Todd McFarlane has said that 2024 will be the “make or break year” for getting another Spawn project off the ground. And while we have every right to be skeptical on the matter – McFarlane isn’t exactly the most reliable on this front – fans of the character and the 1997 movie may still hold out hope. But will Michael Jai White return for Spawn 2?
As it turns out, Michael Jai White doesn’t give Spawn all that much thought, although he could potentially consider a return. “I really don’t think much about the sequel. If I was invited to do it, then I’d apply myself toward it, but I mean, I think it’s been talked about for a very long time. And it seems that Todd McFarlane has been leading that conversation.” But for White, there would have to be some conditions if he would suit up again. “I think that to do a sequel is to do it as a hard R and make it very dark and badass. I think it needs to be like the cartoon or plain and simple: the comic book. Outside of that, I don’t think I’d be interested in doing it if it wasn’t going for the jugular.” He added, “I wasn’t that impressed with the first one, even though I’m involved with it, but even then, I thought it should be like the comic book, or the series, you know, and I don’t know why such a dark character was going for PG-13. I think, just like I thought in the beginning, it should be real badass.”
In the years since Spawn there has been plenty of speculation not just on a sequel but even a potential reboot starring Jamie Foxx at Blumhouse, although Michael Jai White wasn’t confident on McFarlane’s pitch to barely show the lead. That it would apparently have the studio’s “edge” to it hasn’t exactly built hype, either.
Outside of Spawn, Michael Jai White has rarely stepped back into the superhero game, although he did turn up as Ben Turner aka Bronze Tiger on Arrow, later reprising him in animated form for Batman: Soul of the Dragon.
Do you think it’s too late for Michael Jai White to return as Spawn? Should any version of the property move forward or is the fanbase not there anymore? Give us your thoughts below!