How A Romantic Relationship Introduces A Big Change For Shaft

How A Romantic Relationship Introduces A Big Change For Shaft

John Shaft and his son John Shaft Jr. (evidently their familial relationship has changed) have both been known for two things: their reputations as ladies’ men and tough crime fighters who know how to get answers. With the addition of the third generation in JJ, Shaft is going to add some interesting dynamics to the world of that character. And one of the most surprising is the relationship between Samuel L. Jackson’s John Shaft Jr. and the mother of his child, Maya, played by Regina Hall.

For a man who followed in his father’s footsteps as being very social with women, John Shaft Jr. apparently found his romantic Achilles’ heel in Maya, as we’ll see in director Tim Story’s Shaft reboot. And during a set visit early last year, CinemaBlend was on hand with other journalists to learn just how that relationship will affect not only the story of the Shaft reboot, but also how it effects the legendary image of this character.

To start us off, here’s what we learned from Regina Hall, in terms of why Maya is so attractive to Shaft, but also why their relationship broke up at the beginning of Shaft:

She’s very good in bed. That’s how she got [John] Shaft. You know, Shaft has a lot of ‘em, but Maya came along, and he was like ‘That, right there.’ … His lifestyle is the problem, so when they have a child and she becomes a mother, and they get shot at by about 10 men, she decides that it’s probably safer for her to raise the baby away from Shaft.

While the trailer for Shaft showed audiences a lot of the set-up for three generations of John Shafts running around and fighting crime, we do get to see a little bit of Maya putting John Jr. in his place when confronting him about their son’s involvement in the film’s central case. And instead of the typical argument you would expect to ensue, we see Samuel L. Jackson’s second generation John take their encounters in stride.

It’s this fact that Regina Hall continued to elaborate on, as she further discussed the relationship between John Jr. and Maya as follows:

It’s good to see him in a position where he cares, so he’s not in a power position. And that’s the only time he’s not in the power position is when he’s with Maya. He’s like a man in love.

One of the core tenets of Shaft’s central character is that he is, in fact, a sex machine to all the chicks. But with JJ hot on the case of a murdered friend, and his father John Jr. helping him investigate, John Jr. and Maya get to bristle with energy

During that same day on the set visit for Shaft, we got to also talk to Samuel L. Jackson, as he walked into the room during our discussion with Regina Hall. And like any good partner, Jackson jumped in with further details about how John Jr. and Maya’s relationship is different from a typically conflicting romance. He laid down the following clues as to what we’ll see in their interactions during Shaft:

It’s not even a love/hate thing, it’s just a love/safety thing. She took him away from me, because my lifestyle is too dangerous. It had nothing to do with her falling out of love with me. But in the absence, people create and fill their space how they need to fill it. And she’s done that in those 25 years. … The separation is one thing. It’s like we literally don’t see each other, so all of a sudden when we see each other you can see, when they look at each other, this thing happens that’s almost irresistible. But it’s like, I’m not letting you pull me back in.

As there’s more of a careful mix between comedy and action in director Tim Story’s Shaft reboot, one of the binding agents that seems to balance those two factors out is this family reunion of John Jr., Maya and JJ; as well as the addition of Richard Roundtree’s original John. In a series primarily known for a single protagonist solving a crime, doing the legwork to find those responsible, and bringing them to justice, you need a strong hook to introduce such a dynamic this late in the game.

And the best description of just how the John Jr./Maya relationship balances those tones in Shaft is the one that both Samuel L. Jackson and Regina Hall gave as they discussed their on-screen romance:

Jackson: And generally, every time they’re together, something fucking dangerous happens.

Hall: Within six minutes, some shit pops off.

Jackson: Or I say something wrong.

Let’s just hope that Regina Hall’s Maya gets to be one bad mother herself, once it all hits the fan. We certainly won’t have to wait too long to find out, as Shaft is in theaters on June 14, and we’ll have more coverage available on CinemaBlend as we get closer to that film’s launch.

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Dan Aykroyd Wants A Ghostbusters Prequel To Happen

Dan Aykroyd Wants A Ghostbusters Prequel To Happen

Fans of the Ghostbusters movies are certainly looking forward to the upcoming sequel that will return the franchise to the world of the first two films, being directed by the son of Ivan Reitman. There have clearly been plans to bring the Ghostbusters brand back as a major franchise, and it seem Dan Aykroyd already has a host of ideas for follow ups to the new film, including a prequel series that would take the characters Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler, back to high school.

