The 1990s were a mixed decade for Spawn. On the one hand, Todd McFarlane's creation was introduced in 1992, and since then his book has been one of Image Comics' main staples, as well as spun off several other comics. On the other hand, five years after his debut, Spawn led his own live action movie, and that was not received well, to put it lightly. Michael Jai White played Spawn in the 1997 movie, and over two decades later, the actor is making it perfectly clear that like a lot of people, he doesn't care for it either. In White's words:
There is no footage of me ever saying that I liked Spawn. I have never said that I thought that was a good movie.
Not every superhero movie ends up being a critical hit, but rather than lie and say he's pleased with how Spawn turned out, Michael Jai White noted in his interview with THR that he's never gone on record saying that he liked the movie. White didn't elaborate on what specifically about Spawn he doesn't care for, but one can imagine those issues fall in line with the main criticisms thrown at it, from its lack of coherent story to its subpar effects. Made off a $40 million budget, Spawn, which depicted Al Simmons' origin story and included important characters like Jason Wynn and The Violator, only made $87.8 million worldwide, and it ranks at a dismal 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. The elements from the Spawn comics may have been in there, but thrown together, they weren't enough to impress White and the general public, and the final product certainly put the kibosh on sequel plans.
Fortunately for Spawn fans, the character is getting a second shot as silver screen fame soon. After years of languishing in development, a Spawn reboot is finally moving forward at Blumhouse Pictures, and Todd McFarlane, in addition to writing the script, will step behind the camera to direct. Jamie Foxx will assume the Spawn role this time around and Jeremy Renner has been cast as Detective Twitch Williams, but rather than re-tell Spawn's origin story again, this low-budget adaptation will present the eponymous character as a more mysterious and shadowy figure.
As for Michael Jai White, he's had some comic book media redemption since his turn as Spawn. In 2008, he had a minor, but memorable role as crime boss Gambol in The Dark Knight, where he performed opposite Heath Ledger's Joker. In the TV realm, he played Bronze Tiger in three episodes of Arrow, as well as voiced Doomsday in Justice League/Justice League Unlimited and Tattooed Man in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
The Spawn reboot doesn't have a set release date, but stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on that project, as well as any reminiscing on its 1997 predecessor. You can also look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what movies are hitting theaters later this year.
