When relationships turns sour in Hollywood, they really turn sour.
Sony and Sam Raimi parted ways over Spider-Man (see our breakdown: How to kill a superhero franchise in 20 easy steps) and the studio announced it was just going to go ahead and reboot the whole damn thing.
Well, now, Raimi’s passion project The Shadow looks to be the next Sony casualty. (More at Techland: The 10 best iPhone camera apps)
Variety’s report says that Sony optioned the film rights to the Sam Raimi-produced Shadow reinvention back in 2006, but they have since lapsed and now Raimi’s agents are shopping the project around town. Rumblings suggest perhaps 20th Century Fox as a buyer.
Now is The Shadow the best superhero for the silver screen? Not quite. But it’s sure as hell not the worst, and I’m thinking it’s still a good bet that a properly rebooted and refurbished Shadow could make a compelling yarn. Heck, a compelling franchise.
As many of you surely already know, The Shadow was a radio creation, about a man with psychic powers, which went on to inspire comics, graphic novels, video games and a handful of films. The most recent was 1994’s Alec Baldwin vehicle – which wasn’t quite a four-star affair.
But I for one would love to see Raimi’s spin to the character, and I’m hoping it finds another home quickly.
Just because Sam and Sony don’t love each other any more, that doesn’t mean it’s your fault, Shadow. They still both love you. The good news is that it sounds like you won’t have to deal with joint custody.
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