Yes, in case you were curious, it seems that the three original Ghostbusters first met in high school. While the idea for the project is still several years away, Dan Aykroyd has apparently written a treatment for the concept which could apparently work as either a feature film or a television project. According to Aykroyd...

I’ve written Ghostbusters High, where they meet in New Jersey in 1969 and we’re looking to do that as probably a glorified feature or pilot within the next maybe five years.

It's not exactly clear what Ghostbusters High would actually be all about. Assuming that it is supposed to act as a direct prequel to the original 1984 Ghostbusters, that film makes it clear that the trio had never come that close to an actual ghost before the opening scenes of the film, so the series wouldn't actually follow the three characters actually fighting ghosts, would it?

Still, for fans of Venkmen, Stantz, and Spengler, the concept probably sounds like a lot of fun. The new Ghostbusters film is expected to include much of the original cast, but it won't actually be about them, so fans who want another story that actually focuses on the original characters, this could be their best bet.

It seems the idea for Ghostbusters High would be to ultimately become a television series. Dan Aykroyd apparently gave the idea to Jason Reitman even before the current Ghostbusters movie idea became a reality. Aykroyd is clear that this idea is part of a long term plan so we shouldn't expect to see it anytime soon, but he's clearly excited by the concept...

And it would lead to a television project and I thought of [Jason Reitman] immediately for that. It’s on his desk but that’s years away from the current project. But it’s a neat idea for a prequel. Imagine casting the three characters as teenagers!

Dan Aykroyd tells 660 News that he actually envisions this series as a sort of finale on the current Ghostbusters plans. After the current film, the actor/writer/vodka entrepreneur says there are one or two other film projects that are planned, and he sees Ghostbusters High coming after those films, as a sort of finale. Of course, that also means that if the new Ghostbusters movie doesn't hit, it could scuttle the entire plan.

Do you want to see the Ghostbusters as teenagers? Let us know in the poll below.

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Avengers: Endgame Director Would Love To Work On Wolverine

Avengers: Endgame Director Would Love To Work On Wolverine

Right now, lovers of comic book movies are talking about nothing other than Avengers: Endgame. However, once the dust settles and the Marvel Cinematic Universe moves on to whatever it's going to be in the future, fans will certainly begin to wonder what the future has in store now that a host of new characters are potential fodder for MCU movies. Recently, Avengers: Endgame co-director Anthony Russo was asked which of the newly acquired heroes he would be most interested in telling a story with. Unsurprisingly, he's excited by the idea of Wolverine. According to Russo...

I mean, we've always been huge fans of Wolverine. We certainly haven't been thinking about if and when and how we would ever go there, but just off the top of my head, that's a character we've always been passionate about.

At this point, we have no idea what Marvel Studios has planned for the X-Men or the Fantastic Four, the characters who now have seen their film rights return to Marvel following the purchase of 20th Century Fox by Disney. We don't even know if Marvel even has a plan yet. However, if the Russo Brothers ever decide to make another Marvel movie, it seems the studio might be able to entice them by offering them a chance to tell a Wolverine story.

It's not too surprising to hear Anthony Russo tell Fandango that he and his brother love Wolverine. Who doesn't? The character is by far the most popular of the X-Men from the comics and after spending two decades with Hugh Jackman playing the role on the big screen, the character is that much more well known.

Of course, what the future holds for Wolverine is far from clear. Hugh Jackman has said that he's done with the role, and since his version of the character is dead, that seems pretty definitive. We can be sure we haven't seen the last of the character on screen. He's simply too popular to never see again, but exactly how soon we'll see him remains to be seen.

It's unlikely that we'll be getting these answers soon, Disney reportedly is still trying to decide what to do with Fox's in-development Gambit movie and while it's always possible that the project could move forward, only as an MCU movie, that's probably part of a much larger conversation about the future of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. At this point, we don't even know what's happening with the characters that we have in the next 12 months. While we know several of the Marvel films that are in development, none of them have release dates. This means we can't really know what the future has in store.

Whenever Wolverine does return to the big screen. marvel could certainly do worse than getting the Russo Brothers involved.

