Spawn: new Sam and Twitch animated series on the way

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

So this is interesting. THR reports that Spawn creator Todd MacFarlane is not only trying to develop a feature film reboot of the aforementioned character for Blumhouse (which he'll make as his director debut and will star Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Renner), but he is also apparently shopping around a new animated Sam and Twitch, based on the cop side characters in the Spawn comic.

Here's what MacFarlane said about the project:

Could there be a third or fourth big shared universe? Possibly. But is it going to happen fast with one or two individuals? No…It’s going to be a long, multi-creator group that is just going to spread your creative seeds and stand back and hope it grows into a forest.

And here's the character bios for Sam and Twitch:

Sam Burke

Detective Sam Burke is often seen as the brawn of the group. Sam is a large, headstrong man with a penchant for foul language and gruff behavior. Sam is usually the one to take "action" against any type of villain they encounter. Though Sam has often been accused of police brutality, the charges have never stuck. In fact, Sam takes great pride in being one of the few honest cops in a precinct he sees as infested with corruption and scandal. Although his style with criminals is rough, and he comes across as boorish to most others, he's actually quite compassionate, beneath his rough exterior, to those in need. He has a real passion for doing the right thing and seeing justice done, even if he has to resort to not-so-civil means. Sam is very protective of those few he trusts and considers friends, especially his partner Twitch. Twitch's dedication to his work despite the corruption of the Police department is shown to be inspiring to Sam, and he often goes to great lengths to protect Twitch from even their fellow officers, who may mean verbal or physical harm to Sam's highly intelligent, diminutive partner.^[

Despite his down-and-dirty, cynical, and hot-tempered personality, Sam is essentially a good man, with a strong sense of duty and honor. His straightforward ways have often put the detective duo at odds with even their fellow police, but while Twitch is considerably more reasonable than his larger partner, (and often pokes fun at Sam's fiery temperament and statements) he shows a deep trust and respect for him as well. While Twitch often figures out and solves the duo's various cases and predicaments, Sam is unquestionably the drive and conviction which sees the two through.

While not as talented as Twitch in deduction, Sam is skilled in being able to see through people and getting information. Even with a large and fat build, Sam has shown considerable strength, speed and durability in fighting superhuman foes. He's capable of going toe-to-toe in a fistfight against the Udaku, who's powerful enough to rip a man's head off. Sam has also displayed some form of police intuition that warns him of traps and lies, which he jokingly calls a "spider-sense". 

Twitch Williams

Maximilian Steven Percival "Twitch" Williams III is mainly seen as the "brains" of the partnership. He is the one who usually solves or puts the pieces together in the rare crimes the detectives encounter. A brilliant mathematician who excelled at trigonometry, he has used his knowledge of angles to become an excellent marksman. A shooting prodigy, Twitch makes up for his small size with his ability to handle twin pistols with extreme accuracy and efficiency. He claims to have earned the nickname "Twitch," as Sam once said, "because he doesn't, ever!" In reality, "Twitch" was his despised high-school nickname, which Sam learned after intercepting a reunion invitation asking for 'Twitch' Williams. He refers to Sam Burke as "sir", as throughout the years Sam has, time and time again, earned his trust and respect.

Twitch was once married and has several children, but due to his busy schedule with crime cases, his wife eventually divorced him, and denies him custody of his kids. This had a great emotional impact on Twitch, but did not seem to hinder him from his work. He eventually reconciled with his wife and since then does his best to spend as much time with his family as his duty allows. Twitch comes from a family with a proud tradition in law enforcement, his father and siblings all being cops themselves. Despite his reserved and soft-spoken manner, he is extremely passionate and proud of his job, in some ways more so than Sam. It is because of this that, despite his incredible intelligence, the apparent rampant corruption of the Police Department, which he works for, troubles him greatly. In some ways, Twitch is a little more naïve than the street-smart and more realistic Sam, and has had to deal with many harsh truths.

Twitch has battled against many super-human foes such as Overt-Kill, a monstrous, mafia-hired cyborg. Despite Overt-Kill's seemingly bulletproof exterior, Twitch was able to defeat him with a single, well-aimed bullet through Overt-Kill's ear canal.

Obviously this is in the early stages (if it even happens), so no official start or release date as of yet, but we'll keep you updated nonetheless!

This also wouldn't be the first attempt to do an animated Sam and Twitch animated series, with none other than Kevin Smith attempting to develop one back in 2017 (which obviously didn't come to pass). Let's see if this version ever sees the light of day.

So what do you guys think? Fans of Spawn? If so, is this a project you'd be interested in if it were to come to fruition? Either way, sound off below!