Todd McFarlane, creator of Image Comics’ Spawn, has been talking about a reboot of his 1997 Spawn movie for years, claiming back in February that an Oscar-winning actor has been calling him every few weeks to ask when the script will be ready. Then, during Comic-Con, Oscar winner Jamie Foxx said he was “aggressively pursuing” the role of Spawn. Now McFarlane offers an update on his Spawn remake.
The Gate spoke to McFarlane at Fan Expo Canada. He says the producers want him to deliver the Spawn script by the end of the year, with plans to shoot next year. He’s been negotiating to write, produce, and direct the film, a stipulation he says is the reason for the delays.
He also hinted again at the involvement of an Oscar winner.
“We’ve had some big names […] come into the office and go, ‘We want to be in it.’ Sometimes they give me their pitch, I give them my pitch, I go, ‘We can get in it, this is how it goes,’ and so those types of actors — Academy Award guys — they’re going, ‘As soon as that scripts done, we’re going.’ So once we get this thing done, we’ll get it off the ground with some big names.” [The Gate via THR]
So how can they actually turn a profit with a Spawn movie starring big name actors without compromising the story? By starting with a smaller budget and making a horror thriller instead of a superhero movie.
“I think it’s a quick shoot. It’s not going to be a giant budget with a lot of special effects; it’s going to be more of a horror movie and a thriller movie, not a superhero one. I’ve got so many people phoning now that I’ve got to get it done. I’ve made some promises to people this year.”
Can it be rated R please? We’re asking nicely…
(Banner picture via Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com.)