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The Fast And Furious Movies In Order: The Best Way To Watch The Fast And Furious Franchise

The Fast And Furious Movies In Order: The Best Way To Watch The Fast And Furious Franchise

Warning: SPOILERS for the Fast and Furious movies are in play. Just in case you haven’t seen them, you can read the order of how the films play out chronologically, and then come back later once you’ve experienced the series in its entirety.

We’re in an interesting juncture in the Fast and Furious franchise, as we won’t be seeing the ninth film in the series proper until next year. This is despite the fact that The Fate of the Furious was unleashed upon the world in 2017, and while we’re all on board with good things coming to those who wait, we’re anxious to see what happens next.

That being said, there is some excitement on the horizon in the world of this supercharged franchise, as Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw will be holding court in their own blockbuster spin-off, Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw. And while you probably won’t need to see the films that came before this one in the series proper to truly enjoy it, it’s a long wait until August, and it certainly couldn’t hurt.

It also doesn’t help that the titles to the Fast and Furious films don’t exactly spell out the proper viewing order. So once and for all, in the name of franchise fans new and old, we’d like to nail down the correct order for your next Fast and Furious movie binge. Buckle up, because not only is it time for driving puns, it’s time to live your life in the name of family, a quarter mile at a time. Let's start off by laying out the Fast and Furious movies in order of how they were released.

The Fast And The Furious (2001)

The starting line for the franchise, The Fast and the Furious was inspired by real life street races and a Vice article that covered their existence. This might come as a shock to people who tend to remember the more recent films better, but Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner and Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto started out as adversaries on opposite sides of the law.

Brian at this point is an undercover cop who's trying to send Dom and his family up the river through an extensive sting operation. However, by the end of the film, both are brothers in arms and ready to start an entire franchise of action. At least, that was the eventual intent, as there would be two sequels that would try to redefine the formula of the series without Vin Diesel’s contributions.

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

With the focus put on Brian O’Conner this time out, Paul Walker was the central lead for 2 Fast 2 Furious. As such, there was a need to explore a new setting with Miami, as well as introduce a couple new characters to aid in his investigation of a local drug lord. Which, of course, involves some fast street racing through various Florida based locations.

The second of the Fast and Furious movies, 2 Fast 2 Furious introduced two characters that would eventually return to the series fold down the line: Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce, and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges’ Tej Parker. They won’t be seen for a couple more films though, as another huge shift is about to take place in the Fast and Furious universe.

The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

As if 2 Fast 2 Furious’ problem of having a lack of Vin Diesel wasn’t bad enough, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift lacked any significant participation from any of the series’ lead actors. This prompted an entirely new story to be told, through even more new characters. Introducing Lucas Black’s Sean Boswell and Sung Kang’s Han Lue into the series, the film tells the story of Sean being forced to move to Tokyo after getting into some legal trouble with some fast cars back in the U.S.

With Sean’s introduction to drift racing on the streets of Tokyo, the fast paced excitement of Fast and Furious franchise history had finally gone global, introducing new characters that would return later down the line in the series’ history. Han would become an especially crucial member to the team in subsequent films, despite his character meeting a fiery death in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. And while it wasn’t a significant role, Vin Diesel does return as Dom at the very end of the film, tying this installment even tighter to series continuity, as well as presenting another chronological problem.

Fast And Furious (2009)

Eight years after the original adventures of The Fast and the Furious, the franchise started to hit the stride that it currently enjoys with its run of films. Pretty much the entire original cast of that first film is back, though the plot of this fourth film, strangely titled Fast and Furious, sees the death of Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty kick off a quest for vengeance on the part of Dom and Brian.

Bringing back Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster for the first time since they starred in The Fast and the Furious, Sung Kang’s Han Lue is folded into the overarching group in Fast and Furious, with Gal Gadot also being brought in as Gisele, one of Dom’s substitute love interests while Letty is out of the picture. From this point on, while some characters would shift in and out of the group, the core cast of Diesel, Walker and Brewster would remain for a while, with some new friends to be added along the way.

Fast Five (2011)

After tangling with drug cartels and organized crime through the power of street racing for four straight films, the Fast and Furious movies were about to take a hard left into the heist genre. Dom, Brian, and the gang would solidify into a cohesive unit, tying together even more of the series’ rogues gallery into the team on Fast Five’s mission to rob a Brazilian crime lord blind.

