Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
Sam Raimi knows.
Sam Raimi is widely known today for the adventures of
Spider-Man, but before his web-slinging days Raimi was the maestro behind the
Evil Dead franchise and actually attempted to bring
The Shadow to life. Raimi has said, “
I've been a passionate Shadow fan ever since I was a kid and have long dreamed of bringing this character to the screen.”
After the success of
Evil Dead 2, starring his longtime friend,
Bruce Campbell, Raimi tried to secure the rights to The Shadow, but was unsuccessful. Instead, he came up with the Shadow-inspired character portrayed by
Liam Neeson in the financially successful 1990 film
Darkman.
Created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931, The Shadow was the prototype for many of today’s popular costumed heroes. The Shadow, possessing the power to “cloud men’s minds,” fought crime from the shadows dressed in a red-lined cape, floppy cap and scarf. The Shadow has been featured in comic books, graphic novels, a radio serial and several feature films. The most recent adaptation, the lamentable 1994
The Shadow, starring Alec Baldwin, was a critically-panned box office disaster.
With the rights to The Shadow firmly in his grasp and Spider-Man 4 up in the air, will Raimi finally have time for The Shadow? Raimi was recently quoted as saying, "
I don't have any news on 'The Shadow' at this time, except that the company that I have with Josh Donen, my producing partner, we've got the rights to 'The Shadow.' I love the character very much and we're trying to work on a story that'll do justice to the character."