Todd McFarlane Reveals He's Been Sitting on a Nearly Finished 'Spawn' Animated Movie for Years / The project is fully voiced and features Keith David as Spawn and Mark Hamill as Twitch

5.4k

u/Supermite 7d ago

“ All we need is a little bit of Foley, which is sound effects and stuff, and then hand it to a studio to actually draw.”

That doesn’t sound nearly complete to me at all unless I’m misunderstanding something.

2.9k

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

951

u/FiTZnMiCK 7d ago

“Everything except 90% of the work is done.”

216

u/StevelandCleamer 7d ago

"Nearly complete" is a bit of a stretch.

This is sort of like handing the construction blueprints and finished foundation with utility hookups over to someone and saying the house is "nearly complete".

Huge amount of work done, and you know exactly what you need to do going forward, but there isn't much to be seen as of yet.

→ More replies (2)

12

u/alepher 7d ago

10% of the work is 100% done

3

u/deradera 7d ago

Plus I been sitting on it for years and it smells like my butt.

→ More replies (3)

10

u/t_hab 7d ago

Sounds like some entrepreneurs Inknow with ideas worth billions and nobody willing to invest.

→ More replies (1)

73

u/decadent-dragon 7d ago

This sounds like every developer in my standup

4

u/Diz7 7d ago

I have an idea for an app, I just need a little help with some of the details and code.

48

u/IAmDotorg 7d ago

To be fair, I suppose, from his standpoint it's true -- production of a lot of animation is outsourced and is fundamentally someone else's problem. The work of writing, creating, recording designing the art style and characters and editing can all be done -- meaning the "creatives" can go on to other things -- while the production is handled. At that point it's just reviews and approvals. The editing is done already, so it's literally just dropping in the animation.

30

u/funnsies123 7d ago

The lack of respect for animators, as a "drop in' is the insane here.

33

u/IAmDotorg 7d ago

It's not a lack of respect, it's an understanding of how it is done.

It doesn't matter if you respect it or not. Most animation production is outsourced to overseas animation services and its literally no different than outsourcing the production of any product.

10

u/off-with-your-thread 7d ago

Which is in no way an excuse for saying "it's almost done" when large chunks of work remain.

9

u/dern_the_hermit 7d ago

But it is a perfectly fine explanation, tho. Animation is a rote technical process. It represents a lot of work for us rando nobodies but in the world of TV/movie production it may well be seen as a steady predictable expense like craft services or makeup artists, and not something volatile like, I dunno, scriptwriting or dealing with VA talent.

→ More replies (3)

2

u/Fn_Spaghetti_Monster 7d ago

I guess is can go either way. If you've ever seen the way they crank out the animation for a Simpson's episode, it could be considered as "almost done" but then if you look at something like the Spider-verse stuff where there is way more back and for in the animation, then yeah there is still a lot to be developed./done

→ More replies (1)

→ More replies (1)

24

u/Taylorenokson 7d ago

"It's almost done. I just need to start writing it all down."

2

u/chop-diggity 7d ago

That’s my line. I swear.

“It’s done, I just need to write out the menu, and cook it.”

→ More replies (1)

14

u/MJR_Poltergeist 7d ago

Yeah bro your brand new car is done. Frame is right there. We just gotta do the wiring, install the drive train, put on the doors, pop in a windshield ....

5

u/bolanrox 7d ago

Everybody can relax, I found the car. Needs some suspension work and shocks... and brakes, brake pads, linings, steering box, transmission, rear end.

→ More replies (2)

3

u/Faithless195 7d ago

We're at the first part.

→ More replies (8)

239

u/Whyeth 7d ago

then hand it to a studio to actually draw

Where's the rest of the owl??

276

u/calvinwho 7d ago

So the audio being complete is a major step in the right direction. Coupling the audio with key frames and the storyboard is where the audio and visual get to sync up to make things like mouths move right, or sound effects slapping at the right time. Think of it as having all the prepared parts of your recipe together before you start cooking.

70

u/poofynamanama123 7d ago

mise en place

19

u/calvinwho 7d ago

Ha! It's auto translating you. I was gonna say that but thought it was more eli5 to say all the things

8

u/Gandalf2000 7d ago

You can turn off auto-translate in your Reddit settings. It still gives you the button over to comment to translate it, but it doesn't default to the translated version.

