Blumhouse’s Spawn film adaptation, in development limbo since 2017, has gained a new team of all-star writers. Scott Silver (Joker), Malcom Spellman (Falcon and the Winter Soldier), and Matt Mixon will join to bring the film out of the ashes and onto the big screen. Jamie Foxx, originally cast in the title role, is still attached to the project.
Created by Todd McFarlane, the comic book character Spawn was first introduced in 1992. McFarlane penned a previous draft of the film adaptation’s script but has now stepped down from the writing role as well as a rumored directorial role. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, McFarlane commented, “If we’ve got an A-list actor, A-list producers, A-list writers, then do you want to shoot for A-list directors, A-list cinematographers? The answer is, ‘Of course.’ Let’s keep the momentum going.” Once McFarlane learned the film would garner a larger budget, and watched Silver’s work in 2019’s Joker, he said, “Why not just go for the guy who wrote the movie?” Of course, Silver said yes, and the rest is history.
Spawn is a special project for writer Spellman, who gushed, “I grew up in Berkeley, which is a comic book city. Todd McFarlane’s Spawn character was always one of my favorites — a Black superhero that was no bullshit, he was cool and dealt with modern issues. Myself, Matt Mixon, and Scott Silver are pledged to honoring what Todd started and what Spawn is at its core, delivering something that’s relevant and edgy and unlike any other superhero movie out there.”
For those not familiar with the comics, Spawn is a former black-ops agent who is murdered and must make a deal with a demon to return to Earth. However, upon his return he discovers five years have passed, his wife has moved on, and he is cursed to roam as the spawn of hell.
Spawn does not currently have a release date.