TODD McFARLANE On the Long Awaited SPAWN Movie Script and Renumbering Comics

TODD McFARLANE On the Long Awaited SPAWN Movie Script and Renumbering Comics

Todd McFarlane tells us how his next SPAWN movie script is coming along and that an Academy Award winning actor "wants in."

By Hawksblueyes - Feb 23, 2012 05:02 AM EST
Filed Under: Spawn
Source: NEWSaRAMA


A couple of days ago, I posted a portion from part one of an interview conducted by NEWSaRAMA with writer/artist/Image Comics founder, Todd McFarlane. Part two of that very same interview seems to have just as many interesting little nuggets for us.

It seems many of you who read what McFarlane had to say in the first half of the interview were interested in hearing some sort of update on the state of the long rumored, new SPAWN movie script. When asked about that specific topic, he dropped some interesting tidbits on the state of the project as well as his thoughts on re-starting comics at issue #1.

From NEWSaRAMA...

All the ancillary stuff will come pouring out fairly quickly once I get the big component done, once I announce a movie.

Do I keep nibbling away at it? Yeah. Do I keep getting distracted? Yeah. You know, we just had another conversation where I talked about clearing my schedule for a month and just going away and getting out of the office to finish it up. Because I just keep nibbling it, but I don't get tunnel vision on it like I should have.

People are still interested in it. An Academy Award winning actor came out to the offices and said, Todd, I want to be in it, so get that thing done. He calls me once a week going, let's go! Let's go! So we'll get that thing off the ground.

But I just got #216 out, so there's Spawn available. I still have comic books and other things that I do. Another book done. We did 15 issues. Spawn did 15 issues last year, with the exact same writing and art team, and in all honesty, I can't recall the last time that was done not just by us, but by anybody. You know, 15 issues by the same creative team.

But nobody responded to it. Instead, what seems to be the trend is starting things back at #1, which I think is sort of a more short-term business move. We keep coming up with these short pops in the sales to do this stuff, but we're not helping the customer in the long term. I don't know. Maybe I'm becoming a bit of a dinosaur. I like the number 216. And the way to get sales up isn't to put in a new writer and a new artist. It's just to basically renumber. And the sales will go up, just by that one move. Don't change anything else but that one renumbering move. And mentally, the people ordering it and some people buying it go, oh, a jumping on point. I can get in there. So maybe I'll do a #1, then the second issue could be #217.

You know, Cerebus ended at #300, so I have to get to at least #301, just to break the record.


Hawksblueyes: As always, to read this interview in it's entirety, click on the link below.



SPAWN Reboot Gets An Official Title As Todd McFarlane Announces Script Is (Finally) Complete
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SPAWN Reboot Gets An Official Title As Todd McFarlane Announces Script Is (Finally) Complete

SPAWN: Todd McFarlane Insists Reboot Is Still Happening...Seven Years After It Was First Announced
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TonyChu
TonyChu - 2/23/2012, 6:08 AM
I absolutley love Spawn. Definetly one of the most underated comicbook characters ever. And possibly the most powerful (Al Simmons version). I would love to see a new Spawn movie but the Al Simmons version not the new one. But I dont want the film to be like McFarlane's earlier draft in which you dont see Spawn for the entire film but rather have a detective investigates the murders of criminals he commits. Leonardo DeCaprio was once attatched to the film.
marvel72
marvel72 - 2/23/2012, 6:14 AM
i haven't read spawn in ages i think i've got about the first fifty issues.

great character needs a decent movie.
Denn1s
Denn1s - 2/23/2012, 6:17 AM
[frick]ing love spawn...oh, and Ulitmate Spiderman 111 consecutive issues by the same team for nearly 10 years...and other series out there by the same teams...
SageMode
SageMode - 2/23/2012, 6:19 AM
Spawn has always been one of my favorite characters. I think the last issue I got is when he killed Malebolgia.

Michael Jai White was a pretty good Spawn, but just suffered from the lackluster movie. I'd give him another shot,R-rated this time.
marvel72
marvel72 - 2/23/2012, 6:26 AM
@ 0sagemode0

i'd like to see an r-rated spawn movie,maybe do two versions pg13 to get some money coming in so we get sequels.

then on the blu-ray an r-rated directors cut.
SageMode
SageMode - 2/23/2012, 6:31 AM
marvel72

That's makes more sense, to pull more potential numbers at the box office. I'd just hope they don't go "soft" like they did with the last one if it's gonna be PG-13
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 2/23/2012, 6:44 AM
I would love to see a SPAWN film with the same feel as the HBO animated series in the 90's. I loved that show. Actually, I need to track it down on DVD somewhere.
blazingkidtes
blazingkidtes - 2/23/2012, 6:44 AM
wow i wonder who the award winning actor is he didn't tell us?
ThaMessenger07
ThaMessenger07 - 2/23/2012, 6:49 AM
Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr. & Jamie Fox are the only Black males that have won Academy Awards and are in the range to possibly play Simons.