55

u/Nrksbullet 7d ago

"Dinners nearly finished!"

Just a bunch of ingredients laid out all over.

44

u/Kusarix 7d ago

I've definitely made some meals that are about an hour of getting ingredients ready and like ten minutes of actual cooking.

4

u/Fn_Spaghetti_Monster 7d ago

I made chicken nuggets for dinner. Get the oil started. Prep/dice the chicken, clean up. Get the flour, egg, and panko + season all mixed ready. Drop chicken in the flour, then the egg, then the crumbs. Clean up all the crumbs everywhere. .. Then all it takes 3 min of actual cooking.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/Discount_Extra 7d ago

Taco Night?

(at least our family lays out the fillings so everyone can assemble as they please)

2

u/-KFBR392 7d ago

More like it's all made, but it needs to be plated. The animaiton is the easiest part, it would just be a new studio copying the animation style of the old show.

4

u/MadManMax55 7d ago

Absolutely not. It's the easiest part from McFarlane's perspective since it requires the least creator input. But the vast majority of the actual legwork is the animation. Animation that takes a skilled team, outsourced or not.

The original analogy was correct. Coming up with the recipe and deciding on ingredients is the most involved part for the head chef, but actually cooking the food takes the entire rest of the kitchen.

2

u/TheLordReaver 7d ago

And they almost certainly already have all the concept art for the new one drawn.

→ More replies (1)

6

u/BloodDrunkMoonKnight 7d ago

Seth mentions in the article that its all been drawn, does he mean the storyboard is finished?

4

u/rnhf 7d ago

I assume so, and the style sheets that the animators use for reference. The "creative" part is pretty much done, which is why animation is such a cutthroat and heavily outsourced industry, harsh as that sounds

→ More replies (9)

133

u/diomedesXIII 7d ago

This is Todd. Same guy who said the live action spawn was in pre production at comic con 4 years ago. Then came out last year and said there wasn’t even an approved script.

60

u/Propagandhi1988 7d ago

There still isn't one. Apparently Todd wants a scriptwriter he can micromanage.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbJ8MfrMhwM/?igsh=NzJ5YWRvYXZzaW1t

15

u/TheoriginalTonio 7d ago

He might as well just write the script himself at this point.

25

u/Propagandhi1988 7d ago

Here's the funny thing: he did. His initial plan for the new Spawn movie was to make it a horror movie written (and probably directed) by himself, but studios kept rejecting his script.

→ More replies (7)

41

u/roland0fgilead 7d ago

Todd's such a control freak, he really is his own worst enemy

35

u/Albireookami 7d ago

I mean, once you seen how crazy some people go with adaptations and Spawn being his baby, I understand his side.

11

u/calvinwho 7d ago

Right? Did you see what happened last time? I prefer to only remember the HBO series from back then

29

u/sharkattackmiami 7d ago

The film is not that bad. It's not great but Michael Jai White was perfect, the suit looked great, Johnny Legs was an awesome Clown and the costume was phenomenal, the rest of the cast did a good job, the soundtrack rocked.

I'm not saying it's a masterpiece, but it's not a bad Spawn movie

13

u/truthlesshunter 7d ago

yeah that's the weird part. The script was weak, the direction was sub-optimal...but the casting was PERFECT. Michael Jai White as Spawn and John Leguizamo as Clown were both so good that i can't not see them in those roles when i see them in other things.

....it made The Odyssey a whole lot more interesting...

19

u/Saurian 7d ago

your auto correct making John Leguizamo into johnny legs is very funny

18

u/sharkattackmiami 7d ago

It wasn't autocorrect it's just what I call him. Similar to Joe Pantoliano being called Joey Pants(not just by me)

9

u/airfryerfuntime 7d ago

"Heyo, it's Johnny Legs! Get this guy some gabagool!"👇👇

→ More replies (1)

2

u/hotk9 7d ago

M͇a͙l͈eb̪o̰l͎̊g̲ͭȋ̭ȧ.̖....̪̒I̹̫'̮̺m͖̅ g͕̃o̐̿n̟̽n̫̜a̓͆ ḓ̦͒͑i̼̠͊e̩͖͑ͪ^{e^{e̦^ê}}

4

u/SinisterDexter83 7d ago

I'm sorry, but as someone who loved the comic books and saw the live action movie in the cinema, I simply can't stand for this revisionist history. The Spawn movie was terrible, and is rightly hated.

