Producer Jason Blum is hard at work on the Spawn reboot movie, though the story has taken longer than expected. The title superhero was created by Todd McFarlane in the 1990s but remains among the most popular comic book characters today. Originally a member of the U.S. military, Al Simmons goes to Hell and returns five years later as Spawn. His story is rather dark, primarily due to his antihero activities. Spawn has appeared in an animated TV series, as well as one live-action movie, both of which came out in the late '90s. The film starred Michael Jai White as Spawn and was unfortunately a critical disappointment. However, it stands out as one of the first movies featuring an African American actor as a major superhero.

Since the original Spawn film's release, a sequel or reboot has been discussed often. Though the current iteration is still a little ways off, some details are known. For example, Jamie Foxx has been attached to Spawn for several years and discussed his enthusiasm about it again in August. Additionally, the project will be directed by McFarlane, who's spoken about his condition the film is rated R. Blum's company Blumhouse Productions is involved in the movie as well, with Blum revealing in May there was "an enormous amount of activity" regarding Spawn. However, there have been few updates on the film this fall.

Related: Spawn Remake Is The Most Promising Superhero/Horror Crossover Movie

Luckily, Blum changed that in a recent interview with Inverse where he discussed the project. Asked how the Spawn reboot will differ from past movies, Blum explained:

It’s gonna be very different, it’s gonna be very edgy. What excited me about it is that Spawn is kind of the last great unexploited comic. So that seemed like an amazing opportunity. It’s taken longer than I hoped it would have to get the story right, but we’re still working on it.

Michael Jai White as Albert Simmons in the Spawn movie

Blum's comment about how long it's taken to get the new Spawn's story right isn't too surprising considering the movie's lengthy development process. Those involved in the project seem to recognize the character presents some challenges, with the film's tone hard to nail down. R-rated comic book movies are already quite rare, and adding in the horror elements means Spawn could be unlike anything ever done before. The amount of time spent on the story shows Blum's devotion to the film and getting everything exactly right.

Blum also makes a good point about Spawn being one of the only remaining big comics that hasn't been explored extensively. The original live-action Spawn film came well before the peak era of superhero movies ushered in by Marvel. Though that movie has its fans, it hasn't become a part of the mainstream conversation. As a result, neither has the character of Spawn, at least among average film fans. Hopefully, the time Blum and his team put into the Spawn reboot will be worth it in the end, finally giving the hero the story he deserves.

More: Jamie Foxx and Spawn Need Each Other

Source: Inverse