This is of course, only if the academy award winner he speaks of, is trying to take the role of Spawn....
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 2/23/2012, 6:49 AM
Maybe Denzel Washington wants to be a superhero. ;P
Mecury1
Mecury1 - 2/23/2012, 6:50 AM
Defintely needs a decent movie!!. I would love to see Angela!!~ and the army of Angels.
AlexdoxA
AlexdoxA - 2/23/2012, 6:53 AM
I'd like Jamie Fox or Denzel in it...
Kayo
Kayo - 2/23/2012, 6:58 AM
Could be between Washington and Fox.............Fox was good in Collateral and Washington well he is the reason why Training Day was great to me.
ThatOneDude
ThatOneDude - 2/23/2012, 6:58 AM
This is awesome to hear! I wouldn't mind seeing Redeemer in it either.
marvel72
marvel72 - 2/23/2012, 7:03 AM
i'd go with jamie fox that would be cool as f*ck.
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 2/23/2012, 7:04 AM
Nomis: I agree completely. If there's any truth to what Todd is saying, I think Denzel is the only one who could be interested who has the clout to walk in and say "I want in. Make this happen."

Then again, Todd isn't an "in the loop" movie writer/producer, so maybe any one of the three mentioned could get his attention with a statement like that.
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 2/23/2012, 7:05 AM
Lets hope its good this time. The original was pretty bad.
Shaman
Shaman - 2/23/2012, 7:09 AM
Someone wake me up when it actually gets made. At least he's not completely talking out of his ass like Mark Millar. He does admit he gets plenty of distraction throughout all his nibbling.

And that "academy award winning actor" has got to be Nick Cage. If so... god help us all.
ThaMessenger07
ThaMessenger07 - 2/23/2012, 7:22 AM
If it is for the Role of Simons it could very well be Cuba Gooding Jr, since he is a big time comicbook fan and all. He actually hounded the producers and directors for the leading roles in the following CBM's once planned or released;


Daredevil - He wanted to play a Black Matt Murdock. It was considered and because of that it actually opened the Idea to cast Black actors in White Character roles. If it wasn't for his nagging of the producers, Duncan would most likely never have gotten the role.

Black Panther - In the 90's after Snipes was no longer attached as the lead but still set to produce, Gooding would call him frequently to update and push for the role of T'Challa.

Iron-Man - He wanted to Play Rhodes/WarMachine when Tom Cruise was still attached and it was considered since they had great film chemistry already.

There was Rumors of other Hero roles he wanted to take up. The guy fits the Description of an Academy Award winning actor persistent in getting the lead in a CBM.

Fogs
Fogs - 2/23/2012, 7:29 AM
So Denzel Washington wants to be Al Simmons? :P
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 2/23/2012, 7:34 AM
Cuba would be great as Goliath. ;D

kingkrikkit
kingkrikkit - 2/23/2012, 7:36 AM
I would much rather see it go to someone less famous but more right for the part, my vote is Marcus Patrick (Google him)... I would vote for Idris Elba but hes beeing named for too many other roles (he was in Thor and Ghost Rider, and has been named for Luke Cage and Black Panther.)
Only Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje should be cast as Black Panther, Luke Cage is a bit more tough.
Cth
Cth - 2/23/2012, 7:39 AM
RE: Cerebus

Nice try Todd, Sims actually wrote and drew all 300 issues.. The record is safe.
OtakuPapi
OtakuPapi - 2/23/2012, 7:42 AM
I thought denzel as well... that would put the movie over the top and they could have a hard r rating and it would sale simply because you can never go wrong with Denzel. But for some reason i think the person hounding him wants to play Violator or Jason Wynn...Most likely Wynn! That role could be epic if done correctly as well as Clown. Everytime i see Wanda in the book i think of Halle Berry though im not a big fan of hers,it would be a good look
loki668
loki668 - 2/23/2012, 7:55 AM
No one responded to it? Is that DC's fault for "rebooting"? Nope. Sounds like Spawn just didn't have the story to attract the readers. I dropped off of Spawn when it became clear that McFarlane had run out of udders to milk and became some half-assed toyman, letting Spawn become secondary in importance. This "Academy Award winning actor" is probably someone whose career has faltered and needs a shot in the arm. I'll be surprised if this gets made in the next five years. It's just going to be another in a string of bad decisions made by McFarlane.

