At the beginning of this month, we reported on a rumor from That Hashtag Show that stated A-list movie star Jamie Foxx had been offered the leading role in the upcoming comic book film Spawn. But, of course, Spawn itself has been in development for approximately 72 years, so there was no telling if this is something that would fall through at the last minute — especially since the budget for this one is very low (around $10-$12 million). Would it be enough to actually lock down someone like Foxx?

According to Deadline, the answer to that is a resounding yes. They claim that Foxx has officially signed on the dotted line and will star as none other than Al Simmons, a CIA agent who, after being betrayed and murdered, comes back as Spawn to reunite with his wife.

The film is based on the comic book of the same name and the film actually comes courtesy of comic book creator Todd McFarlane himself, who is directing the film. Partnering with McFarlane is the amazing Blumhouse Productions, who has made a name for itself in recent years for its high concept, low budget films that astound audiences and reap the benefits with tens of missions (and even hundreds of millions) of dollars.

Interestingly enough, from the sound of it, this film won’t be an origin story and will feature a Spawn who speaks very little.

“The scariest movies, from Jaws to John Carpenter’s The Thing, or The Grudge and The Ring, the boogeyman doesn’t talk,” McFarlane told the outlet. “It confuses people because of the comic book industry, and because they all default into their Captain America mindset and I keep saying, no, get into John Carpenter’s mindset or Hitchcock. This is not a man in a rubber suit, it’s not a hero that’s going to come and save the damsel. It’s none of that. At the end of the movie, I’m hoping that the audience will say either, is this a ghost that turns into a man, or is it a man that turns into a ghost? I’ve got a trilogy in mind here, and I’m not inclined in this first movie to do an origin story. I’m mentally exhausted from origin stories. Luckily, there’s a movie that just came out that helps my cause. In A Quiet Place, the first thing on screen is a card in black and white letters that says Day 89. It doesn’t care about what happened in those first 88 days. There are a couple headlines, but then we are on day 450. That movie doesn’t worry about explaining and giving all the answers. What it said in that case was, if you can hang on for a story of survival of this family, this movie will make complete sense for you.”

In terms of Jamie Foxx being cast in the film, McFarlane discussed what Foxx brings to the table.

“There are five or six moments where I’m going to need things from my actors, and a couple of them have to come from Jamie, and I’ve seen him deliver them onscreen. He gets into a zone, with body language and a look that basically will say way more than anything i could type on a piece of paper, and this movie is going to need those moments. And in the odd moment where he has to deliver a line that’s short, curt and has impact, he can do it in a way that makes you go, ‘Whoa, I don’t want to mess with that guy. What a badass.’”

Those who have been following this project will know that several years back, Foxx was campaigning for the role of Spawn, and it sounds like that’s influenced this casting quite a bit.

“Jamie came to my office five years ago, and he had an idea about Spawn and we talked about it,” McFarlane said. “I never forgot him, and when I was writing this script, you sort of plug people in, and he was my visual guy and I never let go of him. When I got done and my agents and everybody was talking about what actor, I said, I’m going to Jamie first and until he says no I don’t want to think about anyone else because I’ve never had anyone else in my head. Luckily, he hadn’t forgotten either. I said, ‘Hey, I’m back to talk about Spawn again, and he was like, let’s do it.’”

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SOURCE: Deadline