How Many Shadows? Producer Michael Uslan Suggests There Might Be A Bunch

By Brendon Connelly/Jan. 21, 2009 1:29 pm EST

It's been sometime since we heard anything about the new The Shadow film. Way back in December 2006, Sam Raimi and Michael Uslan came onboard as producers and Siavash Farahani was appointed to write the screenplay. It was said that several other Street and Smith properties were being optioned, almost as part of a set – these would include Doc Savage and The Avenger, possibly even The Whisperer and The Skipper, and it was sometimes suggested that characters from each would all appear in a single movie.

At the time, I pictured something between Sin City and Dick Tracy. And then... radio silence. Now, producer Michael Uslan has spoken to MTV about progress on the film and how he sees it shaping up and one of his comments has me making my ? face.

""I think the one thing going in is we all see The Shadow as more of a force of nature than a specific person in a secret identity. The Shadow may actually be many people."

A force of Shadows (though not like the Vashta Nerada, I'm sure) all up to their shadowy business. Will the catchphrase have to change to "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! The Shadows know"?

Though Uslan was partly responsible for Frank Miller's The Spirit, he did once write The Shadow comics so I trust he knows and loves the character and I'd trust Raimi with anything like this. But will we ever see the film? Really?

"It's coming along great, we're very excited about it," says Uslan, "You know, it takes time to nurture these things. You probably know all the stories. The first Batman film took me 10 years to get made."

Well, not really. The Batman that got made wasn't anything like the one they were planning even a couple of years earlier – not the same director, writer, cast or anything like that. I know we'll see another Shadow one day, but I'm not conviced it will be anytime soon – The Spirit can't have helped – and I'm not so sure that Uslan, Raimi or Farahani will be anything to do with it. Shame.