Spawn Reboot In Development With Todd McFarlane, Blumhouse
Something wicked this way comes. The Spawn reboot has officially been confirmed.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, comic book creator Todd McFarlane has revealed he's joining forces with Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions to develop a movie based on his hellish creation.
McFarlane broke the news himself in a live-stream video over on his Facebook page, first hyping fans up about the forthcoming film's connection with Blumhouse. "If you like the movie Insidious, if you like the movie Paranormal Activity, if you like the movie The Purge and, recently, if you like the movie Split, or if you like Get Out by Jordan Peele, all of those movies have one thing in common: they were all produced by one man and his production company," McFarlane stated. "Jason Blum did all those movies, and we just signed him [for Spawn] yesterday. The ink is just dry."
McFarlane was clearly excited about the announcement, as it's been the culmination of quite a lot of work.
"We've gone from the theoretical... no more theoretical. We're making movies. We're developing... we're going... no more talking, it's time to do," said McFarlane. Film director Kevin Smith joined the creator for the announcement and expressed similar feelings of happiness at the news.
Earlier this year, McFarlane shopped Spawn, but only recently brought it to Blumhouse. A production company specializing in low-budget horror flicks, like the ones McFarlane rattled off, Blumhouse is envisioning the Spawn as yet another terrifying translation created on a small budget. This lives up to McFarlane's past promises of a dark and scary Spawn reboot.
The film is said to be rated-R, with McFarlane having already written the first draft of the film. He'll also direct, marking a rare instance in which the creator of a comic character helms its movie adaptation. McFarlane stated on Facebook that the project is going into production soon.
McFarlane burst onto the comic book scene in the 1980s, establishing himself as an all-out star and one of comics' first artists to become a millionaire, due in large part to his work on Amazing Spider-Man. Success continued for McFarlane in the years that followed, when he became one of the founding artists of publisher Image Comics and brought to life his best-known creation, Spawn.
Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1 in May 1992. The comic series centers around a black ops agent named Albert Francis "Al" Simmons who's unexpectedly betrayed and murdered. Following his death, his soul is sent to Hell as a means to punish him for the innocent lives he unknowingly took while working for the CIA. In the underworld, Simmons pens a deal with the devil, who allows him to return back to Earth and see his wife again. But when Simmons arrives home, he learns that beloved has moved on. What's a permanently disfigured and supremely powerful spawn of Hell to do then?
McFarlane's creation was adapted into an action-horror movie in 1997, which starred Arrow actor Michael Jai White in the titular role.
While we wait to hear more about the Spawn reboot, check out the other comic book characters who deserve their own movies.