Spawnfans have watched the superhero movie craze build on the horizon and become an unstoppable empire, all in the time since the first film came and went. The fated newSpawnmovie might finally be making it to the screen, but the world might have changed too much for this 90s classic.
Entries in big genre franchises have been getting canceled lately for various reasons. The two or three big superhero movie franchises seem to plantheir outings well in advance. That can lead to some projects falling through or undergoing radical changes, but what happens when a new competitor struggles for years to enter the arena?
RELATED:New Spawn Movie Taps Captain America 4 And Joker Writers To Pen Script
It seems almost inevitable that a character as popular asSpawnwill get a film adaptation in the modern era of superhero movies.Devised by Todd McFarlanein the early-90s, Spawn is the perfect edgelord anti-hero and the flagship character of Image Comics. The character feels like an excitable combination of all of Todd’s favorite things. Spawn was born Al Simmons, a skilled assassin employed by the CIA. After his handlers betray and murder him, Al finds himself with a Faustian deal. He can return to the land of the living and see his wife again, but he’ll have to submit himself and his skills to the devil Malebolgia as a “Hellspawn”. After discovering the downside of his deal, he becomes a gritty anti-hero, using his demonic powers and honed skills to deliver justice and avenge his murder. Thestory wasn’t exactly groundbreakingin 1992, but, the subsequent 30 years haven’t exactly helped.
Spawn has been a popular character in the comics for decades, but he’s also had his fair share of merchandise.McFarlane is arguably a bettertoy mogul than he is a comic book artist, so his most iconic character has enjoyed more action figures than the average 80s cartoon franchise. Spawn has been the star of five video games of wildly varying quality, and a special guest in a couple more. The HBOSpawnanimated series was a groundbreaking and well-received piece of superhero history that could’vegone on to inspire a worldof comparable franchises. Perhaps most notably, the 1997 live-action film brought Al Simmons to the big screen for the first time, expanding the fanbase by several large increments.
Spawnwas not well-received when it came to theaters. It was heavily driven by visual effects, visibly hacked apart to meet an unnecessary PG-13 rating, and far too dumb to be memorable. It was many current fans' first introduction to the franchise, but it probably wasn’t the best showing one could hope for. Superhero movies didn’t have the cultural cache they carry today. They weren’t exactly rare, but most of them weren’t very good. A modern audience knows what they’re getting withany given MCU production, but any given viewer wouldn’t have that level of expectation in 1997. The film did little for the era’s opinions of the genre. It was compared unfavorably toThe Crowand Tim Burton’sBatman Films. Paradoxically, it benefited very little from being released alongside the widely dislikedBatman & Robin. A modern take on the concept would enter into a very different world with new issues to contend with.
It was a struggle to shoveSpawninto a PG-13 film. Superhero cinema is still dealing with the battle between the reduced risk of a PG-13 rating and the bold statement of a hard R.Spawnwouldn’t be the only R-rated superhero movie anymore, but it could lean into the horror elements of the franchise and secure a unique identity. This era of superhero fatigue might seem like the wrong place for Al Simmons to try to join, but fans are still desperate for anything new. Look at the success of comic book adjacent properties likeJoker. Even direct adaptations of beloved graphic novels can escape the symptoms of fatigue.Neil Gaiman’sThe Sandmanreceiveda hugely popular adaptation that was almost universally beloved. That Netflix series is arguably the best argument in favor of going ahead with aSpawnmovie. Fans may be sick of the big names, but they still want to see their favorites played out on the big screen, as long as the adaptation gets it right.
Spawnwas always a favorite among a very particular type of young teenage fan. Given Marvel’s unwillingness to delve into an R-rating and DC’srebuke of Zack Snyder’s deeply toxic fanbase, those edgelords need something to flock to.The Crowis coming back, why shouldn’t Spawn? There are still several audiences that would love to seeSpawnin theaters. Hardcore fans who’ve been waiting for decades, ironic appreciators who have been mocking it since the beginning, and a new crop of teens who’d love a new R-rated anti-hero. IfSpawncan ever finish crawling out of development Hell, he’s likely to receive a warm welcome.
