire – Executive Producer
Some may be surprised to hear that Frank Miller had no creative input whatsoever on 300, nor its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire. Granted, it would be a safe assumption to make – not just because 300, too, was originally a graphic novel penned by Frank Miller, but also given how the first movie would arrive a mere two years after the success of Sin City.
Instead, Zack Snyder wrote and directed 300, while Noam Murro took over directing duties for the sequel. Miller merely executive produced both.
3 The Spirit – Director/Screenwriter
Miller took on the big task of directing Sin City as an amateur director but did so with the help of a veteran in the field, Robert Rodriguez. But in 2008, Miller felt it was time to write and direct a movie by himself for his sophomore effort.
Using inspiration from Will Eisner’s newspaper comic strips of the same name, Miller directed The Spirit, about a rookie cop turned masked vigilante trying to clean the streets of Central City. Unlike Sin City, The Spirit was a critical and even financial flop that’s been mostly forgotten by now, almost as much as Jugular Wine.
2 Sin City: A Dame To Kill For – Co-Director
Frank Miller wouldn’t direct another movie until 2014, and when he did, he reunited with Robert Rodriguez to return to the franchise that first opened doors to him into Hollywood circles: Sin City. While the first movie adapted the first, third, and fourth stories in the graphic novel series, A Dame to Kill For adapts the second book with some original material sprinkled in.
Unfortunately for Miller, the sequel resulted in another box office flop that critics slammed to pieces. This would mark, as of this writing at least, the last time that Miller would direct anything behind the camera.
1 Cursed – Creator, Producer, Actor
This is more of a TV show than a film, but given the cinematic quality that Netflix consistently brings to its shows, this might as well be considered a 10-hour movie. Plus, it showcases how even as recently as 2020, Frank Miller is still incredibly active in the film industry.
Miller previously co-wrote the graphic novel Cursed with Thomas Wheeler before both opted to bring the novel to life themselves. Wheeler did the screenwriting while Miller settled on executive producing, although he does pop in for a signature cameo as Brother Horde in the episode “Alone.”
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