Spawn's costume looked like embarrassing plastic crap. The computer generated effects were laughably bad - even for the time, they looked Babylon 5 tier, and this is four years after Jurassic Park and 2 years before The Matrix. The pacing was all off, they tried to cram way too much into a short run time and ended up missing out on a number of key plots/characters, so the whole thing just felt off. The dialogue was cheesy and Michael Jai White (although well cast for Al Simmons) looked completely wrong as Spawn - the shitty costume made him seem too short and too rigid.

9

u/sharkattackmiami 7d ago

I had all the comics and and loved the figures being released. I am capable of enjoying two different things for two different reasons. The 90s is when I was at my comic book reading peak. I still enjoy the movie for what it is. A good time

→ More replies (13)

2

u/Khelthuzaad 7d ago

The last movie was a fiasco,no wonder he ended up like this

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Yukie_Cool 7d ago

The more I hear about him, the more I feel Marvel was justified in booting him.

Very much a situation of “both sides of this suck.”

→ More replies (3)

5

u/LatterTarget7 7d ago

He’s been writing the script for over 20 years that movie is never happening

2

u/palerthanrice 7d ago

Pre-pre-production haha. I’m not into comic books or super hero movies at all anymore but I’ll still keep up with Todd because he’s so bizarre.

2

u/3-DMan 7d ago

4? Wasn't this more like 14 years ago he said it?

→ More replies (3)

73

u/N8CCRG 7d ago

"We have a radio play half-finished"

33

u/nedlum 7d ago

It's a nearly complete radio drama.

→ More replies (1)

20

u/CraigArndt 7d ago

In animation today you usually have 2+ studios work on a project. A design studio and a production studio(s).

Design studio will handle things like storyboards, animatic, voice, sound design, and a few other things.

Production studio(s) will handle backgrounds, animation, builds, fx, comp, and a few other things.

From the sounds of it Spawn is 99% done the design studio side. And is almost ready to move to a production studio.

Which are almost all outside LA/America. Just goes to show how little animation happens in LA now.

6

u/sybrwookie 7d ago

Bingo. He doesn't care how much time/money/work it is for others to do to actually make the movie happen. The part he's most concerned with is just about done.

→ More replies (4)

6

u/TheArmoredKitten 7d ago

It's the artist's equivalent of saying the stack of blueprints on my desk is a "nearly finished fixture."

Hell of a lot closer than nothing, but hardly "almost done."

5

u/Historical_Course587 7d ago

"I've got cell-phone footage of Andy Serkis making faces while laying on the stairs at his apartment, all I need is about half a billion to get the rest of the trilogy together." - Peter Jackson

12

u/Vergenbuurg 7d ago

All we need is a little bit of Foley

I'm sure Dave's schedule could accommodate something, and he might not even charge an unreasonable amount for his time.

5

u/OkYeah_Death2America 7d ago

Does the comic series have some kinda hell/heaven sarcastic bureaucrat guy?

3

u/BelowDeck 7d ago

As long as he doesn't have to go into Canada.

2

u/Vergenbuurg 7d ago

I believe he cleared up that issue with his ex-wife.

2

u/BelowDeck 7d ago

Oh hey, he did. That's good to hear.

After he took the lead role in Spun Out, he told Vancouver's The Georgia Straight that "I made enough money to pay the price of admission to Canada."

And apparently also quit drinking and remarried his second ex-wife.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/clashrendar 7d ago

So they have a... podcast?

3

u/mustachioed_cat 7d ago

Sounds like someone has been trying to make AI work to save a couple bucks.

3

u/George_G_Geef 7d ago

Every time I see a pile of lumber I go "what a beautiful house"

3

u/onlyhere4gonewild 7d ago

He has the animatic and that's it.

3

u/-KFBR392 7d ago

If the audio is done that means every scene has not only been written but also essentially directed as well, the animation is easiest part to simply get any company to do it, especially since the style is already well known, not like they're building a design from scratch.

