Producer Jason Blum has confirmed on more than one occasion that the project is very much still in the works, but so far, 99% of the talk surrounding the Spawn reboot has come directly from Todd McFarlane. Obviously, the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic have had a major impact on the development process, but the creator of the cult favorite comic book character knows that there’s only so long people are willing to listen to him wax lyrical without having anything tangible to show for it.
Even Michael Jai White, who played the title role in the 1997 original, isn’t sure whether a new version of Spawn is viable, although he is open to the idea of cameo if that’s what the fans want to see. Recent leaks, meanwhile, claimed that the script was an unmitigated disaster, but as of yet, there’s been no confirmation that the final shooting draft is even complete.
We’ve been hearing McFarlane tease a major new addition to the cast for what feels like forever, though, and in a recent interview, he once again outlined his hopes to deliver some big news by the middle of 2021, although he was by no means making any definitive statements.
“I keep saying the same thing, and at some point I’m sure it falls on deaf ears, but we just added another person. Movement is happening. We crossed a threshold literally last week. I get it, because we’re living in a weird time, in the pandemic, and nobody wants to say anything, because you don’t know what’s going to happen and whatever else. But we as a collective team are doing what needs to be done to keep this moving. We put a little bit of pressure on ourselves to say, ‘Can we have by midyear something really big and tangible to go public with?’. Which is not only to backtrack on the people we’ve added, but to also say, ‘And we sold it to a studio’.
Something that’s really tangible. That it’s like we’re not just farting around. I know when people don’t get concrete names and information and stuff, and when I have to say, ‘Stuff’s happening. Just wait’, that’s not very satisfying answer, which is essentially what I’m saying. And that’s what’s frustrating, because I know that it’s way more than that happening.
And you know, dealing on the Hollywood front, with all the stuff, there are lots and lots of things going on that have yet to be sort of announced. But yeah, I fall in that same bucket, but at least we’re all rowing in the same direction right now. So I think there’s a bit of a distraction, but now, I think we’re all pretty focused here, and everybody wants the same goal, which is, ‘Let’s take this thing to the next level. Come on, guys, let’s go’.”
Blumhouse are one of Hollywood’s most reliable hit factories, which would at least outline that Spawn is definitely happening one way or the other, but the serious lack of forward momentum has got to be frustrating for McFarlane, Blum and the fans. If a concrete update isn’t even in the reboot’s immediate future, then there’s virtually no chance of the movie entering production before the beginning of 2022 at the earliest based on how things have been going so far.