Comics
Todd McFarlane Planning TWO ‘Spawn’ Animated Series!
A few months before New Line Cinema would bring Todd McFarlane‘s Spawn to the big screen in August of 1997, HBO kicked off an animated series that would run for three seasons. While the “Spawn” comic books are still alive and kicking, McFarlane has been struggling to get his live-action reboot off and running over at Blumhouse.
To add to his plate, McFarlane has revealed that he’s currently developing not one, but two animated rebirths for his Image Comics creation.
“We’re talking right now, McFarlane tells ComicBook.com before elaborating. “I just had a couple of meetings this weekend about a couple of different animation looks, both something that we can get kids in at a younger age and then get them into the sort of crack cocaine version of Spawn. And then do the adult one. So we’re talking about that. I think both of those come after the movie.”
I love that McFarlane is attempting to expand his brand/IP and isn’t putting all his eggs in the feature-film basket. I’d love to see various versions of Spawn, one aimed at children and a fresh interpretation for adults (even though HBO’s is still fantastic). As excited as I am to see Spawn get animated once again, the fact that he’s not expecting movement until after the feature is a bit troubling. Maybe when the film falls apart he’ll divert all of his attention and resources to getting the character back on the small screen, but for now, we wait and wait and wait.
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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