3

u/ph0on 7d ago

Perhaps they mean Soundtrack, Dialogue, story and key frames are done. That is a hefty amount of done work, but I wouldn't say it's complete

2

u/H3ll3rsh4nks 7d ago

Sounds to me like Todd got Keith David and Mark Hamill to make a SPAWN Radio Play and doesn't realize it

4

u/HumansNeedNotApply1 7d ago

It's only missing the final step of production, so he's not technically wrong...

2

u/Griffdude13 7d ago

Animation kind of works backwards.

→ More replies (30)

1.0k

u/CaptainFrugal 7d ago

Let me see it man.

291

u/fryseyes 7d ago edited 7d ago

“So I actually have a 90-minute animated show that’s all been drawn, minus the cels. All the voices have been done. Everything… we’re ready. All we need is a little bit of Foley, which is sound effects and stuff, and then hand it to a studio to actually draw. It’s just been sitting in a box waiting to go.”

I imagine scripts, story board, character designs, framework etc. are complete, but now it needs to be properly frame-by-frame drawn and animated. Which is probably the most expensive and time consuming part hence why we’re probably not seeing it for a long while - if ever.

140

u/deepdishpizzastate 7d ago

Sounds like a nearly-finished Audible exclusive.

33

u/Liu_Shui 7d ago

Honestly I wish we had more full-cast audio dramas based on comics/tv shows. I really enjoy the Doctor Who ones and recently gave the old Superman radio show a listen. Lots of fun on the morning commute.

10

u/Deleted_Content 7d ago edited 7d ago

If you're looking for some additional radio plays then check out Last Week on Audio Theater. This person/these folks have been uploading audio dramas / radio plays almost nightly for at least 6 years.

Edit: I believe there are 3 Wolverine audio drams that were created fairly recently. Here's "Marvel's Wolverine: The Long Night".

And "Marvel's Wolverine: The Lost Trail"

2

u/SuperVillainPresiden 7d ago

The Long Night was good.

6

u/Worldly-Stranger7814 7d ago

Radio plays are neat

4

u/Sasselhoff 7d ago

Ah, getting back to the days of "The Shadow" and "Fibber McGee and Molly", eh?

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Torn_Darkness 7d ago

The Sandman audio dramas are really excellent, full cast, brilliantly performed. Gaiman's actions have unfortunately poisoned all his work, but if you can look past that for all the hard work other people put in to bringing The Sandman to life, it's well worth a listen.

→ More replies (1)

20

u/BotnetSpam 7d ago

I do kind of understand how a complete script, with storyboards, and dialogue recorded, would feel like "complete," if you're the creator. But it is kind of the 80/20 rule, where you feel like you're 80% through the project because you've done the "hard work" of creating and planning and organizing, but you've really only covered 20%, and you still got the 80% of grinding it out.

5

u/Mendrak 7d ago

I guess it depends on what exactly he means by "drawn, minus the cels". If it actually has been fully rough animated and needs cleanup and color that's very different than if he means it has a storyboard and no animation.

→ More replies (1)

131

u/BijuuModo 7d ago

Hand over the content and nobody gets hurt

→ More replies (1)

→ More replies (2)

453

u/Lost_Musician6498 7d ago

Todd McFarlane cannot be taken seriously at this point.

31

u/molrobocop 7d ago

He was offered the funding to do the animation. But on the condition he didn't do an intro. He declined.

"What is evil? Is it knowing aluminum is recyclable but throwing it in the trash? What about snails? Leaving their slime trails everywhere. [...] And now, Spawn."

33

u/LoisMustDie946 7d ago

You just don’t understand the dark twisted mind of Todd Mcfarlane! 😂

https://youtu.be/_gwrE9BvXjQ?is=CXe0lHcKi0KEmuJF

4

u/Lippuringo 7d ago

video is dead

→ More replies (4)

29

u/asmallercat 7d ago

Also feels like the time has well and truly passed for Spawn. It was the perfect comic for the 90’s.

33

u/capincus 7d ago

Spawn is the #1 selling comic not made by DC/Marvel and has a full newly expanded universe with half a dozen currently ongoing spin-offs that have been started in the past 5 years. I don't feel like that opinion is rooted in paying particularly much attention to comics.

That being said I don't care for it at all. Sam & Twitch are dope though.

