Though Todd McFarlane has saved himself the trouble of writing dialogue for Spawn (the character, not the film), Albert Francis Simmons will still have a means of communicating in the R-rated reboot.
Two weeks ago, we learned that McFarlane’s anti-hero wouldn’t speak a single word in the forthcoming pic, as he hopes to create an aura of mystery and menace around his titular demon – think of how Steven Spielberg handled Jaws all those years ago.
It’s a strategy befitting of a Blumhouse production – no less one that has been pitched as a “dark and heavy” reboot that will seemingly set itself apart from Hollywood’s other R-rated fare, such as Deadpool and Logan. Whether Todd McFarlane is able to achieve said feat is up for question, but during a recent chat with ComicBook.com, the writer-director spoke more about Spawn and his ‘voice’, which ought to be familiar to those who have been keeping up with the comics.
So, there’s a nuance here right? So Spawn, the being of Spawn, the sentinel being of Spawn doesn’t speak, but I’ve created another way to be able to give him a voice. But what won’t happen is that you won’t see Spawn in his big costume and cape go ‘hello everybody. I’m here to save the day’. None of that. But the presence of Spawn will have an outlet to get across his voice in a manner that will be fairly obvious to people who follow the Spawn comic book over the years.
It’s by no means the first time that Spawn has been summoned into the spotlight; all this week, ComicBook.com has been peeling back the many layers of McFarlane’s nascent feature – cameos, casting, runtimes, release dates and the possibility of an uncut version – and it all makes for some pretty interesting reading.
Still no word of a release window, though, but if Todd McFarlane has his way, Spawn will take flight on Halloween.