Returning to the group in Fast Five are Han Lue, as well as Tyrese Gibson’s Roman, Chris Bridges’ Tej and Gal Gadot’s Gisele; and in the role of Dom’s latest romantic person of interest was Elsa Pataky’s Elena. But perhaps the greatest addition this time out was in the film’s law bound antagonist and later ally to the Toretto family team, DSS agent Luke Hobbs. With Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson making an explosive entry into the series with this film, things would truly never be the same.

Fast And Furious 6 (2013)

Remember how Letty supposedly died two films back? Surprise, she’s still alive! Michelle Rodriguez returned in Fast and Furious 6 as an associate to the film’s villain, ex-MI6 agent-turned heel Owen Shaw. Played by Luke Evans, Owen’s inclusion would allow the Fast and Furious movies to tap a new vein of antagonists that would turn teammates with the Shaw family.

Fast and Furious 6 also continued the series’ evolution from a street racing franchise into one that involved high-tech espionage and big ticket thievery. Needless to say, Dom, Brian and Mia all return, as well as Roman, Tej, Han and Hobbs. Though the mid-credits sequence of this film does put Han’s story to a final end, as his fatal accident is refolded into canon with a new assailant responsible for his death: Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, looking for revenge after the team’s foiling of Owen’s plot in Fast and Furious 6.

Furious 7 (2015)

Properly introducing the character of Deckard Shaw into the Fast and Furious series, Furious 7 saw the brother of the now comatose Owen Shaw coming not only vengeance, but also for a rather shady piece of technology that could be a surveillance nightmare if in the wrong hands. For the last time, we see poor Han’s death through a fiery wreck, and for the first time we see Kurt Russell’s cool as ice DSS handler, code-named Mr. Nobody.

Furious 7 also ties up some loose ends with the re-introduction of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift’s Sean Boswell, setting him up for further films down the line of the franchise. Sadly, this would also be the final appearance of Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner, as Walker's untimely death in an automobile accident prompted those behind the series’ story to retire the character at the end of this film.

The Fate Of The Furious (2017)

The last film in the line of proper entries to the Fast and Furious franchise, The Fate of the Furious sees Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto breaking bad, under the influence of Charlize Theron’s new baddie Cipher. Apparently the mastermind behind turning Owen Shaw in Fast and Furious 6, her efforts have been behind each major threat through the last two films, with her aim being to cause irrevocable global chaos.

Returning to fight alongside the rest of Dom’s team are Dwayne Johnson’s DSS Agent Luke Hobbs, as well as Jason Statham’s controversial addition to the hero roster, Deckard Shaw; the two members of the Fast and Furious movie team that would go on to have their own spinoff in this summer’s Hobbs and Shaw. While Dom does return to the side of good, it comes at the cost of Elsa Pataky’s Elena, who is killed in the line of duty by Cipher.

With the full rundown of the Fast and Furious movies now complete, it’s time to think real hard about what order to watch them in. Because believe it or not, with one quick alteration, the story makes so much more sense in the long run. even if the real world timing doesn’t exactly work out in its favor.

The Right Order To Watch The Fast And Furious Movies In

If you want to experience the Fast and Furious movies in the right order, there’s only one movie that needs to be shifted in place. While technically running as the third film in the chronological order, you can take The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift and slot it in before Furious 7 in your watching order. This not only puts Han’s death into proper context, it also leads straight into the seventh film’s integration of the event into its own storyline.

Alternatively, if you really wanted to, you could drop the film out of your watching order altogether. Not only would this leave Lucas Black’s Sean Boswell with a clean slate for his eventual return to the Fast and Furious movies, it wouldn’t impact the storyline all that much as all the vital components are already wound into the series’ narrative through Fast and Furious 6 and Furious 7’s storylines.

We hope that this crash course in Fast and Furious history has helped you figure out which order to watch the franchise in, as well as the correct order in terms of chronological release. Who knows, you might be quizzed on the titles and their running orders at a bar quiz in the near future. Or a friend might trust you to set them straight on how The Fast and the Furious started it all, but it took the film three sequels to get Fast and Furious.

