Spawn creator says it's "make or break" in 2024 as to whether the movie moves forward or not

Michael Jai White as Al Simmons in Spawn (1997)
(Image credit: New Line Cinema)

Spawn creator Todd McFarlane has promised that if Hollywood doesn't move forward with the movie in 2024, he'll "figure it out outside". 

In a new interview with ComicBook.com, the Image Comics president said that he's giving the big studios until the end of the year to snap up the project officially before he starts exploring other options in terms of production and distribution. The superhero flick would likely center on murdered marine Al Simmons, who is resurrected as the reluctant leader of Hell's army.

"2024 is gonna be my make or break anyways, right? Either I'm gonna give Hollywood the best chance to do it and, if not, I've got plenty of outside investors waiting," McFarlane told the publication. 

"So, I'm trying to see if we can make the right deal within the norm of the Hollywood structure. If not, there have been plenty of examples, actually, a couple big ones last year, where people went outside the normal channels and succeeded," he continued. "People have done this before with independent movies: you make your movie and you just find a distributor. That one, I could do in a heartbeat."

McFarlane went on to sing producer Jason Blum's praises, describing the Blumhouse CEO as "one of the better ones at getting things done." He also said that he was due to start reading scripts this month and that he'll be emailing those currently linked to the adaptation soon to "remind them" that they "promised" him that. 

"Something's gotta happen, something's gonna happen, I just know myself. Something's gonna happen because if I can't figure it out inside, I'll figure it out outside. But, hopefully, we can figure out a deal that keeps all the parties that have been involved over the years involved."

Talks surrounding a Spawn movie, which is set to be a more horror-leaning take on the source material than Warner Bros' 1997 outing, which starred Michael Jai White in the titular role, has been ongoing since 2007, when McFarlane said he was keen to make a hard-R Spawn flick. Later, he mentioned that a Hollywood A-lister, who later turned out to be Jamie Foxx, was also interested. Since then, though, not much has been heard about the reboot – and it's been assumed Foxx is no longer attached. 

While we wait for more Spawn news, check out our list of exciting upcoming movies coming our way in 2024 and beyond.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

Read more
Constantine
Keanu Reeves just pitched his idea for Constantine 2 to DC: "We’ve been trying to make this film for over a decade"
Sinners
The most exciting upcoming horror movies coming in 2025 and beyond
Street Fighter
Almost a year after losing Talk to Me directors, Sony's Street Fighter movie has been pulled from the studio's release schedule
Shadow of the Colossus
15 years after it was announced, the Shadow of the Colossus film adaptation might still be made according to director – and they have a script
Upcoming movies: Jason Momoa in A Minecraft Movie
Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2025
Peter Dinklage as Winston Gooze in The Toxic Avenger
Four years after it wrapped, Game of Thrones and Lord of the Ring stars' unrated Toxic Avenger reboot finally lands a release date
Latest in Horror Movies
Halloween director John Carpenter
15 years on from his last horror movie, Halloween's John Carpenter says he'd "love to direct again" – but he has one condition
Dan Stevens in supernatural horror The Ritual
The Godfather and Godzilla x Kong stars' new exorcism horror The Ritual gets a creepy first trailer
Saw X
Billy the Puppet gives Saw fans some hope on the future of the horror franchise by updating his LinkedIn profile to "employed"
Final Destination Bloodlines
Final Destination: Bloodlines drops new trailer with a first look at the return of the late Tony Todd to the horror franchise
Jack Reynor in Midsommar
Midsommar star cast in new Mummy movie, but still no word from the original stars
Kurt Russell in The Thing holding a stick of dynamite.
43 years later, John Carpenter has hinted at who turns into The Thing in the horror movie and one eagle-eyed fan has worked it out
Latest in News
Everybody's Golf Hot Shots
The surprise theme of today's Nintendo Direct was classic PlayStation franchises getting a comeback without Sony's involvement
Hogwarts Legacy how many spells
Unannounced Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled, partly because the studio wasn't sure it'd be worth players' money
Ultimate X-Men #14
Ultimate X-Men #14 pays homage to a classic Wolverine moment as the Shadow King returns
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"
Black Myth: Wukong
English is no longer the biggest language on Steam as Chinese gamers embrace PC gaming even harder after Black Myth: Wukong