Lord Loki has spoken
GUNSMITH
GUNSMITH - 2/23/2012, 8:09 AM
I WANT A SPAWN LIKE THE COMIC BOOKS, LAST I HEARD HE WAS DOING A SPAWN WHERE YOU RARELY SEE HIM, A LIKE A -"IS HE THERE? IS IT REAL, WHAT IS IT?" IS HE STILL DOING IT THAT WAY?..OR IS HE DOING IT BIGGER
GUNSMITH
GUNSMITH - 2/23/2012, 8:13 AM
CUT AN PASTED FROM A MCFARLANE CHAT:

On the status of the project:

All they’re waiting for is my script. As soon as I get my script, which could take me about 2 months if I’m not distracted, that’s always a good guess. I got the story, I’ve been living with the story for 10 years I know the story I got the story down… which is why they wanna make it! Cus, I keep pitching them the story and they go "Well, go write it Todd".


Apparently, it will be a more realistic story, with a "boogey man" in it:

You ever see the movie "The Departed"? It’s like the movie "The Departed" except there’s a boogey man in it. It won’t be a “superhero movie”. It’ll be sort of a suspense/thriller/drama. The only thing in the movie that will be out of the ordinary will be the "boogey man" that You and I know as “Spawn”. So, it’s not going to be "Spawn vs. a demon vs. Clown", they’re not going to do any of that. Think about it as "The Grudge". There’s only one thing in that movie the "boogey man" in that house, everything else in that is real in that movie so it’s like that. It’s more of a story movie.

THIS WAS 2011..
Ceejay
Ceejay - 2/23/2012, 8:15 AM
This character and concept is even worse than Ghost Rider, they're wasting their money if they think its actually got a chance at the box office! Characters like these are never gonna be popular with the general audience enough to make a buck in the cinema. They should just stick to animated films with this kind of land-fill!
Shaman
Shaman - 2/23/2012, 8:18 AM
loki668- It has to be Nick Cage. I bet he wants to play Twitch sooooo bad it's killing him, especially after his shitty second go at GR.
deanwilkins
deanwilkins - 2/23/2012, 8:29 AM
Spawn has been terrible since the guest writers - Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, etc. did their stints in the early issues. Horrible character. Decent design. Nothing original, exciting or really of any interest.

And Haunt is even worse, just for the record.
Shaman
Shaman - 2/23/2012, 8:32 AM
Ceejay- I agree. As a comicbook fan, it pains me to say this but i agree. The general audience doesn't go for all those extreme characters unless they're in a horror setting. The studios won't let that happen because they wanna make bank on toys to sell to kids. And to tell you the truth, Spawn's first film, as PGcampy as it was, wasn't anywhere near horrendous or a "bad" adaptation. It was just a very PG13 representation of the characters and story of the books. Considering all the shit we've seen in CBMs since the first Superman film, it's actually quite faithful in plenty of aspects.
leftcoastpunk
leftcoastpunk - 2/23/2012, 8:42 AM
Nah, I bet it's Damon Wayans, he's got experience in the super hero genre and probably wants to put a similar spin on it. That would be AWESOME!
Shaman
Shaman - 2/23/2012, 8:51 AM
Leftcoastpunk- Did i miss something? When did Damon win an Academy Award and for what???
GUNSMITH
GUNSMITH - 2/23/2012, 9:03 AM
SPAWN WAYAN WITH 2SNAPS AN A CIRCLE
leftcoastpunk
leftcoastpunk - 2/23/2012, 9:06 AM
Ya sarcasm d;-), i'm not showing my age here am I? Someone help me out with a gif if you know what I'm talking about. Not to savy on how to do that.(damn, there goes the age showing again)
leftcoastpunk
leftcoastpunk - 2/23/2012, 9:09 AM
Ha ha thanks gunsmith
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 2/23/2012, 9:15 AM
Maybe Morgan Freeman wants to narrate..

I wish I could tell you that Al fought the good fight, and the Sisters let him be. I wish I could tell you that - but being a Hellsapwn is no fairy-tale world. He never said who did it, but we all knew. Things went on like that for awhile - Hellspawn life consists of routine, and then more routine. Every so often, Al would show up with fresh bruises. The Sisters kept at him - sometimes he was able to fight 'em off, sometimes not. And that's how it went for Al - that was his routine. I do believe those first two years were the worst for him, and I also believe that if things had gone on that way, this place would have got the best of him.

Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 2/23/2012, 9:46 AM
LMAO @ you two id-juts!

More from Morgans SPAWN narrative...

It was right then and there when SPAWN decided he could get busy living or get busy dying!
SHHH
SHHH - 2/23/2012, 10:05 AM
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