Earlier in the week, we got confirmation that Oscar winner Jamie Foxx will become Al Simmons, the anti-hero Hellspawn! Even though the movie has a modest budget of eleven million dollars, fans are excited to see another crack taken at Spawn.
Now Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn and the man who will be writing and directing the upcoming film, detailed the film will not exactly be a horror film. Instead he describes it as a supernatural thriller.
He spoke to Comicbook.com, about the difference between horror and a supernatural thriller and what we can expect from the upcoming film.
“I hesitate on the word horror. I’m very specific about not using that word too much. Because it has a broad definition to a lot of people. Horror, to my wife or to a lot of people, it means, oh, you’re gonna slaughter some co-eds in some blood bath or something. I consider dialing it back to say it’s a supernatural thriller. So then it’s not gonna be a gore fest. “
McFarlane is extremely confident about the product he is putting together. He boasted that once people see the trailer, the will be lining up to see the film.
“What’s gonna matter is, really, the first time they get to watch the trailer. And then, once you watch the trailer, then all the talking’s over. Because, now, they’re gonna see it.”
He would dial the bravado down and explain that the trailer will give viewers a clear of idea of what the film will be about. He makes it perfectly clear this isn’t going to be a “Marvel-like” film.
“And then, at that point, they’re gonna go, ‘Oh, that’s either interesting or curious. I might give it a chance.’ Or, they’re gonna go, ‘Yeah, you know what, I was hoping for something a little more, you know, Marvel-like.’ They’re gonna visually see it. I’m not gonna be tricking anybody by saying, ‘Hey, come to my movie. It’s superhero extravaganza,’ then do a dark movie behind their back. They’re gonna see the trailer. Might even do three or four trailers. They’re gonna see lots and lots of this. So, everybody will be personally educated as to whether they wanna walk into the theater and give it a chance by the time the movie gets there.”
There are many movies whose trailers have either misconstrued what the movie was about. It seems McFarlane’s goal is an open and clear marketing strategy for potential viewers.
Todd McFarlane does acknowledge there is some concern about the low budget. But he didn’t seem too worried about. Instead he’s excited by the creative freedom a small budget film gives him.
“So, for now, I know there’s a lot of head scratching. That people sorta go, ‘I don’t quite get how your movie’s gonna work.’ I do.”
Of course, every movie needs a budget, but just because one has a bloated one doesn’t mean it will be a successful movie. Just look at Solo: A Star Wars Story. The film allegedly had a $300 million plus production budget and thus far it’s only brought in just over $115 million.
While Todd McFarlane was previously boastful about the project, he does admit there’s a possibility the film turns into a disaster.
“Again, I’m not saying it’s good. I may be on a suicide trip right now. Being stubborn to a story that nobody may wanna watch. Who knows? But, like I said, if it does work, and we get some success, and by keeping the budget where we’re at, then we don’t need giant success for it to be in a place where we could then quickly say we’re gonna be making a sequel.”
However, he returned to the benefits of a low budget film.
“This is the thing. If you spend a dollar and you make two, it’s a success, right? If you spend a thousand dollars, then you gotta make two thousand for it to be a success. So, okay. Okay, let’s keep the risk low. And let’s go.”
Finally, Todd McFarlane says that if the movie can replicate the outcome of the original Spawn film, by getting the same number of people into the theaters as back in 1997, the film could have a massive opening weekend.
“Math tells me that if I get the same number of people who came to the opening of Spawn number one in 1997, now that the ticket prices have more than doubled in that time, it can be a 46 million dollar opening. It’ll be the same number of tickets. That same number of people. It would be a 46 million opening. So, at that number, let’s say I cut that number in half. It’s still a good opening. The movie’s just not gonna be spending a ton of money”
As of right now, there is no release date set. The only casting announcement has been Jamie Foxx as Spawn. But we can guarantee that we’ll find out more information in good time. Stay tuned.