Latest news with #ToddMcFarlane
Geek Tyrant
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Todd McFarlane Teases Big SPAWN Movie News, Confirms Director Announcement Timeline — GeekTyrant
It's been a long road for the Spawn movie, but creator Todd McFarlane just dropped a promising update during an interview with ComicBook at San Diego Comic-Con. The project, which fans have been waiting on for years, appears to be moving toward a major milestone, and it involves an A-list director. McFarlane opened up about the frustrations of getting the film off the ground and why this time feels different: 'I've been talking about it for seven years and it just seems like there's always an impediment that's frustrating and I, to some extent, I know I've frustrated my wife. She's like, 'Stop talking about it, just make it,' and I think it's fair. 'I think the fans are the same way. What I will say is that we are still moving along. I went and met with a director, we want to sign them, they gave me the numbers last week, we've given it to them, hopefully, he signs on.' So, there's already a contract out for a director McFarlane calls an A-list talent. But fans shouldn't expect an immediate announcement. The creator explained he wants to do things differently this time: 'I don't think we'll announce when he signs on. I think what we'll do is we'll announce when we have the script and we've got the buyer. Instead of doing what I've done before, every time we hire somebody, I announce it, is to just go, 'It sold with this director, writer, these people attached as actors, boom, boom, boom, this is what we're gonna make,' that would be it. 'But the contract went out, literally, last week. I'm here to tell you it's an A[-list] director, from my perspective. I go, 'Wow,' we keep getting lucky with Spawn. The people who are excited about it are people that are in the top tier, from my perspective, so it's like, 'Wow. Okay, cool.' So we'll see.' McFarlane also reassured fans that Blumhouse Productions remains fully committed to bringing Spawn to life: 'Again, fingers crossed he wants to do something creepy, too. We're just jibing. I'm supposed to be getting a pit stop from him here in the next month and when we do that, then the script goes and hopefully we sign whatever. We'll see. 'But we're constantly trying to move that thing forward. We haven't stopped. It's constantly going. And, if you talk to Jason [Blum], him and his crew are pushing it too, right? They want this thing to happen as much as I do.' As for the title? Last year's big reveal of King Spawn as a working title got some conversation going, but McFarlane says it's not final and not based on the comic series of the same name: 'It's probably just a working title. I think it's cool. It's strong. The thing is, is that it was a way for us to say that we're not just gonna emulate the past and he felt by just calling it Spawn plain old Spawn that it would sort of go, oh, this is just a reboot and, and repeat. 'So I don't know if that would be the final title or whatever. You have to clear things and let go and all those other things. But it was just a way to separate it, to just at least for us internally just to say, hey, this is our version that is different from the one decades ago.' But, the Spawn movie is alive and creeping closer to reality, with an A-list director on the horizon and Blumhouse pushing full steam ahead. If things go according to plan, McFarlane might finally get to bring his hellish antihero back to the big screen in a way fans have been waiting for. Jamie Foxx is still attached to star in the movie, and the script was written by Matt Mixon, Malcolm Spellman ( Falcon and the Winter Soldier ), and Scott Silver ( Joker ). McFarlane previously teased: ' Deadpool is a fun R. Something like Joker 2 is a serious R. Our movie is going to be super serious and dark and gritty. It's going to be an at times a heavy movie. 'If you like serious drama, with meaningful themes that are relevant and that may even some reflection of the world we live in, then this has a lot of those elements in it.' The film has previously been described as 'Spawn meets David Fincher' and a 'gritty' and 'dirty thing.' When previously talking about his take on the story. McFarlane explained: "There's two big roles in the script. There's obviously sort of Spawn himself, although in a weird way it's not the biggest role, and then there's the cop. 'The cop is this character Twitch who's been there since issue #1. Twitch is the role in this one, and I sort of refer to him as my sheriff Brody, who is the sheriff in the Jaws movie. 'Although it was called Jaws , Jaws didn't really talk a lot in his movie, right? He just kind of showed up at the opportune time to make the movie worthwhile." I hope this turns out to be a great movie!
Geek Tyrant
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Dwayne Johnson Told McFarlane Toys to Beef Up His BLACK ADAM Figure and Make it More Ripped — GeekTyrant
When it comes to action figures, it turns out Dwayne Johnson wants to make sure that his are a lot more muscular. In a recent interview with Popverse, Todd McFarlane, the legendary comic creator and toy mogul behind McFarlane Toys, shared a behind-the-scenes story that perfectly illustrates just how much detail and diplomacy goes into designing licensed collectibles. While discussing the process of developing figures for 2022's Black Adam , McFarlane revealed that Dwayne Johnson had a very specific note about his character's action figure. 'Recently, we had to get approval on 'Black Adam,' and Dwayne Johnson's only comment was — which I think he was right — was, 'Can you make me more ripped?' It actually seems like a silly one, but it actually was right, because I think we all, in our mind, have a romantic version of many people, and the costume itself wasn't showing off his muscles. 'We were super accurate to the costume, it's just that the costume wasn't showing it off, so he just wanted us to show it off a bit more. We took a little bit of artistic license to do it. I think it was the right move.' It might sound like a case of classic Rock-brand bravado, but I guess it makes sense. McFarlane emphasized that even though the figure was designed with screen-accurate fidelity, the film costume just didn't do enough to show off Johnson's truly absurd physique. And when it comes to approvals, McFarlane has one rule: 'Let me tell you that even if I disagree, the client is always right. I'm looking for an approval. Hey, if you want me to give you two heads, I'll give you two heads. Whatever you need for me to get a sign off.' The goal isn't to stick stubbornly to the first version, it's to make something that feels right to the people involved, especially when that person is literally the face and torso of the character. Johnson's note wasn't vanity, it was about making sure the action figure looked like Black Adam. The collectible world is full of examples where the final product doesn't quite capture the physicality of the actor, like the Hot Toys version of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man from No Way Home, which fans noted looked a bit too lanky for the famously stocky Spidey. So props to The Rock for catching it early, and to McFarlane for adapting following through with it.
