Todd McFarlane has been trying to get his R-rated Spawn movie reboot off the ground for a good while. After spending what feels like an eternity in development hell, the project is finally moving ahead with Jamie Foxx attached to the lead role, but it sounds like this cinematic revival might not be the last we see of the undead anti-hero.
In a recent interview with Forbes, McFarlane teased future plans for Al Simmons, hinting that a Spawn TV show could follow the Foxx-fronted movie, if it’s a success.
“We’ve had those conversations. People ask why not a TV show instead of a movie? Part of it is I’ve never directed a feature film… This might be my only chance. I’ve held on to the rights to attach myself to it. If it works out, we can always bring it over to television.”
Reports suggest that McFarlane’s Spawn will begin shooting this year with the acclaimed comic book creator himself in the director’s chair. The new film is expected to be a far cry from 1997’s PG-13-rated Spawn, in which Michael Jai White played the protagonist opposite Martin Sheen’s double-crossing government agent Jason Wynn and John Leguizamo’s demonic Clown. Expect an ultra-violent take on the Image Comics series, with prominent horror elements.
Avengers star Jeremy Renner has been strongly linked with the project and is expected to take on the role of the sharp-shooting detective Twitch, and Josh Gad is also rumoured to be among the cast, potentially as one of the villains.
If the new Spawn movie is followed by a TV show, it won’t be the first time the character has graced the small screen. As fans will know, HBO aired an Emmy-winning animated adaption of the comic property for three seasons between 1997 and 1999.
Two months back, it was reported that Spawn is on course to go in front of the cameras later this year, but it’s unclear whether the coronavirus outbreak has added yet another roadblock to McFarlane’s plans and created further delays. As always, though, we’ll let you know as soon as we receive further updates.