Sam Raimi Producing, Possibly Directing, 'The Shadow'

According to IGN Movies, Sam Raimi may be moving on from the Spider-Man franchise to direct another superhero's film adaptation. IESB.net has a script review up for The Shadow, and talk is that Sam Raimi is so enthusiastic about it that he wants to move from the producer position into director's chair.

The Shadow is based on the super hero of the same name, a vigilante with psychic powers who has his origins in radio dramas during the 1930s. The character has been adapted for the screen before, with Alec Baldwin playing the telepath in the 1994 adaptation, also starring Penelope Ann Miller as his companion, Margo Lane.

The character was a great influence on super heroes of the time, including Batman, and later also influenced Alan Moore in his creation of V in the graphic novel (and the subsequent film) V for Vendetta. It's notable that both Alan Moore and The Shadow's creator, Walter B. Gibson, are professional magicians with extensive knowledge of the occult.

Raimi had apparently pursued the idea of adapting the character for film years ago, but ultimately it didn't pan out. The character influenced his film Dark Man, but it now seems as though Raimi may finally have his chance to revisit his dream.