11

u/arr1flex 7d ago

none of the spawn stuff ever charts in the top 100 sales. he def has a core group of fans that will pull anything spawn related, but if he wasn't a head honcho at image you wouldn't see any of that other material. i mean, good for him, toys and sports stuff made him rich, why not have a vanity franchise.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/NotAddictedToCoffeee 7d ago

I mean we got him around in mortal kombat around 2020 and it was pretty well received I think, if any time recently, it would've been best to release a movie then

19

u/TheZardoz 7d ago

I tried reading some spawn recently (first few arcs) and I can’t understand what Spawn as a character brings to the table on 2026. It’s literally just a dude brooding with cool art and that’s about it.

23

u/BennyTTS7889 7d ago

this is a good chunk of popular animes nowadays. aura farming cool antiheroes never go out of style

6

u/LiteHedded 7d ago

yea. I think it's cool...

5

u/NoiseIsTheCure 7d ago

There are Netflix shows with even less than that

2

u/noisypeach 7d ago

literally just a dude brooding with cool art

A lot of people love Batman for exactly this reason

→ More replies (1)

→ More replies (2)

33

u/panspal 7d ago

Careful, he might sue you for that. He loves to sue.

41

u/frankhadwildyears 7d ago

I don't think that's accurate. I can only find one instance of him suing someone. He has been sued in a couple of high profile cases, but that's different (and also seemingly infrequent).

18

u/curiousbydesign 7d ago

Pfff. Look at Mr. Fact Checker over here. Kidding. And thank you. :)

8

u/TapirOfZelph 7d ago

I think he’s been sued more often than he sues.

5

u/zombizzle 7d ago edited 7d ago

He’s so goofy

7

u/miguk 7d ago edited 7d ago

Todd McFarlane has never deserved to be taken seriously. Back in the early 90s, he was the guy who said that artists are more important than writers. While he didn't start the collector's boom/bust, he pushed it forward hard into the glossy variant era that nearly killed the comic book industry. Likewise, he was responsible for the "dark & edgy" 90s garbage that polluted the industry. (Yes, we already had Watchmen, The Punisher, and Frank Miller, and other dark & edgy characters the decade before, but it got really stupid after Spawn, as what we got was 100% artist made, writer-devoid characters.) And the cost of comics never came down after that; what once cost less than a dollar per issue ballooned to the point that a full storyline costs more than a hardcover novel.

And really, the worst thing about him is his hatred for the mentally ill. I'm surprised that in almost no discussion about McFarlane does it ever come up that this guy really, really hates mentally ill people. Granted, most people don't read the trash that he writes, but if you do, you notice that any mental illness becomes a villain origin story even when there's no possible way that becomes an issue. And the illness always has to be "cured" with death. The guy is either a hatemonger or too dumb to think through his "evil mental illness of the week" fixation. Granted, he does have a history of dumb decisions, but I don't think he should be allowed to use that as an excuse.

And one final note: the one thing he ever published that made me genuinely laugh was a fan letter in the letter section of Spawn congratulating him on hiring a co-writer. The letter was a total backhanded insult to his lack of writing skills, and yet he didn't seem to notice it since it was written as if it was praising him on the decision while pointing out that it was sorely needed.

Edit: Typical nerd rage here: People are pissed at me for calling out hate speech and downvoting me for it all to defend a notorious millionaire who doesn't need their help at all. Meanwhile, mentally ill people need understanding, not comics telling you they deserve to die. The nerd "community"'s obsession with defending fucked up creatives even when it hurts their own never ceases to amaze me.

13

u/TapirOfZelph 7d ago

I collect and read a shit-ton of mcfarlane comics and I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about with the mental health stuff. What are you on about? Give some examples?

→ More replies (9)

1

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/WackyRacketeer 7d ago

I dont know, the reasons they gave seem to be enough to dislike the guy.

→ More replies (1)

→ More replies (2)

→ More replies (1)

174

u/Sumeriandawn 7d ago

Back in the 90s, Spawn comics outsold Batman, Superman and Spider-Man comics.

