Todd McFarlane’s “Spawn” has a whole lot going on, and it isn’t exactly easy to translate to film. An attempt was made back in 1997 to capture the abrasive antihero on screen and it wasn’t exactly met with critical acclaim. Although groundbreaking in the visual and special effect aspects (especially for the time that it was made), the 97 “Spawn” was scrutinized for being rated PG-13, and as such, the visceral, violent graphic novel was watered down and came off as a bit goofy.

Fast forward to 2016, and McFarlane has announced that he is in the process of taking another swing at a currently unnamed Spawn film. McFarlane seems to have listened to critics and learned from the perceived mistakes of the first attempt, and instead of focusing on the super hero demographic, he’s styling the upcoming reboot along the lines of a horror flick. What’s more is in an interview with comicbook.com McFarlane is entirely dedicated to the idea that this new Spawn movie will be rated R, so that the darkest and most graphic depths of the character and his universe can be explored.

It’s slowly moving forward, just trying to put all the pieces together both from an artistic and a financial. The intent is trying to finance as much as possible internally and then finding partners who will help in the production of it as we move forward. I can argue getting the money might be harder than getting everybody signed off on the story. What I can tell you is what I’ve told everybody else: it will be a definite R. I’m not going for the same crowd that Marvel and DC is going for; I’m going for the same crowd that horror film releases going for. People who want to take their boyfriend or girlfriend or go out with the girls and go to the movies and get spooked.

This is an interesting departure form the concept of the first film. Instead of focusing on high budget effects and the predictable super hero archetype, McFarlane is targeting a freaky, hellish romp through the domain of horror.

No cast has been mentioned yet, but it’s exciting to hear McFarlane talk about a story based version of Spawn. Are you pumped to see a darker and less inhibited take on the classic comic book character? Let us know what you think in the comments and stay with us at Don’t Feed the Gamers as more information trickles in regarding the Spawn reboot and other upcoming movies!