Spawn Director Explains Why He Chose Jamie Foxx For The Lead Role

A couple months back, we learned that Todd McFarlane’s anti-hero in his upcoming Spawn reboot won’t speak a single word in the forthcoming pic, as he hopes to create an aura of mystery and menace around his titular demon – think of how Steven Spielberg handled Jaws all those years ago and you’ll get an idea of what he’s going for.

It’s a strategy befitting of a Blumhouse production – no less one that’s been pitched as a dark, mature adaptation that will seemingly set itself apart from Hollywood’s other R-rated fare, such as Deadpool and Logan. Whether Todd McFarlane is able to achieve said feat is up for question, but it seems that he’s aiming high with his cast, as just yesterday we learned that Jamie Foxx has been brought on board for the titular role.

That’s certainly a step in the right direction for the film, but one wonders why McFarlane wanted an Oscar winning actor like Foxx if Spawn won’t even have any dialogue. In fact, Deadline posed this very question to him the other day, and here’s what he explained:

“There are five or six moments where I’m going to need things from my actors, and a couple of them have to come from Jamie, and I’ve seen him deliver them onscreen. He gets into a zone, with body language and a look that basically will say way more than anything i could type on a piece of paper, and this movie is going to need those moments. And in the odd moment where he has to deliver a line that’s short, curt and has impact, he can do it in a way that makes you go, ‘Whoa, I don’t want to mess with that guy. What a badass.’”

Continuing on, McFarlane also revealed that he always had his eye on the Baby Driver star for the role, telling Deadline the following:

“Jamie came to my office five years ago, and he had an idea about Spawn and we talked about it. I never forgot him, and when I was writing this script, you sort of plug people in, and he was my visual guy and I never let go of him.

When I got done and my agents and everybody was talking about what actor, I said, I’m going to Jamie first and until he says no I don’t want to think about anyone else because I’ve never had anyone else in my head. Luckily, he hadn’t forgotten either. I said, ‘Hey, I’m back to talk about Spawn again, and he was like, let’s do it.’”

Finally, in a separate interview with Syfy, the director went into even more detail on why he chose Foxx, saying:

Jamie is incredibly charismatic and I think that will help us a ton on the marketing and promotional side, getting the word out. He’s fun to talk to and listen to. He’ll be a great ambassador for Spawn. But more importantly, I’ve seen him in so many roles where he’s shown the look, the demeanor, and language I’m going to need in this movie. I’ve seen him be a badass and in this film, I need him not to be charming but to be a badass. And I’ve seen him do it, so I know we’re good.

There’s still no concrete release date for when we may see the long gestating reboot on theater screens, but the undead Albert Simmons has been waiting an awful long time for his return to the big leagues. Though considering how Todd McFarlane recently teased the possibility of a launch in early 2019 – or, failing that, next Halloween, which is perhaps the most fitting time of year to drop a movie about a brooding half-demon – fans might not have to wait too much longer before Blumhouse’s low budget, dark and heavy Spawn movie takes flight.