Providing an update on the protracted Spawn reboot is Todd McFarlane.
Recently, additional writers were added to Todd McFarlane’s Spawn movie who have a significant background in comic book movies. McFarlane revealed that Scott Silver (Joker) and Malcolm Spellman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Captain America: New World Order) have signed on to pen a new screenplay for the long-awaited reboot.
This information was released a little over a year after Broken City’s Brian Tucker joined the project, which has been in development since 2009. Instead of editing Tucker’s original screenplay, Silver and Spellman are drafting a new script. The picture will continue to be directed by McFarlane, who will also produce it alongside Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions.
Recently, IGN had the opportunity to chat with McFarlane about this information and discover more about why Spawn has had such a difficult time returning to the big screen. Continue reading to find out more about the movie’s situation and the reasons why Batman/Spawn #1 is likely to be the best-selling comic of the year.
Note: This article will paraphrase McFarlane’s statements rather than offer full quotes because of technical issues with the recording procedure.
The Prospects for the Spawn Film
The news that the Spawn movie is gaining new writers may be seen as a mixed blessing to fans, as it’s clear the project is still in its early stages five years after McFarlane formally reannounced it. McFarlane is well aware Spawn fans are growing impatient at the slow progress, and at this point he’s as frustrated as anyone at that lack of momentum.
McFarlane is sure that finishing the story on time is more important than meeting a deadline, though. He said that Blum was essential in assisting him in altering his viewpoint on the creative process by reassuring McFarlane that the Spawn movie will be released when the time is appropriate, not earlier. We’ll have to wait and see if that means Jeremy Renner and Jamie Foxx will still be involved in the movie when it ultimately starts shooting.
By this time, it is evident that Silver and Spellman are no strangers to comic book movies. McFarlane pointed out that Silver was an obvious option to write a new screenplay because of his work on the Joker in particular. Despite its R-rating, that movie, which used a very low-budget strategy for the Batman franchise, made over a billion dollars worldwide and went on to become the most lucrative comic book movie ever.
That fits with McFarlane’s aim to tackle Spawn in a smaller, darker, and more personal manner. When filming was scheduled to start in 2018, McFarlane had envisioned a tight $10 million budget and a plot that would use Spawn more as an intimidating supporting character than the lead character. However, the movie was still reliant on McFarlane’s original screenplay at that point. After several new draughts, McFarlane has made it apparent that he has no desire to control the narrative and is instead letting Silver and Spellman work to resurrect the tale of this zombie anti-hero.
The Achievement of “Batman/Spawn”
The Spawn movie is still a few years off, but another brand-new endeavour is drawing nearer all the time. Batman/Spawn #1, the first crossover between the two properties in in 30 years, will be released in December by DC and Image. That one-shot special is being written by McFarlane once again working with famed Batman artist and previous Spawn partner Greg Capullo.
Even two months before its official publication, Spawn/Batman #1 is already a huge success. Based on initial preorders, Image anticipates sales of at least 500,000 copies, which would undoubtedly make it the best-selling comic of 2022. Given that King Spawn #1 topped the charts in 2021, McFarlane would also become the top-selling comic book author for the second year in a row. Following the publication of Spawn #300 and the establishment of a common Spawn universe, it is obvious that the franchise is experiencing a significant rebirth.
The Court of Owls is a mysterious organisation that Capullo and writer Scott Snyder developed in the pages of their New 52 Batman comic, and the two heroes will face off against it in Batman/Spawn #1. The enemy for this tale was a straightforward choice, according to McFarlane, despite the Court of Owls’ increased popularity among the general public as a result of their appearances in animated films like Batman vs. Robin and the impending Gotham Knights video game. He just asked Capullo to create the people he desired, and from there, he let the plot develop.
For this issue, McFarlane and Capullo really used the tried-and-true Marvel Method, outlining the plot and letting Capullo draw the pages before adding dialogue. Although this method has mostly lost favour in popular comics, McFarlane remarked that he and Capullo have loved working closely together and refining their tale by rearranging pages and altering dialogue.
Additionally, McFarlane affirmed that Batman/Spawn #1 is not being viewed as a continuation of the limited book Batman/Spawn: War Devil or Spawn/Batman #1, which he and Frank Miller co-wrote. To relate this new crossover to comics that have been out of print for a long time, McFarlane thought it was foolish (note – DC is reprinting both earlier crossovers in a new collected edition in November). Instead, Batman/Spawn #1 is intended to be a completely stand-alone tale that is readable by laypeople.
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