The point is, the information you need to navigate this high velocity thrill ride of a franchise is right at your fingertips, and now you’ll never need to worry about whether or not you’re watching the Fast and Furious movies correctly.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking forward to Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, you’ll only have to wait until August 2 to see that particular end result. Though should you want to get some action into your movie watching lineup before then, take a look at our 2019 release schedule to see what else is waiting on the road to August.

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There's A Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Easter Egg No One Is Talking About

There's A Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Easter Egg No One Is Talking About

Warning: SPOILERS for Godzilla: King of the Monsters below!

Even before the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, it was clear that director Michael Dougherty and the people involved in the sequel were fans of the property themselves and wanted to do it justice and honor it in the new film. This has been apparent from the desire not to f-up the look of the monsters to incorporating design cues from the 1954 film, to the soundtrack to the film’s Easter eggs.

On that last point, we heard that Godzilla: King of the Monsters would have a bunch of great Easter eggs for fans of the 65-year-old property, and now that the movie is out we have an idea of what some of those Easter eggs are. But there is one Easter egg in particular that no one is talking about, and with good reason because it is confusing in the moment and requires serious knowledge of the franchise’s history.

In the film, Zhang Ziyi plays Dr. Ilene Chen, one of the newer members of the exceedingly well-funded Monarch organization that researches and tracks the Titans. At one point in the movie, she is aboard Monarch’s battleship called the Argo while Godzilla and Ghidorah are engaged in battle off the coast of Mexico. The military doesn’t want to just ‘let them fight’ and launches an Oxygen Destroyer bomb to kill both Godzilla and Ghidorah.

The bomb seemingly kills Godzilla and the hydra-like Ghidorah just loses a head only to regenerate it, and Zhang Ziyi’s Dr. Ilene Chen is there, aboard the Argo, off the coast of Mexico to witness it all. Here’s where things get weird. We then see her thousands of miles away at Monarch’s base in China, where a caterpillar-stage Mothra was introduced earlier in the film.

There, Zhang Ziyi’s character witnesses Mothra emerging from the waterfall she fled to earlier in the movie, coming out of her cocoon a full grown moth titan. It’s something of a jarring moment in the film and it makes you wonder if Monarch borrowed some of the Westerosi teleportation tech used in Game of Thrones Season 7 and Season 8 to get Zhang Ziyi from Godzilla’s death near Mexico to Mothra’s rebirth in China.

But contrary to first impressions, this was not a mistake or the result of logic falling victim to plot expedience. The truth, as spotted by i09, is that in the scene where Mothra comes out of her cocoon in China, Zhang Ziyi is not playing Dr. Ilene Chen. She is instead playing a character called Ling Chen according to the film’s credits, or Dr. Ling according to IMDb.

Dr. Ling Chen is Ilene Chen’s twin sister. This isn’t really acknowledged at all in the film and audiences aren’t given much of an explanation. Later on, we find out that Zhang Ziyi’s Ilene Chen comes from a family of female Monarch employees who all bear a striking resemblance to one another and either worked, lived or were born on a place called Infant Island. Giving Ilene Chen a twin that she never interacts with might seem like an odd choice, but it is actually a deep Easter Egg into Toho History.

Mothra debuted onscreen in 1961’s Mothra, and in that film, the titular creature lives on a place called Infant Island. There, she is guarded by the Shobijin, two miniature twin priestesses that also act as translators for the creature. The fairy-like creatures have been portrayed in different ways with different backstories over the years, but the common thread is that the psychic duo (and sometimes trio) can communicate with Mothra and act as her translators and ambassadors.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters eschews any psychic powers or strange origin for the Zhang Ziyi’s twins, but by including Ling Chen, the film is clearly nodding to the Shobijin that have been tied to Mothra since her inception. It winds up playing super weird in the film, being both jarring and unexplained, but it does represent a cool deep cut for die-hard fans.

Zhang Ziyi is returning for Godzilla vs. Kong, so it will be interesting to see if she again plays two roles and if the Chen twins and their relationship to Mothra gets further fleshed out.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is now playing. Check out what ticket you should buy and keep an eye on our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.

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Yes, Disney Will Be Changing Some Release Dates Thanks To The Disney Fox Merger

Yes, Disney Will Be Changing Some Release Dates Thanks To The Disney Fox Merger

The film world is a fascinating place right now, especially as Disney continues to acquire more assets and iconic brands. The House of Mouse's merger with 20th Century Fox recently became official, so the time has come to sort out exactly how two massive studios will end up combining. Disney acquired the rights to some very exciting properties from Fox, although it makes navigating a release schedule all the more confusing. Luckily, some answers are coming from this year's CinemaCon.

