Superhero movies are huge right now and if anything is even vaguely superhero-y, then there's a solid chance it'll get that big screen adaptation. Spawn is one of the properties that's been trying to do just that, with creator Todd McFarlene working on writing the script with the hopes of directing it as well. McFarlene has been pretty clear on what his vision for the film is, but that might be what's slowing down progress on the movie. The comic book writer and artist isn't swaying one bit on what he wants, which may be giving studios hesitation on picking up the project.
So I'm going, I'm not selling it but if you want to see the rough draft, I'll send it to you. But just so everybody knows, I write, produce, direct, non-negotiable.
Todd McFarlene has already written a rough draft for his Spawn movie, but that doesn't mean things will start moving quickly for the reboot. Even though he's got a finished draft of the screenplay, McFarlene isn't actually selling it to studios yet. McFarlene says a number of big and small time producers have reached out to him in the four months since he finished the first draft, but he tells each one of them that he must produce and direct the film or there's no deal. That's a fairly dig demand from someone who's never directed a movie before, so any hesitation to reach a deal with McFarlene is understandable.
However, as Todd McFarlene goes on to note in an interview with SYFY WIRE, he knows that studios won't trust a first time director with a big budget film. That's why he's written a "tight" script that believes he can make with a small budget of $10 million. That way the risk is at least minimized for the studio that's fronting the money. There have certainly been plenty of supernatural horror films with small budgets that have gone on to become smash hits in recent years, so there isn't any reason to think that won't happen for Spawn.
We don't know very much about the new Spawn movie right now due to it being in the early stages of development. We do know that Todd McFarlene is aiming for the film to be rated-R due to Spawn's audience mainly being adults now. It will also focus more on the supernatural horror aspects of the character rather than being a full-on superhero movie.
There are bound to be more updates on the Spawn movie in the future, so stick with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated with all the latest information as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, check out our 2017 movie release schedule to learn more about what's hitting theaters near you soon.
