He may not be at the same level of popularity as comic book characters like Batman and Spider-Man, but make no mistake, since debuting in 1992, Spawn has built up a sizable fanbase. Five years after his adventures at Image Comics began, Spawn starred in his own movie, which failed to impress critically and didn't make much of a dent at the box office. Two decades later, creator Todd McFarlane has made tremendous progress in moving forward with some much needed cinematic redemption for Spawn, but it turns out the upcoming Spawn reboot doesn't mark the character's return to the big screen. That honor belongs to Ready Player One, as McFarlane has revealed that Spawn cameos in the latest Steven Spielberg movie. McFarlane said:
...If you're paying attention, there's a big scene, for a brief second, and you're gonna see Spawn in Ready Player One. Look for dude with the big, giant red cape. He's leading the charge!
Todd McFarlane announced the Spawn cameo on his Facebook page, so for those of you who are seeing the movie this weekend, be it for the first time or another viewing, keep an eye out for the demonic character. While many of Ready Player One's references, both in the book and the movie, hail from the 1980s, the movie does show some love to a few other decades. Spawn definitely fits nicely in the 1990s crowd alongside The Iron Giant and the T-rex from Jurassic Park. Like most of the pop culture Easter eggs in Ready Player One, it sounds like Spawn's appearance will be of the 'blink and you'll miss it' variety, so if you're a fan of the character, maybe don't take a bathroom break or even turn your head during the scene involving a massive charge.
If you want, you can think of Spawn's cameo in Ready Player One as the small appetizer ahead of the entree that is the Spawn reboot. For years, Todd McFarlane tried to get a new Spawn movie off the ground, and last summer, he announced that the project is finally moving forward over at Blumhouse Productions. Rather than hand off his creation to someone else, McFarlane will direct the Spawn reboot, which will not re-tell the character's origin story. Instead, this movie is being set up as a low-budget, R-rated superhero movie set in New York City that fits quite comfortably in the horror genre. McFarlane has also said that Spawn will not speak in the reboot, though he'll still communicate in a special way. Aside from the eponymous protagonist, the only character from the Spawn comics who's been confirmed for the reboot is Detective Twitch Williams. In any case, the Spawn reboot is finally on the way, but if you've been waiting a long time to see this character back in a cinematic setting, Ready Player One has you covered.
Ready Player One is now playing in theaters, and be sure to read our review and To 3D guide for the movie. As for the Spawn reboot, it doesn't have an assigned release date yet, but keep checking back with CinemaBlend for updates on how it's progressing.
