In the grand scheme of things, the 1997 Spawn film probably came out a few decades too early. Not only has computer-generated cape technology improved a lot in the last few years, but this whole superhero renaissance has proven that even comic book adaptations with generally lousy reviews can still pull in a few million dollars. Spawn creator Todd McFarlane seems to be aware of this, which is why he’s once again actively trying to make a Spawn movie. Speaking with AMC’s Geeking Out, McFarlane explained that he has a “dark, R-rated, scary, badass sort of script” almost ready to go, but it will be a total reboot that isn’t connected to the previous Spawn film in any way.
ComicBook.com has a clip from the show that features McFarlane explaining that the new Spawn will be more “real” than the last one, adding that “you’re never going to see a dude in a rubber suit.” Instead, this new Spawn will be like a “boogeyman” who “you and I, intellectually, know is Spawn.” He also says the character will just be a “ghost” and that he won’t look like he did in the last movie or fight a supervillain. Basically, it sounds like a direct rejection of what people think of as a superhero movie these days.
As confident as McFarlane seems to be that this new Spawn movie will happen, the ComicBook story doesn’t say whether or not any actual studios are involved or how far beyond McFarlane himself this project goes.