Spawn has been one of the comic book properties that's never gotten a fair shake from Hollywood in the way that others have.
A lot is down to the fact that an unsuccessful attempt was made in the '90s that, well, didn't go over with anyone anywhere. Fast forward to 2018 and arguably the best outcome - that is, the creator of the comic is making his directorial debut with the film - has happened. Deadline has reported that Todd McFarlane is now lined up to direct Spawn with Jamie Foxx in the lead role.
For those unfamiliar with the story, here's the cliff-notes - Lt. Col. Albert Simmons is a member of an elite-but-secretive US Marine death squad who's betrayed by his friend and partner and sent straight to Hell because he knowingly killed innocent people while in that elite-but-secretive death squad. While in Hell, he makes a deal with a creature called the Malebolgia who agrees to return him to his former life in exchange for his soul - but when he arrives back in our world, he's now trapped inside a spawn-suit and has no memory of his previous life.
Foxx is set to play Simmons, a role played in the original by Michael Jai White, with other casting due to be announced in the coming months. Speaking to Deadline, McFarlane explained that he's "not going to explain how Spawn does what he does; he is just going to do it."
"We’ll eventually do some of the background if we make a trilogy, but that’s not this first movie. The first movie is just saying, do you believe? And if you believe than that’s good because I’m hoping to take you for a long ride with this franchise."
No release date has been set as of yet, but expect this one to be an interesting watch when it does eventually land on screens.
Via Deadline