Kevin Smith announces he’s working on a new movie or TV project about as frequently as most people change their socks. Though he’s taken to directing well-received episodes of The CW’s Arrowverse shows, like The Flash and Supergirl as of late, he’s also broadcast plans for a new Jay and Silent Bob movie, which would help fill the void left by the proposed Clerks III movie and Buckaroo Bonzai television series, two now-defunct projects he was working on before the start of 2017.
The television remake of the ’80s cult classic Buckaroo Banzai would have been a big next step in Smith’s career, as he was involved in developing the show from the ground up before some legal wrangling stopped the project in its tracks. Smith left soon after, saying he didn’t sign up for dealing with a potentially expensive and protracted lawsuit. Although the series didn’t come to fruition, it seemed to signal a shift for Smith, one that would see him invest more of his creative energies in television beyond working as a director for hire.
Never one to let a slight speed bump get in the way of new endeavors, Smith is now reportedly set to work on bringing another comic book property to life on the small screen with an adaptation of Sam and Twitch for BBC America. As reported by Deadline, Smith will write, produce, and direct the series, though no potential airdate has been announced at this time.
Sam and Twitch follows a pair of NYPD homicide detectives, Sam Burke and Maximilian ‘Twitch’ Williams, who were spun off from the long-running Spawn comic book created by Todd McFarlane. After making routine appearances in the Image Comics series, the two proved popular enough to launch a book dedicated to their non-Spawn-related adventures. The tales were distinguished by their dark, gritty tone, which will apparently find its way to the upcoming TV series, but with a small caveat.
As reported by Deadline, BBC America president and general manager Sarah Barnett offered up a few details about the style and tone of the series while making the news public. According to Barnett, Sam and Twitch will be a weekly procedural “in a very modern, contemporary way” that will see the titular detectives investigate “super [grisly] crimes that are connected to the occult.” Barnett also commented that the plan for the project is to leaven some of the darker elements with plenty of “gallows humor,” which will no doubt be delivered through the sort of rapid-fire dialogue Smith is known for writing.
At the moment the project is in the early stages, but hopefully Sam and Twitch will find its way to air, if for no other reason than to give Smith a break from having to announce what he has lined up next.
Kevin Smith Developing Spawn Spinoff Series Sam & Twitch