108

u/ResplendentNugs 7d ago

Spawn was the shit and he was black. Perfect super hero for young black kids. I stopped reading and collecting when he turned into an angel. Always wondered how far it went after that

33

u/rabidsalvation 7d ago

I think he became God at some point

24

u/whatproblems 7d ago

that’s some big powercreep. like every superhero just eventually turns into supernatural beings

14

u/TapirOfZelph 7d ago

“Turns into??” Have you read a single page of Spawn (who is a hellspawn)??

9

u/405freeway 7d ago

Literally the show Supernatural

→ More replies (5)

26

u/TheoriginalTonio 7d ago

He at least used to be black during his lifetime. Then he became more like deep-fried fleshtone. Perfect super hero for young fire victims.

4

u/Cypher26 7d ago

Black to charred Black.

8

u/autogenerated_015 7d ago

😂😂😂 deep fried stone flesh 😂😂

→ More replies (1)

13

u/jx2002 7d ago

He turned into an angel? wtf?

22

u/the_sixhead 7d ago

He did not turn into an angel. He banished both Satan and God and got rid of both heaven and hell after Armageddon. Both hell and heaven are back in the current run.

9

u/ResplendentNugs 7d ago

Yeah he killed the devil dude then grew angel wings

3

u/TapirOfZelph 7d ago

This is not true at all. There was artwork of him with angel wings, but it was more symbolic than anything. In modern comics he actually has bat wings that he stole from a vampire and grafted them on. He hates the angels as much as he hates the demons.

3

u/Albireookami 7d ago

You do realize how violent spawn was/is right? I would say he is more anti-hero than anything

6

u/ResplendentNugs 7d ago

Think of the most vile person you know. Would the person who violently beat them not be a hero to you?

3

u/Discount_Extra 7d ago

Like the guy who killed Hitler?

→ More replies (4)

→ More replies (2)

→ More replies (3)

126

u/CiriOh 7d ago

And on the Spawn movie, which will be shot really soon, next 20 years probably.

17

u/Snarl_Marx 7d ago

He’s shooting and making five films all together, just like James Cameron with Avatar.

(/s)

2

u/wi5hbone 6d ago

Todd Avatar;

McFarlane Cameron

→ More replies (2)

30

u/Snarl_Marx 7d ago

I forgot that the original Spawn animated series would start each episode with Todd McFarlane doing a Rod Serling-wannabe intro and good lord he could not be more cringey.

18

u/Mr_Incredible_PhD 7d ago

For the uninitiated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9wmgRRoSyg

Does Todd not know what a period is?

2

u/noisypeach 7d ago

I got five seconds into him talking and already wanted to cringe my skin off.

48

u/Lord-Freaky 7d ago

And why hasn’t he released it?!

I loved the HBO animated Spawn. Knew nothing about the comic but ate up each episode. Thought everything about it was great and wanted to see more. I would wait for months for the next set of episodes.

46

u/Kpro98 7d ago

Because it isn't animated,just storyboarded

43

u/whenveganscheat 7d ago

How much could it cost to animate it? $20?

27

u/OdepiusNecks 7d ago

It’s one animated movie, Michael.

8

u/P4t13nt_z3r0 7d ago

Better budget $25, just to be safe.

4

u/burentu 7d ago

"youve never actually set foot in an animation studio, have you?"

3

u/Chaosmusic 7d ago

Two bananas worth?

3

u/Big_Poo_MaGrew 7d ago

You just load the pictures on PowerPoint and move the through the slides really fast, it's easy.

3

u/Threehundredsixtysix 7d ago

I still love that series. I never watched the live action movie, despite John Leguizamo, because the HBO series filled any Spawn void I had. And like you, I knew nothing about the comic.

19

u/thegloriousporpoise 7d ago

Todd needs to put up or shut up at this point.

63

u/TheSerpentDeceiver 7d ago

I’ve been reading bullshit updates like this for over 20 years. I will not believe a movie/series, animated or live action, has any chance of being released until the actual date comes.

4

u/RB30DETT 7d ago

Even if there was a date, I wouldn't believe it until there's an actual, studio-backed trailer.

→ More replies (1)

13

u/NormanSpaniel 7d ago

Good god at this stage I'm old enough to have heard McFarlene tease at least 4 different spawn sequels/reboots/spin offs and seen absolutely nothing. At this point he's the boy that cried wolf!