Disney already has a ton of projects coming down the pipeline, including animated blockbusters, the Star Wars franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As such, acquiring 20th Century Fox is it a bit of a logistical nightmare, as that studio had a bunch of releases scheduled as well. Disney won't want to cannibalize its own box office numbers, and while presenting at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, President of Distribution Franchise Cathleen Taff mentioned the adjustments to film's releases. She said:

So much has happened this year. Of course, the biggest news in the year of big news is welcoming the Fox filmmaking team studios to Disney, greatly expanding our collection of world class brands… It’s an incredible collection of films with truly something for everyone. As you probably know, a couple of these films do share the same release date. We know some adjustments are going to need to be made, but we’ll have updates for you very soon.

Well, that seems pretty cut and dry. The House of Mouse isn't intending on shooting itself in the foot regarding the release schedule, so some changes may be made to either Fox or Disney flicks in order to avoid conflicts at the box office. Because if there's one thing the studio is good at, it's making money.

Cathleen Taff's comments from CinemaCon are sure to turn a few heads, as there are a ton of highly anticipated movies arriving in theaters over the next two years. It's perfectly logical that the release schedule might be altered, although the question is: how? Cinephiles have been eager for any and all information regarding Disney's merger with Fox, and the recent convention in Las Vegas has provided the first concrete information now that the deal's in ink.

While Disney didn't reveal which upcoming movies would be shifting their release date, they did unveil the next year or so of programing. This includes the fate of Josh Boone's The New Mutants, which seemed like it was in jeopardy before CinemaCon. Not only is the horror inspired X-Men movie still getting a theatrical release, but it'll arrive shortly after Dark Phoenix on August 2nd. That should be a relief to comic book fans, although the public will have to sit tight for a better idea regarding the scheduling adjustments.

CinemaBlend will keep you updated on Disney's' acquisition of Fox as more details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Spawn: What We Know So Far About The Reboot

Spawn: What We Know So Far About The Reboot

Even though Marvel and DC have the market cornered when it comes to comic book movies, every now and then moviegoers are treated to a cinematic tale that hails from a different company. Over in the Image Comics realm, arguably its most popular character, Spawn, is still leading his own comic book series after more than two decades, but his first theatrical outing back in 1997 was not received well, to put it lightly. Fortunately for fans of Spawn, he will soon be getting some much needed cinematic redemption.

It was announced at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con that the long-awaited Spawn reboot is finally moving forward at Blumhouse Productions, and since then we've slowly learned how this movie will differentiate itself from the first Spawn movie. With that in mind, here's everything that's been revealed so far about the new Spawn.

What Is Spawn's Release Date?

Currently, Spawn doesn't have a release date assigned, but it sounds like we won't have to wait several years for it to come out. Before the reboot's main star had been cast, it had been reported that production was aiming to begin in August. Now that we know who's playing this new Spawn (we'll get to him later), that likely means we'll soon find out who else is rounding out the cast. That means there's a good chance that Spawn will meet that August production start, and since this reboot is working with a lower budget (like most Blumhouse productions), it's not like the post-production process is going to be extremely lengthy. Therefore, Spawn will probably be ready for release in 2019, and if I were a betting man, I'd say it will come out in either late September or October to fit in with all the spookiness of that time of year.

What Is Spawn's Rating?

Technically, Spawn hasn't been rated by the MPAA yet, but it's practically guaranteed that it will walk away with an R rating. First off, look at the source material. With all the violence and demonic elements in the Spawn comic books, you wouldn't be able to pull off a proper cinematic adaptation within the confines of a PG-13 rating. This is, undoubtedly, one of the reasons why the 1997 Spawn movie failed to be a critical hit, as it tried to appeal to both adults and moviegoers on the younger side of the spectrum (although an R-rated director's cut was later released). Rather than repeat that mistake, the Spawn reboot will waste no effort in aiming for an R rating. Spawn is a scary property, and with Blumhouse Productions having a good track record with horror and thriller movies, that, ideally, bodes well for Spawn finally being adapted properly for the big screen.

Who Is Spawn's Director?

