Todd McFarlane has been talking about a new Spawn movie for what seems like forever now, but the project finally inched closer to reality last year when it was announced that Blumhouse will produce McFarlane’s long-gestating passion project. McFarlane wrote and is directing the film, which he promises will be dark and most definitely rated R.

So what’s the latest on all that? McFarlane provides an update to AZCentral.

“We just signed off on the script, and are going into budgeting. We’re also having our casting meeting,” McFarlane told the site. “It will be dark and heavy, serious, R-rated. It won’t be a superhero movie. I don’t think most people would categorize it as that. It will be a supernatural thriller, like a lot of good creep movies. The only thing in the movie that’s fantastic is Spawn, and anything else is otherwise normal.”

He continued, teasing the approach, “We don’t want to muddy the waters. It’s R-rated. Not like Deadpool, where there was just a couple F-bombs and a naked butt. Not like Logan either. We’re talking trauma, true trauma, as serious as possible. I like to explain that it’s my Jaws. Spawn doesn’t say a word the entire movie, and it’s the same way with Jaws. It’s about the sheriff and the people, chasing the ghost. That’s it. The lead role isn’t Spawn, the lead role is a cop, like Sheriff Brody from Jaws.”

“I think we can hook a fairly significant actor that we want,” McFarlane teased.