Hollywood once had a habit of handling superhero properties poorly, and 1997's Spawn remains
a prime example of that.
Creator Todd McFarlane knows that the first adaptation was a missed opportunity, which
is exactly why he's going to make certain the reboot blows you away.
How?
Here's a look.
McFarlane was something of a superhero himself in the late '80s and early '90s, at least
in comic book circles.
He rose to prominence with his hugely successful run on The Amazing Spider-Man, co-creating
the anti-hero Venom along the way.
Even Stan Lee was amazed at his abilities.
"We'll try to explain our thinking on how we're coming across, and why we're doing Overkill
the way…"
"You can think and draw at the same time?!"
Given Venom's massive box office success, it's no surprise than McFarlane sees possibilities
for the similarly horror-tinged Spawn.
Where Venom opted for a more family friendly PG-13 rating, though, McFarlane promises to
push the envelope with a truly R-rated superhero movie.
During an appearance at ACE Comic Con in 2018, McFarlane said,
"We don't want to muddy the waters, it's R-rated.
Not like Deadpool, where there was just a couple F-bombs and a naked butt.
Not like Logan either…
We're talking trauma, true trauma, as serious as possible."
McFarlane even holds out hope that Sony may choose to distribute the new Spawn film, leading
to a potential crossover between his two creations.
He told CBR,
"No matter who distributes Spawn, the first thing you will see in every trailer will be,
'From the co-creator of Venom.'
So then my question to Sony is, why would you let one of your competitors use that line,
given that it was your effort that made Venom work?...
I think it's worth asking, then, what happens if they both work?"
Of course, we already know what will happen if it doesn't work.
"You will be this legless, armless, faceless thing, won't you?
Rolling down the street, like a turd in the wind."
Where Venom just had undertones of horror, though, McFarlane promises Spawn will be pure
terror.
In fact, he told Deadline that his dedication to a truly dark Spawn film has led to difficulties
with Hollywood execs who don't understand his vision.
"They all default into their Captain America mindset and I keep saying, 'No, get into John
Carpenter's mindset or Hitchcock.'
This is not a man in a rubber suit, it's not a hero that's going to come and save the damsel,
it's none of that."
One way he plans to do this is by abandoning the tired superhero cliche of presenting an
origin film.
McFarlane told ComicBook.com he plans to just jump right into the action instead.
"I've seen too many movies that spend way too much time for the set up."
One way McFarlane is working to deliver on his many promises is by surrounding himself
with top notch talent.
Producer Jason Blum, who was behind the massive hit Split, is on board, while superstars Jamie
Foxx and Jeremy Renner are slated to play the leads.
Yes, leads, plural.
That's because Foxx's portrayal of Spawn will largely be in a supporting role.
Instead, Renner's brainy cop Twitch will be at the center of the story, as he seeks revenge
for the death of his daughter while the specter of the bogeyman Spawn looms in the shadows.
Foxx told Yahoo! that he's sure the final result will be epic.
"Todd McFarlane is already a badass, but then you see Jeremy Renner, and you go, 'Wow.'
Because the script revolves around the character Twitch, and you can look at Jeremy Renner's
face for an hour and a half and be moved.
That's a wonderful partner, and it makes you feel good about the project."
After what happened the first time he allowed somebody else to adapt his prized property,
McFarlane understandably wanted a higher degree of control this time out.
In fact, what the Spawn creator has is essentially full control; He's writing and directing the
movie himself.
That allows him to go outside the studio system, where execs are more concerned with moving
tie-in merchandise.
McFarlane told fans at New York Comic Con 2018,
"I don't care about selling t-shirts and hats.
When Spawn comes, it's nice and calm, and then you're gone.
He will mess you up and he will do it in a harsh way.
He doesn't care if he's selling any toys or t-shirts."
These days many superhero blockbusters routinely cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make.
But the new Spawn reboot is reportedly only going to cost $10 million, which is just a
quarter of that the original cost way back in 1997.
How?
According to Blum, neither he nor McFarlane are taking any pay from the budget, and neither
are the stars.
Plus, they are creating a much smaller, more contained world, filled with practical effects
rather than CGI.
As part of that, McFarlane hired emmy award winning Walking Dead director and special
effects guru Greg Nicotero to design the world of Spawn, including a new costume that is
streamlined for movie audiences.
McFarlane revealed to Fandom,
"We've already designed them, and the great thing about Greg is, because he's a director,
when I was trying to explain what I was going to do onscreen visually he could understand
what that meant."
Netflix has had its ups and downs when it comes to original movies, with hits like Bird
Box and flops like the manga adaptation Death Note.
Either way, McFarlane told Comicbook.com he may consider distributing Spawn through Netflix.
"I think the world's changing in front of our very eyes in how we're going to consume
not only entertainment, but even movies…
I'm not going to get married to a distribution model that may not be as relevant or as efficient
because that's how you used to do it.
I'll talk to all of them."
If you like the sound of all this, well, you're in luck, because McFarlane told the crowd
at New York Comic Con that he's actually planning a whole Spawn trilogy.
"I'm selling it as a trilogy, and each movie will look different than the last one.
Here's the thing about the trilogy: A lot of trilogies go back and repeat the last thing.
I want each movie to be visually different."
So why a trilogy instead of a stand alone film?
"Why do you people always question?
Why ask why?
When how is so much more fun!"
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