Comics
Todd McFarlane Says More Things About ‘Spawn’ Because of ‘Joker’s’ Success
Comic book and action figure titan Todd McFarlane continues to talk about his forthcoming live-action adaptation of Spawn, which he insists on writing and directing with a large budget.
The project sits at Blumhouse with Jamie Foxx attached to star as the title character and Jeremy Renner as Detective Twitch. McFarlane has been tweaking the screenplay for years while also recently threatening to crowdsource the new adaptation.
It feels like every few months McFarlane has a new update offering hope and excitement, but he’s becoming the boy who cried wolf. Now, he’s claiming the success of Joker has opened new doors to his R-rated Spawn.
“We keep pushing for it,” he tells the Phoenix New Times. “It’s interesting cause the Marvel movies, the MCU, has been doing quite well and those are PG-13 movies. I keep trying to convince people that doing a dark, serious comic book movie will work. There’s been so much success with these PG-13 movies that there’s a resistance to them in Hollywood. But since Joker came out, it proves what I’ve been saying for over two years to any executives I can talk to. Serious dark comic books can work. R-movies can succeed. So now, all of a sudden, I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls saying, ‘Todd, we need to talk to you about that R-rated dark thing you wanted to do.’ So Joker did me a favor.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m dying to see Spawn back on the big screen, but I’m still skeptical. While there may be new interest, the same problems exist: there’s a weak script that McFarlane refuses to allow anyone to touch; the budget is too high; McFarlane insists on directing; and the intellectual property is not for sale.
While I’m actually on McFarlane’s side with all of his demands and respect his candor/stubbornness, it’s also what’s keeping this project from coming to fruition. At some point, he’s going to have to play ball. However, all the respect to him if he can stand his ground, have all the cake and eat it too.
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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