Hollywood Reporter announced that Lionsgate’s ‘The Spirit’, a film written and directed by Frank Miller, has bumped up its release date to Christmas Day of this year.

The film, based on the comic book series created by the late Will Eisner, was originally slated to open Jan. 16, 2009.

Also slated to open on Dec. 25 are Disney’s “Bedtime Stories” and Fox 2000 Pictures’ “Marley & Me.”

Lionsgate’s President of Theatrical Films Tom Ortenberg claims ‘The Spirit’ has had such a resounding success at comic conventions, that they wanted to push the opening to an earlier date.