In 1997, Todd McFarlane’s fabled and heavily-caped hero from Hades appeared on movie screens — Spawn. Acclaimed martial artist Michael Jai White was cast as the sub-domain super in what would become an infamously terrible film.
The campy, CGI-inept film was an unfortunate flop for comic book fans because this was the opportunity for the duological big brands in Marvel and DC to step aside and make room for Image Comics. Of course, the $40 million movie made bank and cut even. Nevertheless, with only $87 million at the worldwide box office, Spawn has been labeled as a depressing flop.
Fast forward 25 years, the Sinister Sage Jason Blum is giving horror and CBM fans alike a reason to get excited about the reboot.
Jason Blum on Spawn: “I’m Bringing the Blumhouse Edge”
Blumhouse Productions has made an impressive name as a rebooting headquarters because they are so good at it. Jason Blum has a deft touch to sticking to canon (or the original) while creating a fresh perspective of a classic. The Halloween trilogy were created as a “legacyquel” and completely shut down the haters.
Jamie Lee Curtis was marvelous returning as Michael Myers’ scorned and vengeful sister. The trilogy delivered and set up Blum to step and try his hand at whatever he deemed appropriate. Paranormal Activity to Sinister, Insidious to The Purge, each Blumhouse film has a novel approach.
His keystone was the remake of The Invisible Man. Considering how Tom Cruise poo-pooed the “Dark Universe” with his Mummy take, cinephiles needed something for the monster lover in all of us. In Jason Blum, we got it. So, when this dude says anything will have his signature “edge,” we believe it!
“Yes, I’m going to bring the Blumhouse edge [to Spawn]. It’s going to be edgy and original as compared to other superhero movies. It’s gonna feel definitelylike the Blumhouse version of a superhero movie.”
Jason Blum, New York Comic Con 2023 panel
It was 2007 when Todd McFarlane announced he was partnering with Blumhouse to reboot his brutal, hellbound comic strip. We’ve waited 16 years, and it won’t be until 2025 when we get to see it. But, if this delivers a true “horror CBM” as we’ve been promised by others (i.e., James Wan with “The Trench” and “Swamp Thing,” Josh Boone with “The New Mutants,” or even James Gunn with the underrated “Brightburn), it will pry open the coffin of an entirely inventive sub-genre to CBMs.
Jamie Foxx as “Spawn/Al Simmons” and Jeremy Renner as “Detective Twitch” are still rumored with the project. With Foxx feeling better health-wise and the WGA strike getting close to a real resolution, 2025 is about right. And if Jason Blum promises his seal of horror approval on Spawn, this will be well worth the terrifying wait.
And then, we can kinda forget about this one…
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