CBC
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Superman can do almost anything. And that's one reason his movies have struggled
Superman returns to the big screen this summer, as DC Studios tries to reinvigorate the film fortunes of its iconic do-gooder. But that's not an easy task, despite studio investment of at least $225 million US in Superman, which hits theatres on July 11 starring David Corenswet. Because, for all his powers, Superman has struggled as a film franchise. Movie-goers have many superheroes to choose from, and those commercial pressures are separate from the perpetual issue of coming up with compelling stories for a morally rigid hero with few vulnerabilities. Aficionados say Superman's long history in pop culture provides a big potential audience, but his fans have expectations that can be hard to meet. "Superman can be a tough nut to crack," said artist Jason Fabok, co-founder of media company Ghost Machine, who previously worked for DC Comics — drawing the Man of Steel for the Justice League and Superman/Batman titles. He also helped shape Superman's look on a collectible coin. "He's got all these fans… They want a good Superman movie. They want something that's going to really evoke those feelings that they had of the character for all these years." To succeed, this Superman will have to prove the old-fashioned hero remains compelling for today's audiences — a challenge where prior movies have struggled. "Can this new iteration be the one that is the spark to say: Superman's still cool?" asked Todd McFarlane, the Calgary-born comics pro who created the Spawn character and co-founded Image Comics. He also founded McFarlane Toys, a company that's making tie-in action figures for the film. If not, McFarlane says Superman could go the way of Mickey Mouse — a former pop-culture juggernaut who has fallen by the wayside. McFarlane says it can be difficult to find problems for Superman to face, given his super-powers. "He's almost god-like, right? So... what's the jeopardy of our hero?" he asked. "Superman seems to be able to spin moons on his finger like a basketball. So, what's his Achilles heel?" McFarlane notes this is why early writers came up with kryptonite. That's the challenge facing this movie's writer-director James Gunn, who's undoubtedly under pressure to deliver a winner, despite also being the studio's co-CEO. DC Studios did not respond to inquiries from CBC News about the new Superman. "I wouldn't want to be in his shoes," said McFarlane, despite Gunn's success bringing Marvel's once-obscure Guardians of the Galaxy to the screen. McFarlane says, after writing and illustrating comics for 40 years, there's a core principle he keeps in mind. "Being a hero should be hard," he said. "There should be cause and effect of everything you do." That can lead to scenarios where Superman must make difficult choices, or cope with competing crises. Like in 1978's Superman, in which Lois Lane died when he was preoccupied with other matters. (Fortunately, he turned back time to save her life.) A lot of lore Superman made his Action Comics debut in 1938, co-created by Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster and writer Jerry Siegel. The cape-draped hero eventually made his way to radio, cartoons, television and the movies — and a lot has happened along the way. (A small sample: Superman proposed marriage to a mermaid; his secret identity was repeatedly revealed; and he died at one point.) With so much history, there're a lot of potential story nuggets to be mined — and it appears Superman's makers know this, given the many characters seen in the movie's trailers, including the hero's dog, Krypto. And even if some — Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olsen — are already highly familiar to audiences, Fabok says they can be compelling if given the right tweaks. He recalls when, in the comics, Luthor became the president of the United States, prompting the question: "What happens if Superman has to face Lex Luthor now, but he's running the country?" A reliable hero Superman is an unapologetic good guy. Fans and comics creators say that's core to his character and his enduring appeal. "You know that Superman is good," said Fabok, recalling a moment in one movie when it's stated the hero is "what humanity should strive for." Steve Younis, the editor-in-chief of the long-running Superman Homepage, says Superman "does the right thing simply because it's the right thing to do," and as such inspires the audience. Gunn has argued the same, telling Rolling Stone that the "very good nature of him, this really strong belief in what's right, sometimes perhaps to a fault, is what makes Superman who he is." Some fans hope the new Superman will steer toward a brighter on-screen experience. Some recent Superman adventures that went to darker, moodier places, simply "never worked," for Fabok. He and McFarlane both say Superman is a character who belongs in the light — both visually and conceptually. "Superman is a character of the day, the sun," said Fabok. "He's bright, he's a beacon of hope."
