Jessica Alba returns in sizzling Sin City 2 promos

Jessica Alba sizzles in new stills from Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

She was pulled out of obscurity and into the spotlight after accepting a role as young stripper Nancy Callahan in Sin City, the 2005 adaptation of Frank Miller's iconic series of graphic novels.

Nine years, nineteen films, marriage and motherhood bridge the distance between then and now, but Jessica Alba looks like she hasn't aged a day in new promotional stills from forthcoming sequel Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.

The 32-year-old actress has pulled on a pair of racy suspender style tights and a matching black bra as she strikes a provocative pose on her dance podium in the monochrome shot - one of three to be unveiled ahead of the film's official release.

Resting on her knees, Alba reveals a toned washboard stomach while raising her arms aloft, one leather gloved hand running through her pneumatic blonde locks.

As with its 2005 predecessor, the actress will feature in one of three shorts based on Miller's novels that make up the film's densely structured narrative.

Miller's noir indebted comic series offered a wealth of source material for director Robert Rodriguez, who eventually adapted A Dame To Kill For, Just Another Saturday Night, The Long Bad Night and the Fat Loss - a story centered on Nancy's mourning for deceased cop Hartigan, played by Bruce Willis.

Another original star returning for the sequel is Micky Rourke, and the acting veteran is once again unrecognisable as big-hearted bruiser Marv in a second promotional shot from the new film.

With a shotgun resting on his right shoulder, Marv looks reflective as he stands in the pouring rain, his unbuttoned leather jacket revealing a crucifix held on a long chain around his neck.

Fans of the original film will recall the character meeting his maker, but his appearance in Just Another Saturday Night sees him piece together what happened after he regains consciousness in a housing project surrounded by dead bodies.

Newcomer Joseph Gordon Levitt features in the third and final still as Johnny, an arrogant gambler whose luck takes a nosedive in original story The Long Bad Night.

The forthcoming film will also feature appearances from Powers Boothe, Josh Brolin, Jaime King, Juno Temple, Ray Liotta and Lady Gaga - who plays a waitress.

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is released in New Zealand on August 21.

- Daily Mail