While the box office numbers and general internet response would indicate that Deadpool and Logan were very successful and widely-beloved films that subverted popular superhero conventions, at least one man is not having any of it: Todd McFarlane. The comic book creator and action figure purveyor has been making the rounds to (once again) talk up that long-promised new Spawn movie, which, as he previously explained, will do for Hellspawns what Jaws did for sharks. According to McFarlane’s latest comments, it also won’t have any of that problematic “fun” stuff that plagued Deadpool and Logan.
If you know one thing about Blumhouse Productions boss Jason Blum, it’s that the man knows how to finance excellent horror movies. From Hush to Split to Get Out, Blumhouse has built a reputation as a destination for talented low-budget genre filmmakers, and the success of this past year — and the studio’s upcoming Halloween sequel — should only vault the studio to new heights. Part of what makes this formula work is the studio’s dedication to artistic freedom: while Blum is notorious for his rigid approach to production costs, as long as you are able to deliver under-budget, you’ll be given a chance to make something with your stamp on it.
When it was announced on Friday that Todd McFarlane would be writing and directing his own Spawn movie for Blumhouse, the non-Weeknd portion of the internet responded with a fair amount of skepticism. Sure, everyone has fond memories of reading Spawn comic books when they were in their teens, but how exactly would an R-rated, low-budget Spawn film stand out from the crowd of bigger and badder superhero movies? Not to mention the fact that McFarlane himself would be directing despite any feature film experience; his entire body of work as a director consists of four music videos shot eight-plus years ago.
Blumhouse Productions is killing it recently. The production company behind The Purge, Get Out, and M. Night Shyamalan’s Split has been racking up a new slate of horror and horror-adjacent films lately (there’s going to be a Purge 4), and the company will continue their hot streak with a new Spawn movie.