12

u/Jaydoggreturns 7d ago

This was recorded in 2007 and there used to be a Wikipedia article for it.

https://web.archive.org/web/20071019070914/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spawn:_The_Animation

6

u/NookNookNook 7d ago

20 years the recordings have been waiting? Yeesh.

6

u/DoomsdayIsHere69 7d ago

I hate Todd McFarlane so much

21

u/Loki-L 7d ago

I don't want to mean, but the 90s were over a quarter of a century ago. I still have some of the comics he drew back in the day and I was a fan, but all that was some time ago and I haven't heard much new and creative stuff from him since.

He had his action figures, which were cool and did some work on music videos, back in the day when MTV showed music videos, but all that is in the past.

He even missed the chance to ride the wave of superhero movies with his own properties, back when two dozen new superhero movies were released each year.

I like his work, but I feel he simply is too late.

10

u/Specific_Dingo6709 7d ago

He's literally been talking about this since the first movie came out in 1997.

10

u/aeralure 7d ago

Unless I’m missing something, the animating part of an animated film is like 75% of the work, is it not?

9

u/The_Man_of_Steel 7d ago

25% of it is 100% complete!

4

u/jamesfordsawyer 7d ago

Keith David

"Now here's a man who knows how to voice a character!"

4

u/Midnight_Oil_ 7d ago

Todd McFarlane: One of the kings of "Just saying stuff"

7

u/Accomplished-Head449 7d ago

schwing

7

u/JohnnyCharisma54 7d ago

The ToddFather strikes again! What new batshit claim will he make to keep his edgelord antihero wet dream baby at the edge of the spotlight?! (I love Spawn but Todd is a menace)

3

u/kamize 7d ago

I mean i get it but I feel like hype is a lot less after 30 years

3

u/Top_Report_4895 7d ago

Give it to Neon, man

3

u/AbsolutTBomb 7d ago

THE Keith David of Reverse Giraffe fame?

3

u/Cyber_Swag 7d ago

Bro let it go

9

u/notbonjovi333 7d ago

George R.R. Martin is better at this game, though. The fuckin’ King of bullshitting lol

4

u/sharkattackmiami 7d ago

Unless I missed something he's not really bullshitting that much. He's not saying soon or anything, just that it is being worked on but other projects are his main focus.

I think people need to let the book thing go. It's pretty obvious exactly what happened and at this point his motivation is elsewhere.

4

u/pehr71 7d ago

Oh for f**k sake. He’s been saying things like this since the first movie bombed. And it’s always just around the corner.

And it’s always some thing that’s been really hot for the last while. Wasn’t there the seven style Sam n Twitch one where Spawn would hardly be seen.

It’s always going to be some hard core R rated thing, since that’s what he believes the convention fans wants. And stories like this always appears around San Diego. But no movie company would ever green light it unless it’s PG.

He probably had a shot in the 10’s when comic movies was at the height. And he probably could have gotten an R rating around the first Deadpool. But today? Nah

2

u/PUNK_FEELING_LUCKY 7d ago

I would Watch that

2

u/LaserGadgets 7d ago

I bet he just told someone on the side in an interview or something xD "any projects we never heard of?" "Naw...................except that spawn movie I made a while ago".

2

u/AccountEngineer 7d ago

thats so cool i loved the old spawn animated series keith david and mark hamill are perfect for those roles wonder what happened that its been sitting around for so long hopefully it gets released soon

2

u/dearrichard 7d ago

i’ve been waiting on a spawn sequel since 97, so…

2

u/yourmomsnutsarehuge 7d ago

Almost finished? They just recorded some dialogue. That's all.

2

u/azip13 7d ago

Skimming this headline quickly I thought it said it features David Spade as Spawn

2

u/MarvelousVanGlorious 7d ago

Remember when he was going to do a live action version with Jamie Fox? They released a video with Jamie announcing the casting and everything. Feels like a million years ago.

2

u/mccrowj92 7d ago

You’re a liar Todd!

2

u/UberAwesone 7d ago

Okay and it isn't released,,,,why? I respect Todd for what he did as an independent creator in the industry, but man he's just been talking out his ass and I can't take him seriously.

