In a recent interview, Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions explained that Todd McFarlane‘s Spawn reboot will offer an edgier take on the superhero genre.
“Yes, I’m going to bring the Blumhouse edge,” Blum said at New York Comic Con 2023 (via Screen Rant). “It’s going to be edgy and original as compared to other superhero movies. It’s gonna definitely feel like the Blumhouse version of a superhero movie.”
The history of Spawn
Created by McFarlane, Spawn made his debut in the pages of Image Comics‘ Spawn #1 (May 1992). Real name Al Simmons, the character began his life as a human U.S. Marine and government assassin for Jason Wynn. Murdered by his people during a mission in Botswana, Simmons went to hell and made a deal with the devil Malebolgia to be reborn as an antihero Hellspawn. With the inaugural issue selling over 1.7 million copies worldwide, Spawn became an instant success and still runs to this day.
Spawn’s first live-action appearance came in the 1997 movie produced by New Line Cinema starring Michael Jai White. Despite moderate success at the box office, the PG-13 rated Spawn was panned by critics, with the movie’s star later expressing disappointment about the finished product. A sequel was planned as early as 1998 with the comic’s supporting detective characters Sam and Twitch as the leads. Ultimately, the sequel never got past the script stage.
McFarlane announced plans to write and direct a Spawn reboot in 2007. Ten years later, the Spawn creator finalized a deal with Blumhouse to produce the reboot, with Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx attached to star in the title role. Additionally, McFarlane’s Spawn script is being reworked by Malcolm Spellman (The Falcon and The Winter Soldier), Scott Silver (Joker), and Matthew Mixom.
Blum recently confirmed that the reboot would finally hit theaters sometime in 2025. “2025 is when Spawn is going to come out,” the producer said. “I stand by that. I stand by that.” Blum had previously teased a 2025 release window, though explained that things were still up in the air due to the Hollywood strikes.
