Howdy, folks. It’s time for your semi-annual “Spawn” reboot update. For years now (quite literally), we’ve been talking about the upcoming “Spawn” film that is set to be written and directed by the comic book character’s creator, Todd McFarlane, and will star Jamie Foxx in the title role. Sometimes, it seems as if filming is right around the corner. Other times, it feels as if “Spawn” will join the ranks of “Gambit” as a comic book feature that gets delays into obscurity. Well, according to Blumhouse founder, Jason Blum, “Spawn” is still on its way, and it’s going to be unlike other superhero films.
READ MORE: Jamie Foxx Says ‘Spawn’ Film Is Still Coming & Will Be “Something Special”
Speaking to Inverse, Blum, whose Blumhouse is set to produce the low-budget horror reboot of the comic book franchise, gave an update about “Spawn” and why he’s excited to be associated with the film. Spoiler alert – it’s because comic book films are hugely popular right now and Blum is in the business of making money.
“It’s gonna be very different, it’s gonna be very edgy,” said Blum about “Spawn.” “What excited me about it is that ‘Spawn’ is kind of the last great unexploited comic. So that seemed like an amazing opportunity.”
He continued, “It’s taken longer than I hoped it would have to get the story right, but we’re still working on it.”
Obviously, superhero films tend to be about as edgy as a basketball. These are films that are made for large budgets that hope to make a billion dollars at the box office. And to do that, you have to appeal to just about everyone. Since Blumhouse features are made for a fraction of the typical blockbuster budget, that affords the studio the opportunity to take big risks. This also leads Blum to believe that a studio like Marvel might struggle to make an edgy, horror-based superhero film.
“I’m of two minds,” said Blum. “I would never bet against Marvel. They have a relatively good track record — that’s a joke, they have one of the best track records ever, right? I also think it’s a challenge to do horror at big budgets, but if anyone can do it, it’s Marvel.”
Now, no matter when “Spawn” is made, there is going to be the added costs of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), which is now a standard part of filmmaking in the post-pandemic era. And Blum is quick to point out that this added cost isn’t something to overlook.
“It’s 10 to 20 percent of the production cost. It’s an additional 10 to 20 percent,” said Blum. “Yep, it ain’t cheap.”
Of course, at this point, we have no idea when “Spawn” might be made. Correction— we don’t know if “Spawn” will be made. But we’ll definitely keep you updated as more news trickles in.