Spawn is taking one major concept away from the success of DC’s Joker. After the original Spawn movie critically flopped, bringing in only $87.9 million against its $50 million budget, the franchise looked like it was dead in the water. Yet with ongoing reports indicating that creators have been planning a new Spawn movie for years, the future is starting to look bright.
Though Spawn creator Todd McFarlane has been shopping around a new Spawn adaptation idea, the R-rated Joker has given it a new life. After all, everything known about Joker: Folie à Deux implies a strong future for that franchise. In an interview with CBR, McFarlane made it clear that he sees Joker’s success as a great sign for R-rated superhero movies in general. Check out his quote below:
“We are all at least contemplating it being R-rated. When I was saying that I was going to write, produce, and direct it, it was going to be R-rated. The people coming on board, especially the writers, they’re rowing in that same direction, which is cool. We’ll see how excited the studios are about that. But done right, R-rated stuff can go because Joker just paved such a big highway for that. But the bigger piece here is, what do we attach to it? The bigger behind-closed-doors conversation we’re having when we sell it is, what are we selling? What I mean by that is, are we selling them a Spawn movie, and then we’re out, or are we selling them some of these characters that you and I just talked about in the Spawn Universe to start laying a blueprint for something bigger?”
Are There Downsides To R-Rated Superhero Movies?
For years, there was a fairly prevalent idea that R-rated comic book movies just wouldn’t work. After all, Hollywood considered a major part of the draw the fact that children could enjoy the franchises, allowing a wider audience and earning more at the box office. Yet R-rated superhero films have actually been received remarkably well, despite Deadpool actor Ryan Reynold’s biggest fears.
Watchmen, Logan, and Deadpool have all been incredibly successful. Logan, for instance, drew $619.2 million with its theatrical release, while Deadpool scored a $782.6 million take. With Logan‘s budget costing approximately $100 million and Deadpool‘s being $58 million, they were more than just critical successes. In fact, they’ve become massive box office hits.
Spawn really can benefit by using these popular and often-artistic movies as a launching point to create its world. With the opportunity to put together a universe based on the comics and unafraid to shy away from the darker elements of Spawn, McFarlane’s comments are a positive sign for the Spawn reboot. It all just depends on if Spawn can get off the ground and start development in the first place.
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