Spawn is the New Line Cinema's 1997 live-action adaptation of the comic book series of the same name created by Todd McFarlane.
Michael Jai White stars as Al Simmons, a military operative targeted by his own boss Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen) for assassination. Simmons is sent to hell where bargains with the devil for a second chance on earth to return to his wife. However, he returns as a monstrously disfigured warrior with newfound powers. Reborn as Spawn, Simmons goes after Wynn, the assassin who killed him Priest (Melinda Clarke) and finds himself at odds with another demonic figure, the Violator (John Leguizamo).
Directed by Mark Dippe from a script by Alan McElroy, the film is fairly faithful to the comics while operating on a low budget. Spawn did middling box office and was disliked by the critics. The movie did not inspire any direct sequels, though an edgy animated series was developed for HBO. McFarlane has talked about a reboot for decades.
