The first “Spawn” film was released in 1997, when superhero films and CGI were both still coming in to their own. With a budget of $40 million, the film took in just under $88 million, making it a modest success at the box office. General lack of familiarity with the character (the comic had only been around for a few years at that point) and overwhelmingly negative reviews were surely a factor.
“Spawn” stands for “Hellspawn,” and refers to departed humans whose viciousness in life cause them to be transformed into soldiers in Hell for the coming battle against Heaven. Al Williams was the most ruthless and cunning assassin yet, making him an ideal recruit when he was betrayed, killed and sent to Hell for his sins. He’s also African American (or at least he was before becoming a decaying demonic anti-hero) which is still a rarity among costumed heroes. Many fans of the comics felt the film was too soft with its PG-13 rating and that the CGI overpowered the story. Many also felt that John Leguizamo’s portrayal of the evil clown was uneven and Michael Jai White as the title character was just a pretty face and body with little dramatic ability.
MacFarlane discussed his intentions for a sequel last October, stating that he wanted to make a more horror-tinged film as opposed to an “Iron Man redo.” He sees the sequel he’s written as more like “LA Confidential” or “The Departed” with a “ghost moving around in it.”
It’s certainly a departure from the first film, eschewing all the trappings of overly ambitious superhero storytelling for what MacFarlane sees as a “ten million dollar R-rated supernatural movie that takes all the superhero stuff out of it.”
It will be interesting to see if audiences even want something like that from their costumed heroes these days. MacFarlane wants to direct the sequel as well as write it and hopes to start filming soon. -
