Spawn creator and Image Comics co-founder, Todd McFarlane, is expanding his content empire to include original television projects. According to a McFarlane Films press release, the Emmy-winning creator is launching a TV division within his McFarlane Films production company. The new outfit has two projects currently in development.
“Having been in development with Jason Blum at Blumhouse, along with attaching Jamie Foxx on a potential SPAWN movie franchise, other opportunities both in film and television came forward which led to this expansion in entertainment,” McFarlane stated in the press release. “Films, television, and video games are all areas I intend to spend my creative energy on a steady basis.”
McFarlane and McFarlane Films’ President of Television, Sean Canino, have partnered with several creators to cultivate content, and plan to foster emerging talent through the new outlet. According to the press release, these remarkable artists include Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, Night at the Museum), Sean Lewis (Coyotes), production collective, ShadowMachine (Bojack Horseman, Pinocchio), and Anders Weidemann (Beartown, Interrogation).
The first series, a testament to McFarlane’s range as a creator, is the animated and aptly-titled, McFarlane. The press release describes the stop-motion project as a mix of Night at the Museum and Toy Story meets Twin Peaks. Lennon and ShadowMachine will join McFarlane and Canino as executive producers.
“It is a good bet that when you combine the forces of Todd McFarlane and Tom Lennon, good things will happen…and that those things will most likely happen in stop-motion animation. We’re thrilled to be a part of the fun!,” Alex Bulkley of ShadowMachine said via the press release.
The second project is an adaptation of the graphic novel, Thumbs, written by Lewis. In collaboration with wiip and Epicenter (1BR, Judas and the Black Messiah), Thumbs follows the tale of a young teen gamer named Charlie “Thumbs” James. Existing on the lower tiers of the social ladder, he thinks he has found solace by entering an esports tournament with a chance to attend the elite gamer academy owned by tech genius, Adrien Camus. But Thumbs’ ticket to paradise is thwarted as he is pitted on the frontlines against a rising tide of anti-tech, neo-fascists seeking to take control of the United States. The project will be adapted for television by Weidmann with Lewis attached to produce. Epicenter’s Allard Cantor and Jarrod Murray will also executive produce.
“The storyteller, father, and gamer within me all fell quickly and madly in love with Sean Lewis’ and Hayden Sherman’s graphic novel THUMBS, a vividly imaginative, fun-packed and disturbing ride into the not-too-distant future,” Weidmann said in the press release. “It’s a heart-pumping tale about gaming, the metaverse, and the entire fate of human existence. Simply put, it’s one of those stories I’d wish I was able to watch with my 12-year-old son. Hey wait: I will.”
Prior to this announcement, a TV series in development was announced last June, according to the press release. Through his first-look TV deal with Mare of Easttown’s production studio, wiip, McFarlane will deliver Sam and Twitch, a new drama series centered on the detectives from the Spawn universe. Set in a desolate, near-future New York City, Sam Burke and Max “Twitch” Williams will confront new evils on their police beat. Jason Smilovic (Condor, Kidnapped) and Todd Katzberg (The Crowded Room) will serve as executive producers.
“The rare combination of artistic genius and trailblazing entrepreneurship that defines Todd’s career over the last thirty years is a true marvel,” wiip’s Mark Roybal said via the press release. “He is a world-class, award-winning storyteller, a mogul in multiple industries, and above all, a devoted family man. wiip’s strategic partnership in television with McFarlane Films, led by Sean Canino, allows us to tap into a pipeline of global IP and collaborate with emerging voices in the comic book world which will bring audiences into new universes infused with Todd’s wonderfully twisted vision of the world.”
McFarlane’s one-man empire has established some of nerd culture’s most popular characters and franchises. With the inception of the comic alone, Spawn has touched film, video games, movies, television, and a coveted spot within the Guinness Book of World Records as “the longest-running creator-owned comic book series,” according to the press release. McFarlane also serves as President of Image Comics and runs McFarlane’s Toys, a top-five manufacturer of figurines for several global IPs.
“I’ve spent decades succeeding in other business fields, going up against some of the biggest names in those industries (Marvel, DC Comics, Hasbro, and Mattel toys) and have been able to bring to market many successful products and ideas those larger companies were not able to give to consumers. I now intend to take those same creative and business practices into Hollywood full-time,” McFarlane stated according to the press release.