We are still waiting on the long-discussed Spawn movie reboot but now, Todd McFarlane is hinting at a possible Spawn cinematic universe. Yes, it seems the creator of the character and the man behind Image Comics has his sights set on something bigger. The question is, does Hollywood have an appetite for it?
Todd McFarlane recently announced a full Spawn universe launching at Image Comics beginning this summer. It will include several new titles, such as King Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn and a team book titled The Scorched. That opens up a whole universe, much like what Marvel and DC have been doing for decades. But with Marvel locked up by Disney and DC over at Warner Bros, other studios need to turn elsewhere if they hope to get a comic book movie universe going. Spawn, McFarlane seemed to suggest in a recent interview, could be an option. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“I’ve been having this conversation with people inside and outside the comic industry, I’ve been warming up my Hollywood agents to it also because the big question is do we still do Spawn The Movie or do we offer something bigger than that? Because otherwise the only other option is you take your five best characters and you sell them to five different people and they do five individual things and never the twain shall meet. Wouldn’t it be better if one person, if one group came and said, ‘hey you know, that’s interesting talk to us, and oh, by the way, Spawn at least right now is at the epicentre at that so we’ve we’re getting a lot of value just for that one character, talk to us about all the others.'”
Blumhouse Productions has a deal in place for the R-rated Spawn reboot, which will star Jamie Foxx in the title role. Jeremy Renner is attached as well, and Todd McFarlane plans to direct himself. As McFarlane points out, if these characters get licensed to various studios, a cinematic universe is off the table. But if they get one universe to go all-in on what Image Comics has coming down the pipeline? The Spawn cinematic universe could, and we stress could, be a thing.
But first thing’s first. We have to get at least one Spawn movie out in the world. Todd McFarlane, in the same interview, discussed where that project is currently. A lot is happening, but none of it can be announced formally just yet.
“Things have been moving along behind the scenes on the Spawn movie during the pandemic, it’s just that those moves haven’t gone public. We’ve added some big creative people, we’ve added some top-line talent, and just even just a week ago, another big piece fell into place and so we’re all moving as much as possible to try and come up with significant movement. Our goals, by mid-year, is that we can go public. But the one the thing that anybody cares about isn’t announcing some of the names that I can’t announce right now but it’s ‘oh by the way they’ve sold it to a studio and yeah somewhere somebody’s at least pencilled in that they’re going to begin production at some point.”
A previous Spawn movie had been produced in 1997. It was panned by critics and not all that successful commercially. But much has changed in the decades since and Todd McFarlane has some ambitious things brewing. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further details on the movie, or perhaps movies, are made available. This news comes to us via Bleeding Cool.