Ever since the original Spawn movie came out in 1997 and underwhelmed everyone, creator Todd McFarlane has been talking up a new movie incarnation of his demonic superhero. So much so that after awhile, no one really believed there would ever be another Spawn movie again, and that it was all talk. But it finally seems that a proper reboot of Spawn is coming to theaters for real this time, and McFarlane himself will even be behind the director’s chair for this R-rated version of the iconic Image Comics flagship character.

While speaking at New York Comic Con (via Deadline), McFarlane said that Spawn will go into pre-production after the holiday season, with February the target for start of actual production. When talking about how dark it was going to be, McFarlane said “dark and R-rated,” emphasizing that he doesn’t mean “R-rated like Deadpool with a couple F-bombs and a couple bare asses.” He even made some metaphorical allusions to Jaws when taking about the Spawn reboot, saying “I will have a shark in black water, and if you’re swimming he will come and you’ll be gone and he will f*ck you up.”

McFarlane is producing this film with Blumhouse Productions, the low budget horror production company that has turned huge profits off micro-budgeted films like Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge, Sinister, and most recently, the hits Split and Get Out. In the vein of those films, Spawn will also have a relatively minor budget – just $10 million dollars. McFarlane also promised that he would be posting daily Facebook updates during filming, a smart move in an age where social media drives everything.

Some fans have been somewhat nervous about McFarlane directing a feature film, having never done so before, and brought this up to the creator at NYCC. His response to that concern? “I didn’t use to draw comic books and I drew comic books and I won awards. I don’t know how to read music and I have a Grammy Award.” Here’s hoping that all of McFarlane’s confidence in this film pays off for him and for the fans with a decent movie that is worth the wait.

Are you excited about the prospect of Todd McFarlane helming the big screen return of his most famous creation? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Todd McFarlane /Image Comics