Todd McFarlane is getting into the movie and TV business in a big way. The Image Comics founder has announced the formation of McFarlane Films. As reported by Deadline, McFarlane and his new company have partnered with wiip (Mare of Easttown). Wiip has a first-look TV deal with McFarlane’s new production company.
McFarlane Films previously announced a live-action Sam and Twitch TV show. It will be spun out of the Spawn universe based on the characters of the same name. Two new projects were revealed along with the announcement of the company. First up is McFarland, a stop-motion, animated event series that was co-created by Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, Night at the Museum). It is described as “Night at the Museum meets Toy Story in Twin Peaks.” The series will feature original McFarlane Toys, with McFarlane and Lennon on board to executive produce. McFarlane had this to say.
“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.”
Also on deck for McFalane Films is Thumbs. This is a live-action drama based on the graphic novel of the same name by Sean Lewis and Hayden Sherman. Anders Weidemann (Interrogation) will pen the screenplay.
The logline for Thumbs reads as follows.
[Thumbs] follows 17-year-old Charlie “Thumbs” James, gamer and social outsider, who enters an esports tournament hoping to win a scholarship from tech billionaire Adrien Camus’ gamer academy so he can get his ticket out of his neighborhood. But soon he finds himself fighting real life-and-death battles in a covert war between Camus’ teenage army and a neo-fascist anti-tech movement that is about to take over the U.S.
Wiip’s Mark Roybal had this to say.
“The rare combination of artistic genius and trailblazing entrepreneurship that defines Todd’s career over the last 30 years is a true marvel. 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.”
Meanwhile, McFarlane Films is also focused on movies. Aside from the long-awaited Spawn reboot, several other projects could be on the way. Much of this has to do with the recent expansion of the Spawn Universe at Image Comics. These characters could be valuable to the right studio wanting to get in on the comic book adaptation game.
Thumbs and McFarland do not yet have release dates.
So what do you think? Are you into the idea of McFarlane branching into TV? What Image Comics titles would you like to see adapted? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
