Odd LotEntertainment and Batfilm Productions are gearing up on their live-actionadaptation of 1940s superhero property The Spirit, and have signed the renowned comic bookwriter Jeph Loeb to adapt the series.

Based on thelate Will Eisner's series, The Spirit centres on a masked detective who fights crime in CentralCity and is believed to be dead and operating from his grave.

Odd Lot's Gigi Pritzker and Deborah Del Prete will producealong with Batfilm's Michael Uslan. Benjamin Melniker and Steve Maier willserve as executive producers, with F J DeSanto and Linda McDonoughco-producing. Uslan and Melniker served as executive producers on the upcoming BatmanBegins.

"Michael and Imet with Will just before he passed away in January, and we all agreed that ourfilm will encompass the same integrity, artistry and handsomely crafted lookthat The Spirit is sowell-known for," Del Prete said.

"The property isconsidered by many fans and comic book historians to be the best creative workever to come from the comic book industry," Uslan added.

"Will Eisner is the comic genre master storyteller, whosename graces the comic industry's most prestigious awards each year at Comicon -The Eisner Awards."

Loeb receivedEisner Awards in 1998 and 2003 for Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory, and also created Superman For AllSeasons and Batman:The Long Halloween.Among other projects he is writing DC Comics' Supergirl re-launch for later this year.

Odd Lot recentlyproduced Lexi Alexander's football gang drama Hooligans starring Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam.Other credits include Mean Creek, and The Wedding Planner.

A memorial toEisner will take place in New York City on Apr 7.

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