Rather than let someone else handle his creation again, Todd McFarlane will oversee the Spawn reboot's production. That's right, the man who brought Spawn to the Image Comics pages more than 25 years ago wrote the script for the new Spawn movie and will also direct it. In addition to creating Spawn, McFarlane's other notable comic book credits include illustrating The Amazing Spider-Man series at Marvel (during which time he co-created Venom alongside writer David Michelinie) and being one of the illustrators on Batman: Year Two over at DC Comics. Although McFarlane does have some experience working in the television realm (more on that later), the Spawn reboot will mark his first major foray into the world of film, which includes this serving as his directorial debut. Another notable comic book creator who directed a film based on his own creation was Frank Miller with the Sin City movies, although he co-helmed them with Robert Rodriguez, while McFarlane is going at it solo. However, Miller also went on to write and direct The Spirit (created by Will Eisner) by himself, only for that to be a critical and commercial failure. So, here's hoping that McFarlane has better luck with Spawn.

What Is Spawn About?

So far no specific details about the Spawn reboot have come out yet, but some tidbits have come out regarding how this movie will differ from its predecessor. First off, rather than show Al Simmons being turned into this demonic antihero while in Hell and tossed back to Earth, the new movie will not be an origin story. When we first see Spawn in this tale, he'll have already been this way for some time. In fact, who knows how much, if any, of Spawn's past will be explored. And despite the name of the movie and the character's prominence in the story, Spawn also won't technically be the main character. Instead, we'll follow along with two main human characters, who will serve as the audience's eyes, so to speak. Beyond that, it's unclear what villain or threat Spawn and these human characters will be dealing with, but whatever demonic craziness goes down, it'll happen in New York City (even though, by Todd McFarlane's admission, the movie's main shoot will end up happening in places like Detroit, Cleveland or Toronto).

Spawn

Before he was running around in a cape and looking all kinds of ugly, the entity we know as Spawn was Al Simmons, a Marine who was recruited into a black ops CIA program. When Al started questioning the morality of the CIA's operations, Jason Wynn, the head of the United States Security Group, tasked Bruce Stinson, a.k.a. Chapel, Al's friend and partner, with killing Al. Because he had assassinated so many people during his life, Al was sent to Hell. However, in exchange for giving up his soul and becoming a Hellspawn, Al was able to return to Earth. Unfortunately for him, on top of now being a caped demon, Al came back five years after his death, and during that time Al's wife, Wanda Blake, had married Al's best friend, Terry Fitzgerald, and together they had a daughter named Cyan. Al was also brought back as an amnesiac, though he soon regained his memories. As Spawn, Al boasts numerous special powers, which include super strength, immortality, a healing factor, shapeshifting, phasing and harnessing necroplasmic energy.

As mentioned earlier, the Spawn reboot won't be an origin story, so even if we do see snippet of a human-looking Al, don't expect this particular story to shed a lot of light on his past. As for who will occupy the eponymous role, that honor belongs to Jamie Foxx, who already has some comic book experience under his belt from playing Max Dillon, a.k.a. Electro, in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Foxx is still one of Hollywood's biggest stars, so for him to be leading Spawn is a major score for Todd McFarlane and Blumhouse. That said, Foxx has also been interested in playing Spawn since 2013, so he'll bringing a lot of enthusiasm to the role. One especially interesting thing to note is that Foxx's Spawn will not say a word during the movie, though McFarlane has clarified that the character will communicate in a special way.

Twitch Williams

The only other established character who's been confirmed for the Spawn reboot so far is Detective Maximillian "Twitch" Williams, who has been part of the Spawn mythology since the beginning. In the comics, Twitch is paired with Detective Sam Burke, with Sam serving as the brawn and Twitch serving as the brains. Although Sam and Twitch are best known as supporting characters in the Spawn comic book, the NYPD duo became popular enough to lead their own series for a few years.

The Spawn reboot's version of Twitch hasn't been cast yet, but unlike his printed page counterpart, he won't be paired with Sam. Well, not at first. Todd McFarlane said that instead Twitch will be paired with a different partner who's "quasi-Sam." The only other thing we know about the cinematic Twitch is he will be the main human character of the movie, so we'll get to know him quite well. There's no word yet on who will play Twitch, but if production is beginning relatively soon, we shouldn't have to wait much longer to learn the actor's identity.

