The Best Sam Raimi Movie Never Made Led To His Most Underrated Gem

Welcome to The Best Movies Never Made, a weekly look at the most fascinating, strange, and tantalizing films that came within striking distance of reality, but never actually made it in front of cameras — and maybe should have.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows. Who knows how to make a great "Shadow" movie? Sam Raimi probably does, but it's unlikely that we'll ever see it — even though it's always been one of his dream projects. Still, that dream dying ultimately led to the creation of "Darkman," so things could be worse, right?

But before we get to all of that, who is The Shadow? Created by Walter B. Gibson in 1930, The Shadow is a fedora-wearing, crime-fighting vigilante who rose to fame in pulp magazines and radio dramas. He's basically the original Batman; both heroes are wealthy bachelors and with secret identities who take on all manner of threats. In fact, the "Batman" comics have been accused of ripping off "The Shadow," and there is some weight to the argument.

With that said, Batman now eclipses his predecessor in terms of mainstream exposure. The Shadow continues to grace pop culture — usually by appearing in comic books — but his on-screen adventures are few and far between. Batman, meanwhile, gets a new live-action movie every few years, and they usually do big numbers at the box office.

Still, if there is one filmmaker who knows how to rejuvenate long-tenured heroes on the big screen, it's Sam Raimi. He has also wanted to make a "Shadow" movie for decades, only for the project to fall apart. That's a shame, as Raimi is the perfect filmmaker for a movie about Gibson's pulp vigilante. So, why did Raimi's attempts never come to fruition, and what might his "Shadow" movie have looked like if the stars had aligned?

Sam Raimi is a lifelong fan of "The Shadow," and he first pitched his idea for a movie back in the '80s. However, it was rejected because the big wigs at Universal Studios didn't like his ideas, and Robert Zemeckis was already attached to direct a "Shadow" project at the time.

Of course, it's worth bearing in mind that Raimi wasn't an established director in the '80s — at least not for a project of this magnitude. He'd found some cult success with the "Evil Dead," but that film attracted controversy for being a violent, unhinged video nasty that scared censors. Then came 1985's "Crimewave," an experimental, slapstick, hitman noir that flopped and almost destroyed Raimi's career.

Raimi made some weird movies in the '80s, and Universal giving him "The Shadow" would have been akin to Peter Jackson making "The Lord of the Rings" right after "Bad Taste," "Meet the Feebles," or "Braindead." Still, the success of 1987's "Evil Dead 2" saw Raimi's stock Hollywood stock rise, and he was entrusted with an original superhero project about a character who is very reminiscent of "The Shadow."

Sam Raimi has yet to share his specific ideas for "The Shadow" film he pitched in the '80s. However, it isn't a stretch to imagine it being like "Darkman," a noir-flavored, action-horror movie that Universal Studios actually greenlit. 

Released in 1990, "Darkman" is an ahead-of-its-time superhero movie that marked Raimi's first proper mainstream project. That said, the horror, violence, slapstick, and manic energy that defines Raimi's earlier features remains intact. This is especially apparent in the scene where Darkman, aka Dr. Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson), maniacally dances like a clown in a way that's reminiscent of Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) losing his mind in "Evil Dead II."

Westlake is a mentally unstable scientist-turned-vigilante who uses synthetic skin to disguise himself as other people while hunting down the gangsters who dunked his face in acid. Raimi's film chronicles his descent into madness in humorous, unsettling, and tragic ways, and the subsequent mayhem is glorious.

"Darkman" was created by Raimi as a direct response to not getting to make "The Shadow," and it's very evident. Neeson's eponymous hero is essentially the Shadow with a monstrous twist. They are both menacing masters of disguise who torment and kill bad guys. There's no doubt that Raimi would have brought out the Shadow's own unhinged potential, as the fedora-wearing vigilante can be pretty sinister toward those who deserve it. After all, his whole shtick is malevolently laughing at the baddies before striking.

Despite being set in the present-day, the "Darkman" universe feels like a hodgepodge of '30s gangster movies, Universal Monster flicks, and pulpy comics. We should all be grateful that a movie like "Darkman" exists. Still, watching it might make you yearn to see The Shadow stalking these streets, delivering Raimi's brand of hard justice.

Remember that Robert Zemeckis "Shadow" movie we discussed earlier? It never happened, but the character was brought to the screen by director Russell Mulcahy and screenwriter David Koepp in 1994. To their credit, "The Shadow" is an awesome adaptation that captures the action-packed noir stylings of the original stories. Unfortunately, the Alec Baldwin-led superhero movie was a box office flop, but that didn't deter Raimi from trying to make his movie years later.

Raimi made another play to direct "The Shadow" in 2010 – years after establishing himself as a director of successful superhero properties through the "Spider-Man" trilogy. The script making the rounds at the time was penned by Siavash Farahanl, and the leaked details teased a very dark superhero flick. The villain was called Mr. Remorse, and he was described as wearing a gas mask in the shape of a skull. The criminal is introduced with a scene where his German shepherds attack a priest, so he probably wouldn't have been the religious type.

Details about the overall plot remain unclear, but the inclusion of Mr. Remorse suggests that the unmade film was inspired by Theodore Tinsley's "Prince of Evil" storyline. Remorse (real name Benedict Stark) is notable for figuring out the Shadow's real identity and kidnapping his allies, making him one of the hero's most formidable adversaries ever.

Ultimately, Raimi's project didn't get made for whatever reason. Maybe it was just too dark for a superhero movie climate dominated by the family-friendly Marvel Cinematic Universe at the time? Perhaps Hollywood wasn't willing to take a risk on a character who'd failed at the box office before? Regardless of the reason, it hopefully isn't too late to resurrect "The Shadow."

Sam Raimi was a relatively unproven filmmaker when he first tried to make "The Shadow." Sure, he found some cult success with the early "Evil Dead" movies, but those were made on shoestring budgets. These days, though, Raimi has more than proven himself as a blockbuster movie director. As such, he has a lot more weight to throw behind a project like "The Shadow." As Raimi told Den of Geek in 2013:

"One day I'd love to. I don't know if I'll ever get the chance but the character's so dynamic. Maxwell Grant I think was the creator and I read a few of his books, or I guess they'd be pulp magazines, but I read the reprinted books. And he's such a great writer, it's such a great character."

Unfortunately, luck hasn't been on the side of pulp adaptations in the 21st century. Frank Miller's "The Spirit" was a critical and commercial bomb, while Dwayne Johnson and Shane Black's "Doc Savage" movie has been stuck in development hell forever. Every once in a while, Hollywood flirts with the idea of bringing back these blasts from the past, but it's rare that they materialize.

The Shadow hasn't been a box office draw in the past, but another pulp hero who flopped at the box office in the '90s is potentially returning to screens soon. The upcoming TV remake of "The Phantom" is a step in the right direction for Hollywood embracing the pulps again, but we shouldn't get our hopes up for seeing Raimi's "Shadow" movie any time soon. 40-plus years is a long time to wait, after all.