Jamie Foxx’s Spawn reboot isn’t the only film adaptation on the way.
The popular character Spawn—Al Simmons, a former Marine who was brought back to life after dying in a fire—first appeared as an antihero in the ’90s and has since been adapted into several different forms, including a movie starring Michael Jai White and an animated series with Keith David. Creator Todd McFarlane has been working for over twenty years to create a new Spawn film, with Jamie Foxx set to star, and is currently looking for a director.
Todd McFarlane recently told ComicBook.com at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 that a new Spawn movie is in development, and it’s quite different from previous attempts. He also shared that he’s completed the artwork for a 90-minute animated show. All that remains to finish it are the final rendering of scenes (which requires cels), some sound effects (“Foley”), and finding a studio partner to bring it all together.
McFarlane has confirmed they are now prepared to move forward with the animated Spawn movie. Keith David has returned to voice his character, and Mark Hamill is joining the cast as Twitch, a role previously played by Michael McShane in the HBO series. McFarlane even encouraged Hamill to use his natural voice for the character, rather than relying on his typical animated persona.
As a long-time fan of Todd McFarlane’s work, it’s exciting to hear him talk about his plans! Basically, he’s been holding onto something special – a project he’s eager to release. He’s smart about it, though. He wants to get his movie out first, and if it does well, then he’ll unleash this other thing he’s been developing. He’s already thinking ahead and letting people know he has something ready to go for animation – it’s a great strategy and shows he’s really prepared.
It’s still not certain when Todd McFarlane first asked Mark Hamill to join the cast of the animated Spawn movie. He mentioned in an interview that it was early in Hamill’s voice acting career, likely in the early 1990s. This would have been before Hamill became widely known for voicing the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, and before his work on the HBO series.
However, it appears David and Hamill’s contribution was likely connected to Todd McFarlane’s earlier work on a Spawn sequel series that began in the mid-2000s – they were reportedly involved with the show at that time. The project was eventually cancelled without an official reason, but McFarlane recently explained it stemmed from disagreements with the production studios. He later regained the rights to the series.
It’s likely the 90-minute project Todd McFarlane discussed is connected to the cancelled Spawn sequel TV show. The original HBO series released each season as two-hour movies, created by editing together episodes. Since some shows now use multi-part premieres, this animated film could be either a premiere episode or a shorter version of what McFarlane originally planned for a full season.
Despite being nearly complete, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that the animated Spawn movie will actually be released, disappointing fans who want to hear David’s voice as the character again. Although animation is generally cheaper than live-action films – potentially making funding easier compared to the stalled live-action reboot – if the film still needs significant work, a studio might hesitate to invest in finishing and releasing it.
2026-07-28 02:29