Things have gotten a little more real for the long in development Spawn film, with the announcement that Jamie Foxx has been cast in the lead role of Spawn, presumably using the Al Simmons version of the character.
The original Spawn film was released in 1997, with Michael Jai White portraying Al Simons, it was a very different era of cinema in terms of comic book films, and while it was a moderate success there was no follow up sequel at the time.
This new project will see creator Todd McFarlane writing and directing the film, he has previously said this new film is not a continuation of the original, but a new take on the character. The new film does not have a release date, but is to be produced by Blumhouse Productions, and is even reported to have been allocated a $10 million production budget.
In regards to the small production budget, McFarlane has commented that he wants essentially no intervention from the studio, and that his primary need for support will be for distribution and marketing. In a creative sense McFarlane also plans to keep the audience guessing, with Spawn himself having minimal screen time, and keeping in the shadows to help build suspense and terror, rather than the more familiar superhero feel of contemporary cinema.
While landing a great lead such as Jamie Foxx is a huge step for this project, it’s difficult to not have a few concerns around where it’s heading. McFarlane might have a handful of Producer credits in his filmography but his experience as a director is slim. Further to that a production budget of $10 million is going to leave things a bit limited in terms of what the film can do with the character, but it doesn’t mean they can’t come up with something clever and effective for the character with a small production.
We’re definitely not looking at much of a translation of the comic book on this type of budget, McFarlane has promised a vision different to the comics and I’m sure that’s what we’ll get. It’s difficult to know where that vision and this project might be heading, but as long as it’s not in the same direction as Frank Miller’s The Spirit, this new take on Spawn has me intrigued.
