Back last summer when Robert Rodriguez was talking about the projects he was cooking up for the future, most of the focus was on his prospective Sin City and Machete sequels. And, since then, both Machete Kills and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For have been officially announced as his next two projects. Those weren’t the only movies he was expressing an interest in making back then, however; he was also into the idea of remaking the animated 1983 film Fire and Ice, which was directed by Ralph Bakshi and inspired by the artwork of Frank Frazetta, who also served as co-writer on the film.
If you don’t know who Frank Frazetta is, he’s a science fiction and fantasy illustrator whose work you’ve undoubtedly seen at some point in your life. He’s done all sorts of book covers, comics, paintings, and whatnot, and usually his work involves alien landscapes, muscle-bound warriors, scantily clad women, and some sort of stabbing weapon. You know, it’s the sort of stuff that you’d get airbrushed on the side of an awesome panel van.
Despite the fact that Rodriguez must be up to his eyeballs in work getting the new Machete and Sin City movies off of the ground, Heat Vision is reporting that his interest in a new Fire and Ice is more than just a pipe dream. In fact, the director now has it slotted to officially be his next film after A Dame to Kill For. “That’s in the works to go right into after Sin City,” Rodriguez told THR in an interview. “We’re almost done with the script; we’ve got it pretty much 70 percent there. I’m really excited about that one.”
Rodriguez’s concept for the film is that he’s going to use the same technology he used on Sin City to bring to life the illustrated world of Frank Miller’s work, but this time he’s using the art of Frazetta. The idea is to completely immerse the audience in these works of art that they’ve admired for so many years. “I’m really excited about that,” Rodriguez said. “For Frazetta fans, this will be the ultimate tribute to what he did, and inspired so many people. I think it’s going to be pretty powerful when people see it.” If everything goes according to plan, five years from now we could see Fire and Ice inspiring a whole new wave of popularity for full-sized vans, which would be good for the automotive industry, good for airbrush artists, good for the economy as a whole, and just good for the soul in general. Here’s to keeping the dream alive.