The Shadow returns!

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? THE SHADOW KNOWS!

The Shadow is coming back to the big screen...and it's about time. I have been waiting for a decent feature film version of The Shadow ever since...well...the end credits started rolling on the 1994 adaptation starring Alec Baldwin in the title role.

And there is a two-word reason why the new Shadow movie will kick ass: Sam Raimi.

Columbia Pictures has acquired the rights to The Shadow and Raimi has signed on to produce the film. Raimi is a big fan of The Shadow and reportedly sought the opportunity to make a movie based on the 1930s-era character when what became the 1994 production was getting off the ground in the late 1980s. In fact, Raimi also tried to get involved with the late 80s big screen version of "Batman." When Raimi missed out on a chance to work on both projects, he made the excellent "Darkman" movie, which came out in 1990 and was heavily influenced by The Shadow and the Batman, who was originally inspired by The Shadow.

The Hollywood Reporter adds that Siavash Farahani has been hired by Columbia to write the screenplay for the new Shadow film.

I'm not going to get into the complicated nature of The Shadow here, but this Wikipedia entry should do the trick if you're interested in reading about it. But it is this complicated nature that makes The Shadow my all-time favorite comic book-type character.

Actually, IGN is reporting that Raimi is hoping to produce either a series of movies or one movie that would unite The Shadow with other Street & Smith pulp heroes, including The Avenger and Doc Savage. However, Raimi has only talked about producing a new movie based on The Shadow at this time.

Here are more stories related to the new Shadow movie...

Columbia & Raimi Team on The Shadow
The Shadow Strikes Back
Exclusive: Sam Raimi's Pulp Fiction

"The weed of crime bears bitter fruit...crime does not pay...THE SHADOW KNOWS!"

UPDATED 12/13/06 (12:40 p.m. ET)
In a related story, actor Peter Boyle, who played Shadow agent/driver Moe "Shrevvy" Shrevnitz in the 1994 version of "The Shadow," died last night at 71. Boyle is best known for portraying the tap-dancing monster in Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" and the father in "Everybody Loves Raymond."