In the 90's the big comic book action movie stars were Batman, The Rocketeer, The Phantom and The Shadow. Each of them have been brought back to the big or little screen since then except one notable exception. Where are the new adventures of Lamont Cranston's alter ego? It's high time we had a new live action version of The Shadow. Perhaps a period piece streaming series would be the way to go?
I have zero confidence in streaming. I prefer the silver screen for another attempt at a live-action Shadow. But, of course, due to his age (and other factors), Alec Baldwin is highly unlikely to reprise the title role! My top three preferences as alternatives: Brad Pitt, Ryan Reynolds, or Mark Wahlberg.
ReplyDeleteRe: this morning's cover? I'd say the answer to the titular question is the possible theft of a ruby girasol ring that once belonged to Lamont Cranston's dearest friend...Margo Lane.
What were the other versions of the Rocketeer & the Phantom ?
ReplyDeleteAnimated
ReplyDeleteAnon 6:02 got it: Catwoman must have swiped the Shadow's ring. How she accomplished that deserves a prequel.
ReplyDeleteI went to look up who owns the right to The Shadow, and it's in the hands of the publisher Condé Nast, who's tended to keep the character close. However, he's headed for the Public Domain any year now, so who knows?
ReplyDeleteAs for who to play him, I'd go with Adam Driver, if he can do a decent American accent.
It's going to be hard to come up with a Shadow story that seems fresh and isn't JUST a period piece. Everyday technology has caught up with or surpassed most all of his gimmicks, the plots of most of the books/radio shows wouldn't pass muster
ReplyDeleteon a current quirky crime-fighter adventure-of-the-week TV show today, and his brand of mysticism (evil Asian) would now be mostly considered racist.
It's a problem that most of the pulp era has, that what was considered futuristic or exotic then is now "so what" at best or "just plain silly" at worst. And the tropes created by the pulp era stars have all been refined by later work. Who needs The Shadow when you have The Batman. (Or Punisher, even).
Have The Shadow done in the style of the Dr. Strange movies?
ReplyDeleteIn 1943, Columbia Pictures released the 15-episode serial The Phantom starring Tom Tyler as "The Phantom" and Jeanne Bates as "Diana Palmer". DC Comics published a Phantom comic book from 1988 to 1990.
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h-Jr3DOM5uc
Maybe have the Shadow do some real magic for full invisibility and mind reading.
Strong cover.
@Tobor: the ability to "cloud men's minds" was a feature he was endowed with by the radio show's writers (back when the title character was voiced by Orson Wells, himself). Everything else the Shadow could do was based on tricks-of-the-trade as practiced by stage magicians (such as author/creator Walter Gibson had experience at being)...Carycomic.
ReplyDelete@Cary, Darn those radio writers!! Always screwing around with the written word to make something more dramatic.!! At least that's what that Clark Kent fella told me.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Clark Kent; everyone knows that Doc Savage was born Clark Savage, Junior. But, most people are understandably unaware that, in the pulp magazines, Lamont Cranston was a globe-trotting millionaire impersonated by the Shadow (whose real name was Kent Allard)---Carycomic
ReplyDelete@Cary: I'd love to see a film (or TV) version of the Shadow where he uses both the Cranston and Allard identities.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'd love to see a silver screen team-up of Doc and the Shadow! Just to see how many movie-goers would get the reference when the two pulp-magazine legends walked up to, and greeted, each other by saying...
ReplyDelete"Clark."
"Kent."
GROAN!!!
ReplyDeleteI can just see these two: "What we do may be celebrated and respected, but in the long haul it doesn't matter so much. What matters is whether what we do inspires others. I have no doubt that we will -- and the heroes we inspire will be the world's finest.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Bob! :-)
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