Comics

‘Spawn’ Remake Delay Due to Todd McFarlane’s Demands

Published

7 years ago

July 7, 2017

After dancing around the issue for years, Todd McFarlane is finally being honest with Spawn fans hoping to see the character back on the big screen. The reason for the delay isn’t because of a lack of interest or that McFarlane is slow as a snail but because of his extremely high demands. We’ve heard that he has in fact fielded calls from various producers and studios but that they are vying for control of his intellectual property created back in 1992. Here’s what he had to say about it when speaking with SyFy Wire:

“So I’m going, I’m not selling it but if you want to see the rough draft, I’ll send it to you. But just so everybody knows, I write, produce, direct, non-negotiable.”

Yes, McFarlane refuses to relinquish any control of his project, demanding full custody of the entire production right down to the screenplay. I commend him for his vigor but as powerful of a name he is, and for as long as he’s been around, he’s unproven behind the camera. No studio is going to just hand over full control to McFarlane and then guarantee they’re going to put millions behind the production and marketing. This has been his stance since day one, I’m told, with people working behind the scenes to find him a writer to work on his script alongside him. He’s rebuffed the attempts and thus here we are still talking about a Spawn movie years later.

With that said, he sounds as if he’s trying to be frugal about the budget, pointing out that he’s self-aware that he’s a newbie filmmaker and that he too would scoff at his request:

“I wouldn’t ask to be a newbie director on a script that was going to have an eighty million budget for it. Why? Because as a CEO of my own corporation, I wouldn’t take that deal. I wouldn’t stick out $80 million and go, ‘they’re going to put a rookie and he’s going to basically be in charge of it.’ So I’ve created this tight little one that I keep saying, I think I can shoot it for ten.”

But let’s be clear here, even if he’s asking for $10-20M a studio would have to put an additional $15M in marketing behind it making a recoup in the $60M range. That number feels low but considering how poorly some franchise films have done as of late (Alien: Covenant will barely make $75M), I can see why there’s legit hesitation on the studio’s part, especially if they won’t own the actually IP.

Digressing, I applaud McFarlane for sticking to his guns. While I don’t agree with him and think he could benefit from help, Spawn is a big enough brand that one day he’ll wear someone down and they’ll take a chance on him. Shit, Netflix put $60M behind a live-action adaptation of Death Note. Stand firm, Todd, one day you will own the day.

Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.