McFarlane announced the news on a Facebook Live alongside Kevin Smith, and I'll admit I didn't want to say anything until there was confirmation from Blumhouse. Well, we got it.
@Blumhouse
Hot off the presses! We bringin' #SPAWN back to the big screen along with the man, himself, @Todd_McFarlane! 👍👍👍
https://t.co/wsjaZ9oBfX
This is a pretty big deal...assuming it happens. Blumhouse would be the perfect partner in a Spawn movie, because they know how to make R-rated movies that appeal to the widest audience. They've also perfected the low-budget horror model, and since that is the apparent path forward for this movie to happen, it makes sense. Nobody is going to hand the unproven McFarlane $100M to direct his first movie.
That said, I don't know how you do this movie on too tight of a shoestring. Spawn exists in a world of demons and angels and monsters, all of grandiose physical description. Spawn's cape and weaponry alone would break the typical Blumhouse budget.
For those who don't know, Spawn follows Al Simmons, a former Marine murdered by his friend and sent to Hell. There he makes a deal with a demon named Malebogia to exchange his soul for a chance to see his wife again. But when he returns to the land of the living it's five years later, she's remarried to his best friend, and Al has been turned into a demonic Hellspawn.
I made a bet with a buddy of mine tonight that in two years we'll look back on this news and ask, "Whatever happened to that Spawn movie?". I hope I'm wrong because Spawn is an awesome character that deserves a great movie franchise. If you want to see Spawn at its best, don't read the comics. Instead check out the very-mature HBO animated series from a few years ago. It lasted three seasons and is worth owning.
