Spawn creator Todd McFarlane promised a "huge" announcement regarding Blumhouse's long-in-development live-action reboot on Monday, and while it's come a day late, THR has now shared the news.
The movie, which has been in the works since 2017, has added a new writing team in the form of Scott Silver (Joker), Malcolm Spellman (The Falcon and The Winter Soldier; Captain America: New World Order) and up-and-coming scribe Matthew Mixon.
Jamie Foxx (Spider-Man: No Way Home; Django Unchained) is still attached to play the lead role of Al Simmons, aka the demonic anti-hero known as Spawn.
McFarlane was considering stepping behind the camera at one point, but seems to have had a change of heart, acknowledging that "he may not be the right person to direct, particularly now that some of the highest profile writers in the comic book movie space are involved."
“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?” he tells the trade. “The answer is, ‘of course.’ Let’s keep the momentum going.”
“I grew up in Berkeley, which is a comic book city. Todd McFarlane’s SPAWN character was always one of my favorites — a Black superhero that was no bullshit, he was cool and dealt with modern issues,” adds Spellman. “Myself, Matt Mixon, and Scott Silver are pledged to honoring what Todd started and what SPAWN is at its core, delivering something that’s relevant and edgy and unlike any other superhero movie out there.”
Though the character's popularity has dwindled somewhat over the years, Image's Spawn was one of the best-selling comic books of the '90s. The 1997 movie failed to do Spawn and his various enemies and allies justice, but the HBO animated series was a lot more successful and is well worth tracking down if you haven't seen it yet.
This reboot is being developed with a R-rating in mind.