Michael Jai White, star of the original Spawn movie, is doubtful about the viability of Todd McFarlane's planned theatrical reboot of the franchise. Spawn is a Necroplasm-fueled fictional antihero that McFarlane first created for Image Comics' comic-book series of the same name in 1992. The sadistic Hellspawn was later spun-off into various other comics, and in 1997 the adventures of the demonic vigilante were also rendered into a live-action feature film. While the original Spawn movie, which was helmed by Mark A.Z. Dippé, garnered acclaim for casting an African American actor to portray a major comic book superhero, its overall reviews and box office revenue were mostly unimpressive. McFarlane has since admitted that the movie was a disaster, and he has been of late endeavoring to reintroduce Spawn into the mainstream media.

A Spawn sequel has been in development limbo since 1998. The reboot is reportedly a standalone R-rated horror story focusing on Spawn and Twitch that McFarlane has written himself. In 2017, Blumhouse Productions announced their involvement with the film, with McFarlane attached as the director, and in 2018, Jamie Foxx was confirmed to portray the titular character, while Jeremy Renner was roped in to play Twitch. The reboot was supposed to go on floors in November 2019, the production was later delayed to an unconfirmed 2020 date. In May 2020, producer Jason Blum confirmed that the Spawn reboot was in active development. Recently the original Spawn star White shared his thoughts about the reboot movie, while also revealing how he felt about McFarlane's directorial plans.

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During a recent conversation with CBR, White revealed that he is skeptical that the Spawn reboot will ever be made, and he is also quite unenthusiastic about McFarlane's eagerness to direct the long-gestating movie. As per White, McFarlane has compared the narrative structure of his Spawn movie to Jaws, which is a rather baffling template for the kind of movie fans expect the Spawn sequel to be. White also feels that McFarlane should have allowed an established director to oversee the film, as with him at the helm, any investment into the movie is a risky gamble. He, nevertheless, wishes both McFarlane and Foxx well for the upcoming venture. White said:

"He's been trying to get a new movie up and going for 23 years so I don't know. [Laughs] The last time I saw him, he was telling me about his idea of Spawn being ethereal fog that you don't see, like Jaws, and he strikes and you never see him and I'm like 'Okay, good luck with that!' Personally, I wish him well, that would be a major investment."

"I don't know Todd to be a director at all. It's kind of like Stan Lee: He created the character but he doesn't direct him and I guess somebody would have to pony up a lot of money for Todd McFarlane to direct for his first time directing this movie idea that he has. I've heard about Jamie Foxx starring in it and wish them well. I don't know, maybe it continues because this is what people like to hear from Todd McFarlane. He can get attention by promising another Spawn; I don't get it."

Spawn as he appeared in the 1997 movie

While White logically has reservations about the film, the comic book artist, on the other hand, is quite confident about delivering his promise in the forthcoming reboot. While speaking at the Fan Expo Canada last year, McFarlane affirmed that he wasn't nervous about being a first-time director. He said that he had already directed the movie "a thousand times" in his head and that there are a bunch of skilled individuals working alongside him on the film, which has made his job a lot easier. Blum and Foxx, likewise, are also quite optimistic about the movie. Blum had, in fact, earlier teased a "seismic event" for the Spawn reboot, while also adding that he wants to make the movie "so badly".

With reputed talents attached and a fresh take on storytelling, the Spawn reboot has everything that a film needs in order to become a massive success. But White's doubts about McFarlane's lack of cinema experience and the long delays associated with the production also stand true. Even if Blumhouse secures a definite launch window for the reboot, the dilemma around McFarlane's directorial plans still remains. Sure McFarlane knows what he wants, and sure he knows the character of Spawn better than anyone else, but directing a film is relatively a new territory - an art that can only be mastered with perseverance and practice. Whether McFarlane's creative vision will come to fruition in the upcoming Spawn reboot, or will the overwhelming bureaucracy of Hollywood and the weighty challenges of the commercial film industry will get the best of him, is a matter that only time can tell.

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Source: CBR