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