What Other Characters Might Appear In Spawn

Along with Spawn and Twitch, Todd McFarlane has said that the Spawn reboot will feature a female lead who's "not a love interest or any of the typical movie tropes," but he wouldn't identify who she is. So, for now, that's all we have to work with cast-wise. However, at over 286 issues and counting (and that's not including spinoff series), the Spawn mythology is one of the most rich across the comic book genre, so there's definitely no shortage of characters that this movie could throw in. Though, if Spawn's origin isn't going to be deeply explored, that probably rules out folks like Wanda Blake, Terry Fitzgerald and Jason Flynn from appearing.

There are three characters in particular I suspect stand a decent chance of appearing in the reboot, though I wouldn't expect all three of them to be participating together. First, we have Malebolgia, the entity responsible for creating Spawn. Malebolgia is one of the many rulers of Hell (he hails from its Eighth Circle), and while he initially assumed the transformed Al Simmons would be one of his many minions, eventually Spawn was the one who decapitated him (although Malebolgia was later resurrected). Even if we don't learn the details about Spawn's past in the movie, I wouldn't be surprised if Malebolgia is the threat that our hero is working to neutralize from the shadows.

Second is The Violator, who's known in his human form simply as Clown. The oldest of five demon siblings known as the Phlebiac Brother, he was was initially charged with training fresh Hellspawn so they could lead Hell's armies, but ever since he first looked after Al Simmons, he's continually tried to prove that demons are far superior to Hellspawn for this task. Violator has been the most recurring villain in the Spawn mythos, continually manipulating and toying with the protagonist. Like Malebolgia, Violator could easily work as Spawn's main antagonist, although it might be wiser to use him as a supporting baddie in this movie and have him graduate to the big villain in a sequel.

Finally, there's Cogliostro. Initially, he was Spawn's mentor, as he too was a Hellspawn who had escaped Malebolgia's grasp. Initially presenting himself as a homeless man, Cogliostro has used what little necroplasmic energy he had left to stay alive for centuries on Earth, but upon crossing paths with Spawn, he began advising him on how to use his powers for good rather than in the service of evil. However, it was later revealed that Cogliostro was Cain. Yes, the same Cain from The Bible. It turns out that all his time he had been working to become the new ruler of Hell, and he ultimately succeeded. For the sake of the Spawn reboot, it would probably be best just to keep him as the mentor figure, and if he returned for another movie, then his past could slowly be revealed. Of course, if Cogliostro were to appear in the Spawn reboot, an arrangement would need to be worked out with Neil Gaiman, as he owns 50% of the character.

It's worth a reminder that like other Blumhouse films, Spawn isn't working with a large budget, and who knows how much money it will cost to make the eponymous character look realistic and terrifying. So, while there's a good chance that at least one or a few other mystical characters will show up, don't expect the visual effects in this movie to be as crazy as what you'd see in a Marvel or DC movie. That being said, there's that old saying, "A little goes a long way," so maybe Blumhouse will still be able to work visual magic with its smaller budget.

Previous Spawn Depictions

As mentioned earlier, Blumhouse's Spawn movie isn't the first time the character has appeared outside of the comics. Only five years after his printed page debut, Spawn starred in his own blockbuster movie, with Michael Jai White in the title role and the supporting cast including John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen, Theresa Randle, Nicol Williamson and D.B. Sweeney. The movie was a straightforward origin story, but it only made $87.8 million worldwide and was met with a lot of negative reviews. Fortunately, from what's been revealed so far, it sounds like this reboot will feel significantly different from its predecessor, akin to the tonal differences between Batman Begins and the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman movies. Spawn also cameoed earlier this year in Ready Player One during the climactic conflict in the OASIS.

Away from the silver screen, Spawn led his own animated series on HBO, which aired three seasons of six episodes each from 1997 to 1999. Featuring Keith David as the voice of Spawn, this series earned a much better critical reception than the first Spawn movie, and it's available on HBO's streaming platforms for anyone who wishes to check it out. Spawn also starred in several video games between 1995 and 2003, which included being a guest character on the Xbox version of Soulcaliber II. It's also worth mentioning that there is a Sam and Twitch TV series has been in development for BBC America since 2017. Spawn himself isn't expected to show up, but if it's like the duo's comic book series, it would be a procedural mixed with supernatural elements.

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