Andy Khouri writes for CBR's The Comic Reel on The Spirit movie set visit:
... Miller has used the opportunity of directing "Will Eisner's The Spirit" to assert one creative and philosophical victory over his former mentor, and that victory's name is Ebony White. The controversially depicted African-American sidekick who appears in many of Will Eisner's "The Spirit" comics does not appear in the film, and it was a remarkably easy decision for Miller to make.Read the full report here."Simply this: Frank has just never felt [Ebony White] worked in the comic and this is chance to take him out!" laughed Del Prete. "Frank likes to say, 'everybody makes mistakes! Will made some, too!' I said they had an ongoing battle for years and from Day One, Frank said, 'That's not a character I want to deal with, personally.'"
Another decision made by Miller was to update the world of "The Spirit" from that of the 1940s to a more nebulous, contemporary-yet-classic take on the fictitious Central City that includes artifacts like mobile phones as well as decidedly retro fashions. It's an approach seemingly similar to "Batman: The Animated Series," which is, appropriately, one of the most famous and successful of Will Eisner's creative progeny, and was strongly influenced by the work of Frank Miller as well.
"Will Eisner's The Spirit" is not an origin story, and the decision to forego the traditional origin route was another one made early on in the film's development. "I would say that people will find there's quite a bit of origin in it," Del Prete said, "but it is certainly like no other origin story. The origin will be revealed in, I think, a unique and kind of refreshing way.