Key Takeaways:
– The 1997 episode of ‘WTF Happened to This Horror Movie?’ discussed ‘Spawn,’ a movie based on Todd McFarlane’s adult-themed comic.
– Despite criticisms, the ‘Spawn’ movie broke barriers and earned commercial success, but also faced issues with its PG-13 rating limiting the dark, adult themes from the original comic series.
– Jason Blum recently shared a picture of the new ‘Spawn’ script titled ‘King Spawn,’ hinting a revival could be in the works.
For today’s discussion, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and revisiting 1997’s ‘Spawn’- a horror film that sparked more than just controversies. Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, the episode about ‘Spawn’ on ‘WTF Happened to This Horror Movie?’ offered insights into what exactly went down during the making of the movie.
‘Spawn’ was derived from Todd McFarlane’s comic series, heralded for its mature content and dark themes. Yes, it featured a superhero, but a unique one – hailing from hell and surrounded by equally demonic characters.
Witnessing the commercial vitality of the ‘Spawn’ comics, which sold a record-breaking 1.7 million copies when initially released, a movie adaptation was inevitable. However, transferring the gritty material into a PG-13 film for mainstream audiences was a challenge.
When Columbia Pictures showed interest in a film but were reluctant to give McFarlane creative control, he sold the rights to New Line Cinema. The stipulation being, the movie had to be tamed down to a PG-13 version, displaying an odd juxtaposition between Spawn’s originally explicit and mature persona against the softer family-friendly mold Hollywood wanted.
The major highlight from ‘Spawn’s’ filming was its significant emphasis on special effects, bumping the estimated $20 million budget to $40 million. Mark Dippe, who had experience working in special effects, was made the director. Though the outcome often gets a bad rap for its rushed graphics, there were some outstanding effects such as the Violator transformation.
Writing a PG-13 version of ‘Spawn’ was not a walk in the park. Thankfully, Halloween 4 writer Alan McElroy was up for the task. He had even collaborated with McFarlane on multiple Spawn comic books and the animated series.
Martial artist and actor Michael Jai White was selected to play the titular character, Al Simmons, better known as ‘Spawn’. A variety of well-known actors, including Wesley Snipes and Samuel L. Jackson, were initially considered for the role.
‘Spawn,’ despite its hard-to-swallow nature for conservative audiences, performed relatively well financially. It made back more than double its $40 million budget, though it wasn’t as well received by critics, with a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Looking ahead, there might be another chapter in the ‘Spawn’ saga. Recently, a photo of a new ‘Spawn’ script titled ‘King Spawn’ was tweeted by Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum, which indicates a possible reboot. Should that happen, fans might finally see a version that stays true to McFarlane’s original dark vision.
In the end, ‘Spawn,’ despite its criticisms, has left an indelible mark on the history of comic-based cinema, boldly introducing mature, darker themes in the predominantly clean superhero movie landscape. While it’s unclear how the possible reboot might fare among critics and audiences, one thing’s for sure: ‘Spawn’ was a game-changer, and we can’t wait to see what more is coming.
