Comics
Todd McFarlane Just Completed His ‘Spawn’ Screenplay (*Exclusive*)
It’s been 20 years since Todd McFarlane‘s Image comic series “Spawn” was adapted to the big screen. Ever since, McFarlane has been talking about resurrecting the franchise, which has led to years and years of talk from the comic book maestro. It’s actually become a bit tiring, making us all wonder at what stage this process actually is in.
Just yesterday, we posted this story in which McFarlane explained that the next Spawn, for which he plans to direct, will be a “Dark ‘R’.“ He used both Deadpool and Logan as examples of R-rated genre success stories, which made us wonder just how close he was to getting this movie made. So we did some digging (I’m nosey, what can I say?). What I learned, exclusively, is that McFarlane just recently completed his first draft of Spawn. The script that’s been going around town is dated “February 15, 2017,” which means he was probably putting the finishing touches on the script instead of enjoying Valentine’s Day.
This is actually big huge news considering how long we’ve been talking about this alleged remake. This goes as far back as our story in 2012 in which we reported that McFarlane and Neil Gaiman had settled a long standing legal battle over character rights. In fact, we can go all the way back to 2011 in which McFarlane talked about his low budget ambition for the Spawn film.
“The story that I pitch is very tight, very contained, but done right,” he explained. “I want a movie that gets people’s hearts racing. I want to scare them. Spawn, done right, is a creepy character.”
In March 2011 he offered even more details, explaining: “In this new version, there are no supervillains, archenemies or any of that. It’s just a spook movie, something scary going bump in the night.”
Over the years he’s reiterated much of the same, which made us start to think this was all some weird lucid dream in which he thought he was developing a new Spawn movie. What’s strange, however, is in the 2011 bit he also explained that he was “three quarters through it,” adding that, “I’ll finish it and put it on a shelf for about a week. What usually happens is, I come back to it so I can see all the flaws. I do a rewrite and there’s a first draft at that point.”
It’s not a good sign that he’s been developing this for several years. I would never tell an aspiring writer to keep working on the same script over and over again. It’s the worst advice. It truly makes me wonder if the “first draft” screenplay is a jumbled mess that will no way see the light of day. With that said, I admire McFarlane’s spirit and honesty over the years and hope that he gets to see his dream project realized. It would be awesome to see the Spawn universe reignited once again.
Comics
‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics
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.
-
Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
-
Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
-
Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
-
Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
-
Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
-
Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
-
Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
-
Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)
Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
4 New Horror Movies Releasing This Week Including ‘Late Night with the Devil’ at Home
‘Ready or Not’: Radio Silence Filmmakers Tease the “Absolute Banger” of a Sequel That’s Taking Shape
‘Sting’ Review – Throwback Creature Feature Entertains With an Impressive Practical Monster
“We Built Every Creature” – ‘Alien: Romulus’ Goes Heavy on the Old School Practical Effects!
‘Terrifier 3’: Filming Has Wrapped on Damien Leone’s Christmas Slasher Sequel!
You must be logged in to post a comment.