Sin City 2 is officially underway

After seven long years, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller has announced that a sequel to their 2005 hard-boiled noir thriller Sin City is officially underway. Titled Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, the film was developed by Miller from his graphic novel of the same name and scripted by Miller and William Monahan (The Departed). Dimension Films will once again distribute the film.

Director Robert Rodriguez said in a press release, “The first question I am always asked is, 'When will you make another Sin City?' I have wanted to re-team with Frank Miller and return to the world he created since the day we wrapped the original but have felt a duty to the fans to wait until we had something truly exceptional that would meet and exceed what have become epic expectations. A Dame to Kill For will certainly be worth the wait.”

Production is slated for this summer at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas. Much of the film’s original cast is expected to return — though the release didn’t specify if the characters who died in the first film would be popping up again.

Sin City was released in 2005 and featured an all-star cast including Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro and the late Brittany Murphy. The film, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller, was a box-office success and grossed $100M worldwide. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is scheduled for a 2013 release.