Jamie Foxx Offered Spawn Role in Todd McFarlane's Movie Reboot

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Jamie Foxx Reportedly Offered Spawn Role, Film to Co-Star Twitch

By Tom Chapman

Published May 3, 2018

A new report indicates that Oscar Jamie Foxx has been offered the title role in Todd McFarlane's long-planned Spawn reboot.

There are rumblings of a major development for Todd McFarlane's long-discussed Spawn movie reboot, with Jamie Foxx rumored to be offered the lead role.

Although filming had been expected to begin this month on Blumhouse Productions low-budget take on the comic book antihero, the casting of Al Simmons has yet to be announced. But McFarlane has tried to create a gritty R-rated reboot for five years now, with Foxx lobbying to play Spawn since 2013.

According to That Hashtag Show, those may be more than mere hopes, as the Oscar winner is being heavily linked to the role. Michael Jai White previously played Simmons, but it's a case of out with the old and in with the new. The site notes that although production is now aiming for an August start date, Spawn is still looking for a 2019 release.

The report reveals, "Foxx has yet to sign on for the role and his decision may ultimately be a major factor in how fast this project gets off the ground." As well as Foxx playing the title character, the "new" Spawn will also shift focus away from Simmons' family. "Should he, or another actor quickly take on the role, however, they'll be sharing the spotlight with another lead."

While Mark A.Z. Dippé's 1997 movie focused on the tragic backstory of Simmons after the character was burned to death, McFarlane's new iteration will bring someone else from his Image Comics franchise into the movie. As a co-star alongside Spawn, homicide detective Twitch Williams is set to have a major role. First appearing in McFarlane's Spawn series, Twitch had his own spinoff series alongside Sam Burke, known simply as Sam and Twitch.

Foxx may be a big name to cast as Spawn, but McFarlane has already said that Simmons won't say a word in the new movie, and will spend most of the screen time under the character's signature hooded costume — imagine Deadpool but without the one-liners. Foxx is no stranger to superhero movies following his turn as Electro in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Blumhouse is a well-suited studio to have behind the project. Known for its acclaimed horror movies like Get Out and Split, Blumhouse should fit McFarlane's hopes of being a "horror movie and a thriller movie."