Keith David is ready to run it back as Spawn if ever he should get the call.
The Rick & Morty actor voiced Todd Mcfarlane’s iconic comic book antihero in the 1997-99 HBO show Spawn: The Animated Series and says he would not hesitate if given the chance to reprise the role in a reboot.
“In a New York heartbeat!,” David said when asked if he would consider a return as Al Simmons and his demonic alter ego (via ComicBook.com). “People love that character. And especially in the animated series. Make sure you tell them that when they start trying to reboot it.”
Spawn: The Animated Series was set to be relaunched in the 2000s with David returning, getting far enough down the road for the star to do some recording, before the series was scrapped. At the time, Spawn creator Mcfarlane said material for the scuttled show might resurface as part of a later reboot, but there are currently no plans for such a project.
Mcfarlane has also been working on a Spawn reboot movie, but those plans seem to be bogged down at the moment, leading to a distinct lack of Spawn content in both the live action and animated media spaces.
Spawn: The Animated Series premiered on HBO in the same year as the original live-action movie, and quickly became a favorite among both fans and critics. The small-screen Spawn indeed outshone the big-screen iteration in the eyes of many, earning kudos from ScreenRant in a 2025 article citing seven instances of animated superhero shows being better than their live-action counterparts.
“The animated series ultimately delivers a better product, with a more complete and rounded-out story, and the incredible talent of Keith David behind the voice of Spawn, the titular hero,” the piece says. “With all of that in place, the animated show is considerably better than the live-action film.”
ScreenRant discussed the enduring appeal of the animated Spawn show in another 2025 article, calling it a groundbreaking creation that proved animation could handle dark, serialized storytelling.“Spawn never played by the rules of superhero television because it wasn’t trying to. That’s why, nearly three decades later, it still feels fresh.” The article goes on, “For fantasy fans who crave their genre with an edge, Spawn is a missing piece of the prestige TV puzzle.”
The Animated Series continues to hold a special place in the hearts of Spawn fans, and clearly still means something to the actor who voiced the lead character, given his stated willingness to get back behind the microphone should a reboot go into production.