“Spawn” creator Todd McFarlane shared an update on the long-awaited reboot of the comic book antihero franchise on Thursday at San Diego Comic-Con.
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The new “Spawn” movie has been in the works for nearly a decade, with McFarlane teaming up with Jason Blum’s production company Blumhouse in 2017 to develop the next chapter in the human-turned-Hellspawn’s story. In 2018, Oscar winner Jamie Foxx signed on to star as the titular antihero.
On Monday, McFarlane and Blum posting on social media, revealing the title page of the first draft of the script — titled “King Spawn” and written by Matt Mixon, Malcolm Spellman (“Falcon and the Winter Soldier”) and Scott Silver (“Joker”) — building anticipation for the comic book creator’s scheduled appearance in Ballroom 20 on Thursday afternoon.
“They have been true to my spirit,” McFarlane said praising the trio of screenwriters during the panel. In terms of the storyline, he just gave them one directive: “It just has to be badass. Keep it badass, and I’m going to go along for the ride. And they have delivered a badass script that I think moviegoers around the world who do not even know who ‘Spawn’ or Todd McFarlane is will be excited. Because we’re excited for it.”
McFarlane promised a “bold” and “different” take on the character that certainly doesn’t play it safe, but is decidedly R-rated.”
McFarlane explained that now that the draft is complete, the filmmakers’ next step is to find the right director for the project. In the meantime, though, he’s keeping a close eye on the box office results from the launch of another R-rated comic book movie: this weekend’s debut of “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
“That movie is going to open up giant — it’s going to be a giant, giant number,” McFarlane said of the Marvel movie’s box office prospects. “On Monday, it’s going to establish a number that everybody in Hollywood will look at and go, ‘We need to do R-rated comic book fare.’ I’ve been saying this forever. I agree. They’re just finally going to come around to it.”
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And he expects the industry to double down further once Warners Bros.’ “Joker 2” hits theaters in October. It’s all great news for the “Spawn” filmmakers and their hard-R-rated story, though McFarlene noted they’re not copying Marvel or DC’s formula entirely.
“If we try to do a watered-down version of Marvel or DC, it won’t work,” McFarlane said, recounting these conversations with the screenwriters. “We’ve gotta do our own thing, our own take on ‘Spawn.’ Want want to do an Image Comics movie. What we do at Image is eclectic and different than what those two big giants do. We have to have a confident studio that knows they’re not getting Marvel or DC-lite, they’re getting their own thing.”
The Spawn comics debuted in 1992 and chronicled Albert Francis “Al” Simmons’ transformation from human to Hellspawn, with abilities including superhuman strength and speed, and near immortality. Spawn also can teleport, shapeshift, and heal. In 1997, New Line adapted the character’s origin story for a feature film starring Michael Jai White (one of the first films to feature an African American actor portraying a major comic book superhero) and HBO launched an animated series that lasted for three seasons, which earned two Emmy Awards. McFarlane Toys also produced a series of action figures.
During the panel, McFarlane shared updates on a litany of “Spawn” titles, including “Rat City,” “No Home Here,” “Spawn Kills Every Spawn,” “Medieval Spawn,” “Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger,” “She Spawn,” “The Freak” (written by McFarlane) and “Violator.”
McFarlane also invited David Dastmalchian (“The Suicide Squad,” “Oppenheimer”) onstage to discuss their new comic book “Knights vs. Samurai.” Dastmalchian shared that he’s been a longtime fan of the Image Comics president, so getting the opportunity to team up on a title was thrilling.
“Anybody out there like metal fantasy medieval kick-ass stuff? Anybody out there like fantasy samurai stuff?” the actor asked the cheering crowd. “Okay, imagine those two worlds clashing together for the first time. There are dragons, there are oni, there are witches, there are knights and there are samurai, and they are going to battle on the pages of these books in a way you’ve never seen before.”
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