For many years now, since 2017 or so, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane has been trying to get a new feature film adaptation of his massively successful comic book series off the ground. We heard that Blumhouse was handling the project. That Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Renner were both onboard to star. That McFarlane himself had written the screenplay, and that he intended to direct the film, as well.
Well, the year is now 2022, and – as you’ve surely noticed – this movie has yet to hit theaters. It seems as though Spawn‘s journey back to the silver screen (the comic was previously adapted in 1997; please see the header image above) has not been without its speedbumps, but according to a new report over at The Hollywood Reporter, it may be back on track!
Says THR:
Joker’s Scott Silver, Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Malcolm Spellman and rising scribe Matthew Mixom are teaming on a new script for the feature, which has been in development at Blumhouse since 2017. Jamie Foxx remains attached to star as the anti-hero, who was first introduced in the comics in 1992, with McFarlane among the film’s producers.
Yes, that’s right: the long-gestating Spawn reboot now has three new writers, including Joker‘s Scott Silver and Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Malcolm Spellman. The implication, of course, is that they’re starting over from scratch, so what does that mean for McFarlane’s plans to direct the film himself?
Says McFarlane:
“If we’ve got an A-list actor, A-list producers, A-list writers, then do you want to shoot for A-list directors, A-list cinematographers? The answer is, ‘of course.’ Let’s keep the momentum going.”
Intriguing! If we’re interpreting the above properly, it sounds like McFarlane, who would have been making his directorial debut with his proposed adaptation of Spawn, may now be happy to hand the reins of the project over to someone else. Maybe even an A-list director! This will surely come as good news to Spawn fans, the majority of whom are presumably eager to see this character get another shot on the big screen, regardless of who’s calling the shots.
Nothing further to report at this time, but we’re curious to see where things go from here. Stay tuned for further updates on the new Spawn as they roll in.
