Todd McFarlane says live-action Spawn TV series a possibility

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

So, I've made my love of SPAWN known on this site before (including the much reviled 1997 Michael Jai White film), but needless to say he was young goth Damion's favorite superhero for a lot of edgelord-y reasons. But, while I think SPAWN (especially early on) has a lot of 90's "try hard"-ness to it, I think the series still mostly holds up. It has an iconically badass-looking hero, cool action, awesome creature designs, and a surprising emotional core to Al Simmons' journey. He goes from murdered hired assassin trying to get back to his wife, to Hellspawn general, to completely shedding his past life to become a true superhero protecting the innocent and vulnerable. It's operatic and earnestly over-the-top in all the best ways.

So it's no surprise that I'm looking forward to the upcoming SPAWN reboot starring Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Renner, written and directed by series creator Todd McFarlane…even if this being McFarlane's feature directorial debut gives me some pause. I'm still cautiously optimistic. 

Either way, McFarlane recently had an interview with Forbes, talking about SPAWN – from the toys, to the comics, to, yes, the aforementioned reboot film. When asked by the interviewer if SPAWN could go to streaming, McFarlane responded:

We’ve had those conversations. People ask why not a TV show instead of a movie? Part of it is I’ve never directed a feature film… This might be my only chance. I’ve held on to the rights to attach myself to it. If it works out, we can always bring it over to television.

Now this of course is not confirmation about an upcoming SPAWN TV show, but it does at least leave the door open. This also wouldn't be the first time SPAWN went to television, as it was adapted into an award-winning animated HBO series (WATCH IT HERE!) back in the 90's. It's worth checking out, especially if you felt burned by the original live-action film. Either way, McFarlane was adamant that SPAWN will first be feature film, as "there’s something to having your picture on a big screen, assuming that’s still an option once this is all over."

But what do you guys think? How do you feel about the reboot? And would you prefer a TV series instead? Either way, sound off below!