We have been waiting for a supposedSpawnfilm reboot for some time now. While there exists a 1997 big-screen take onTodd McFarlane’s ultra-dark, ultra-edgy comic book antihero, this movie is generally regarded with derision or camp appreciation at the best. What wereallywant is a McFarlane-directed,hard R-rated, faithful and brutal takeon the material! And he’s gonna give one to us,starring friggin' Oscar winnerJamie Foxxas the central character, and it’s gonna be great! Right?
Well, beyond the nearly decade-long period this new film has spent in development hell, not to mentionits central star likely dropping out, there is a chance that McFarlane’s pure vision might be, in fact, nowhere near what we want from a film version ofSpawn. We know this because of some new details spilled… by 1997SpawnstarMichael Jai White. The impressive actor/martial artist (you must seeBlack Dynamiteimmediately) spoke quite candidly withComic Book Resourcesabout how bizarre McFarlane’s new vision seems, and how unlikely he thinks it will get off the ground. “He’s been trying to get a new movie up and going for 23 years so I don’t know,” said White with a laugh, before giving us a taste of what McFarlane’s been cooking with this new take. It is… strange.
“The last time I saw him, he was telling me about his idea of Spawn being ethereal fog that you don’t see, like Jaws, and he strikes and you never see him and I’m like ‘Okay, good luck with that!’ Personally, I wish him well, that would be a major investment.”
Okay. I… hmm. We all know what Spawn looks like, right? That’s a big part of his appeal, right? Is the best decision, creative or businesswise, really to make him an invisible, ethereal fog? Do you just wanna remakeThe Fog, McFarlane? Or better yet, write something new that lets you chase this impulse? (Also, unrelated, I need to emphasize the perfect kiss-off thatis"Personally, I wish him well, that would be a major investment.")
Now, there is a chaotic part of my brain that absolutely wants to let McFarlane direct a hard-RSpawnadaptation where we never see Spawn and he’s just killer fog instead. But according to White, he’s likely not much a director anyway, and this “talking about aSpawnmovie” business might be all he’s got.
“I don’t know Todd to be a director at all. It’s kind of like Stan Lee: He created the character but he doesn’t direct him and I guess somebody would have to pony up a lot of money for Todd McFarlane to direct for his first time directing this movie idea that he has. I’ve heard about Jamie Foxx starring in it and wish them well. I don’t know, maybe it continues because this is what people like to hear from Todd McFarlane. He can get attention by promising another Spawn; I don’t get it.”
Let’s make a promise, reader. Let’s promise that, once we’re vaccinated, we go into a 2022 movie theater to see “Todd McFarlane’s Fog Spawn”, we walk out flabbergasted, we look at each other, we say simply, “I don’t get it,” and we part ways never to speak again.
