Todd McFarlane's Spawn movie reboot has encountered several roadblocks on its journey to production, but the project has an opportunity to become a big success — provided it takes a page out of Marvel Studios' Iron Man. The film, which McFarlane (who also created the character) plans to direct, attracted A-list talent in the form of Jamie Foxx as the titular character and Jeremy Renner as Twitch Williams, a detective from the Spawn comics. Despite said updates, though, the film (which is being produced by Blumhouse Productions) has not gotten off the ground.
McFarlane has alluded to the delays stemming from studios being somewhat hesitant to develop his take on the project. Over the years, the creator has openly expressed his desire to make his reboot the hard-R horror film that the PG-13 1997 Spawn superhero movie was not; one that treats its titular character (a.k.a. Al Simmons) not as a superhero, but as an elusive darkness dweller. The idea is promising, but at the current stage of superhero media, where superhero films and TV series unabashedly embrace their characters' larger-than-life roots, McFarlane's intent for Al Simmons is not necessarily the right approach. Instead, Spawn should take a cue from the first Iron Man film.
Iron Man was a fairly niche character before his film premiered in 2008, but Marvel Studios turned him into a phenomenon by giving his live-action iteration a hook. He was not a typical superhero; unlike characters like Spider-Man or Superman, Tony Stark was a staunch narcissist who, through an arduous journey, learned to put others' interests ahead of his own. The hook was present visually as well, as the House of Ideas embraced the character's colorfulness. His suit was vibrant and eye-catching, ultimately becoming a prominent part of pop culture iconography. It was a perfect combination of elements that, as mentioned, catapulted Iron Man into the mainstream. With McFarlane's character currently best known from the Spawn animated series voiced by Keith David, the live-action reboot needs to take a page from Iron Man.
Spawn Needs To Make Al Simmons Attractive
Spawn benefits from three important elements: a strong backstory, a striking appearance, and a fascinating power-set. Al Simmons is a former soldier/CIA agent who's killed during a mission. He makes a deal with a demon to be resurrected and he's brought back with supernatural powers and a disfigured body. However, he only returns five years after his death, meaning his wife has re-married and the world has left him behind. As for his look and powers, he wears a Venom-like costume made of necroplasm that can shapeshift into different weapons. He also has super strength, healing abilities and can manipulate his density.
All of those elements have the potential to make Todd McFarlane's Spawn one of the most unique on-screen comic characters so far and, most importantly, a sellable property for general viewers. The current creative approach to the Spawn reboot seems to assume that audiences are familiar with the antihero, when he is, objectively speaking, niche. Turning him into a shadowy creature in his first film in over two decades would likely not make him a marketable brand. His backstory alone could be the hook to establish him as a sympathetic, conflicted protagonist to the average consumer — something that would be negated if he were primarily treated as just an angry vigilante working from the shadows.
Focusing on Spawn's marketable elements and storytelling hooks wouldn't negate McFarlane's and Blumhouse's Spawn movie remake from being R-rated and horror-focused as intended. Given his disturbing backstory and universe, Spawn is a prime candidate for a mature treatment, but staying faithful to his adult roots doesn't have to entail stripping him of the elements that could make him a standout property. Films like Deadpool, Logan, and Joker have proven there's no one avenue toward success in the R-rated comic space; they've shown that audiences are willing to try something new if it's appealing enough. As such, if handled appropriately, Spawn's story and impactful visuals give the Spawn reboot the potential to not only be a moderate box-office success, but the next "big thing" in the comic book movie genre, just as Iron Man was in 2008.