spawn

Things appear to be chugging along on the film adaptation of Todd McFarlane‘s hugely popular ’90s comic book ‘Spawn’.  The film will be produced by low-budget horror pros Blumhouse.  McFarlane has offered a few tidbits of info regarding the film, tweeted an image of a page from the script and teased to reveal some “big news soon.”

First of all, below you can see a page from the script.  McFarlane indicates that this scene occurs early in the film and features the police detective Maximilian Steven Percival “Twitch” Williams III (or just Twitch for short), who we already know is the main character in the movie and that most of the action unfolds from his perspective.  Take a look at this morsel below:

 

In the comics, the frail, nervous Twitch is usually teamed with his brutish partner Sam Burke, so it remains to be seen if Sam will factor into the film.  The scene McFarlane shared takes place in a shooting range and in the comics, Twitch is an expert marksman, thanks to his expertise in mathematics, which helps him calculate his shots.

In the comics, Sam and Twitch are based out of New York City, and that will remain true in the film, but due to budgetary limitations, the bulk of filming may take place elsewhere.  McFarlane discussed these plans, saying:

“There are different places that give incentives for you to come and shoot the movies there. So, we’re going to be looking at all those given that, you know we’re not going to have a big budget, so we’re going to want to stretch it as far as we can, right. And so, but, at the same time given that this world takes place in New York, we’re going to have to be in a place that can be somewhat convincing at times, especially for some exterior shots… though my guess, I’ll probably have to do a couple pick up shots actually here in New York City, but you know, so, you’re looking at places like Detroit, and Cleveland and, I’m Canadian, Toronto.”

Beyond that, we also know the film won’t be an origin story, with McFarlane citing influences like ‘Jaws’ and ‘The Thing’ in which no explanation is given for the extraordinary menaces.  He also wants Stan Lee in a “dark cameo,” despite ‘Spawn’ not being a Marvel Comic.

Shooting is expected to begin in February, so this “big news” from McFarlane could be anything including casting reveals.  McFarlane reportedly had his eye on Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of Twitch, but… yeah good luck there.

What do you think?  Are you excited that ‘Spawn’ is getting a modern cinematic makeover?