Geekery: ‘Spawn’ Casts Jamie Foxx as Al Simmons
It’s happening. Todd McFarlane’s comic that launched Image is getting a revamp for the big screen, and it’s not going to be an origin story this time.
McFarlane has written a script based in the universe he created, he has has a bunch of experience with both. He will also be in the director’s chair this time, which he’s done for a handful of music videos but never for a full-length feature. He’s seeking $10 million to $12 million to make an R-rated feature with Blumhouse Productions. That’s super low budget.
I’d think it’ll be pretty difficult to be worse than the 1997 movie, but with that low of a budget (ONE Game of Thrones episode costs $15 million these days). That said I don’t think it’s possible to create CG scenes that look this bad anymore…
The director – who is hoping to make a trilogy – confirmed the movie’s central casting recently, and he’s had Foxx in mind for a while. He told Deadline…
“Jamie came to my office five years ago, and he had an idea about Spawn, and we talked about it. I never forgot him, and when I was writing this script, you sort of plug people in, and he was my visual guy and I never let go of him. When I got done and my agents and everybody was talking about what actor, I said, I’m going to Jamie first and until he says no, I don’t want to think about anyone else because I’ve never had anyone else in my head.’ Luckily, he hadn’t forgotten either. I said, ‘Hey, I’m back to talk about Spawn again,’ and he was like, ‘let’s do it.'”
The movie will not be an origin story, and little will be explained about Spawn’s background or universe. Audiences will have to dive in and suss out the details as the story is told. MacFarlane has also mentioned having his central character be of very few words, noting that “the scariest movies, from Jaws to John Carpenter’s The Thing, or The Grudge and The Ring, the boogeyman doesn’t talk.”
Beyond Foxx, none of this is really inspiring any confidence in the project for me.
