Comics
Blumhouse Will Produce Todd McFarlane’s ‘Spawn’ Movie #SDCC
BREAKING: After teasing fans throughout the day, Spawn creator and legendary comic book artist Todd McFarlane took to his official Facebook to announce that Blumhouse will be producing his live-action screenplay adaptation that’s been in the works for years.
McFarlane has been having trouble finding financing for his project for a wide variety of reasons but most notably his desire/demands to write, produce and direct his vision for a new Spawn movie, while also refusing to give up the character’s intellectual property. I said good for him, noting that one day he would rule the day. Today is that day as he snuck the massive announcement into the San Diego Comic-Con that he will be allowing Blumhouse, who is known for Get Out, Insidious, Paranormal Activity, and The Purge, to produce.
Prior to this news, our sources have told us that there are a plethora of script issues, and even McFarlane himself keeps doubling back on the completion of the screenplay. It’s unclear how close they are to moving forward and what the full scope of plans are for the new incarnation of Spawn. With that said, McFarlane had previously explained that the new film will be a “dark/hard ‘R’“ and be about the boogeyman.
“Spawn” was the first massive launch pad for Image Comics in May of 1992. New Line Cinema would adapt the comic in 1997 with Michael Jai White starring as an elite mercenary who is killed but comes back from Hell as a reluctant soldier of the Devil. He starring alongside John Leguizamo. A “Spawn” animated series also ran from 1997-1999 totally 18 episodes. It’s about damn time for a revival.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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