In a world of teasers, sneak peeks and final trailers, it’s refreshing to hear that we might have to wait until we’re sat in the cinema before we catch our first glimpse of Spawn.
Based on the series of comic books he created, Todd McFarlane’s reboot of the 1997 Mark Dippe-directed movie has already cast Jamie Foxx as the titular anti-hero. Further details on the project, however, are few and far between, with particular secrecy around what look Spawn’s going for.
In a recent interview, McFarlane touched on that very topic, saying:
“The physical look of him? I’ll probably hide that [until the film’s release]. We’ll show some hints of it and we’ll have to reveal some moments in the trailer and things like that but there won’t be any quote-unquote ‘hero shots’…”
The comic book writer elaborated further to suggest that there won’t be any ‘hero shots’ (or hero landings, presumably) in the movie at all, and that Spawn will only be seen in the shadows and in sections at a time. This does seem appropriate, as the film is being produced by celebrated scaremongers Blumhouse, who are known for jump scares, shadow frights and all things evil (see the new Halloween teaser if you’re not convinced).
It certainly is a refreshing change in a world of superheroes where you spend more time seeing the whites of Tony Stark’s eyes than you do of the Iron Man mask. The idea of Spawn stalking through the darkness and striking from the shadows is a darkly delicious one, especially as 1997’s offering had him upfront and centre, complete with unconvincing flowing CGI cloak and chains.
As the old adage goes, less is more, and we’ll have to buy a ticket if we want more. It’s hardly a revolutionary marketing strategy, though, so why is McFarlane the only one attempting it? I guess we’ll have to wait and see if Spawn‘s a success before we find out if others follow suit.