The digital artists at Hybride, located outside of Montreal, have been tapped for FX and animation on the ambitious Robert Rodriguez film Sin City. The dark thriller is based on a series of graphic novels by acclaimed artist Frank Miller (Daredevil, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), who has collaborated with Rodriguez on the screen adaptation.

Sin City features various storylines set in a violent city controlled by criminals and enforced by a corrupt police. The main plot follows a street fighter (Mickey Rourke) who looks to avenge the murder of a woman (Jaime King) with whom he had a one-night stand. Rounding out an all-star cast are Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy and Jessica Alba. The movie went to camera in the spring and remains in production in Austin, TX.

Hybride’s participation is only natural. The shop has a long-standing relationship with Rodriguez, having provided FX for all three of the director’s Spy Kids trilogy, his sci-fi flick The Faculty and his HD actioner Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Hybride’s experience providing FX on Paramount Pictures’ forthcoming Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow (see story, p. 19) also made it an ideal choice for Sin City. Sky Captain has a monochromatic look and 1930s setting achieved by shooting entirely in front of a giant green screen, a technique Sin City producers are also employing. Rodriguez and Miller were on hand in late July at Comic-Con 2004 in San Diego to show a preview clip that Hybride was involved in, generating considerable Internet buzz. The film will be released in 2005 through Dimension Films and Miramax Films.

-www.hybride.com