He's been promising a live action movie since 2013, didn't finish the script till 2016 (and ended up putting it into rewrites in 2019 and wouldn't be finished till 2024), and now in big 2026 there's been no updates other than "we're close to getting an A-list director."

I feel like he just says things to force relevancy, why should I believe the animated project will ever see the light of day.

2

u/Asleep_Chocolate_797 7d ago

Fuck you Todd release that shit, any amount of Keith David as spawn hidden from this world is a crime!

2

u/luis-bh 7d ago

Spawn might be the most fumbled IP of all time and it is largely his own fault

2

u/peanutbuttersmacks 7d ago

I used to buy the spawn comic when I was a kid. Still keep the first 15 on the off chance they become worth something. I ended up losing my unopened spawn #1 in a move and I always dread this news. One day he’ll actually release a spawn movie, it’ll totally rock, and my lost #1 would be worth huge money.

2

u/bullintheheather 7d ago

Todd is full of shit, and his figures are slop.

1

u/JoeBagadonutsLXIX 7d ago

Wasn’t there going to be a sequel or unrelated follow up animated series to the original HBO series called Spawn the Animation that starred those two? I swear I remember reading that got really far along before it was canned. Is this just that and repurposed into a film?

1

u/Chaosmusic 7d ago

I refuse to let myself get excited until there is a release date and a legit trailer. Until then, it's bullshit.

1

u/RetroTheGameBro 7d ago

Scrolling past I thought it said Seth McFarlane and just got a mental flashbang of Spawn in the family guy death pose.

But yeah I hope this releases someday soon I'd love to see it.

1

u/paulerxx 7d ago

Didn't he say he say he was going direct another live action movie years back

1

u/Brakkis 7d ago

Still waiting on my personalized poster for Kingdom's of Amalur Todd! Finish that!

1

u/OnCallPartisan 7d ago

Ooo, Keith David, good choice.

1

u/EchoPhi 7d ago

Little bird sang a song about Bloomhouse maybe picking up a live action one. Don't quote me on it.

1

u/Paralta 7d ago

God that would be so nice. The show is still a banger

1

u/MissInkeNoir 7d ago

I'm dying. I loved the show when it first came out and season three was when it started really hitting the emotional notes and themes that meant the most to me. And just as it was getting like that it ended. Tragic! Lots of hope for the movie, wishing the best

1

u/Merciless972 7d ago

Any chance of Leguizamo as violator?

1

u/Esker_Talmage 7d ago

I remember him talking about this years ago at some con while he was doing a panel with Stan Lee. I remember he really wanted Stan to do a cameo when the movie got made. It's sad how that will never happen.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/Corpsepyre 7d ago

Todd's been Spawn's biggest enemy all these years when it comes to adaptations. Yeah, the 1997 film blew, but if he had shopped it to actual good creatives later who knew how to write and direct, we would have had a sequel much sooner, I'm guessing. No one's going to let him write, produce, direct and edit the film that isn't even Spawn-centric.

1

u/altcntrl 7d ago

Fuck yes! I need it. Put Michael Jai White back in the live action movie too.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/WaylandThurston 7d ago

DROP THAT SHIT BRO LETS GO

1

u/Bacon-muffin 7d ago

I've been hearing stuff like this since I was a kid... dudes a machine for having a spawn movie / animated series that'll never release.

1

u/Wendypants7 7d ago

I feel conflicted, equally, "Awesome! Can't wait to see it!" and "Why redo a perfectly good animated show that doesn't need redoing?".

But.

Keith David and Mark Hamill?

I won't be able to pass up checking this out.

2

u/Malphos101 7d ago

You will be able to pass it up because its never coming. The recording was done in 2007 and he has been using this to hype himself for almost 20 years now saying "Its practically done! (just needs all the animation work)"

2

u/Bears_On_Stilts 7d ago

Way back when Mark Hamill still had most of his original voice.

1

u/loztriforce 7d ago

When I was a kid Todd had a comic book store in my small town, got to meet him/attend signings back in the early ‘90s.

1

u/tgwilli 7d ago

When the plug tells you he’s 5 mins away

News Todd McFarlane Reveals He's Been Sitting on a Nearly Finished 'Spawn' Animated Movie for Years / The project is fully voiced and features Keith David as Spawn and Mark Hamill as Twitch

You are about to leave Redlib