36 Years On, Sam Raimi’s First Superhero Movie is Finally Getting a Remake

Sam Raimi has some good news about a remake of his first superhero movie. Raimi is best known in the superhero movie world for his work on Marvel movies, as he directed three Spider-Man films and the MCU release, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, after his breakout movies in the Evil Dead franchise, he tried to get the rights to make a superhero movie for Marvel or DC, and when that didn’t happen, Raimi decided to just make his own original superhero and made a movie about them. Darkman has since become a cult classic, and now it might finally be getting a remake.

In an exclusive interview with ComicBook concerning his new movie, Send Help, Sam Raimi revealed some news about Darkman. It seems like he is trying to get a remake of his classic superhero movie made. “I’ve been trying to get a Darkman remake made, but I don’t think the people in the studio even remember it,” Raimi admitted.

This wasn’t the first time that Raimi had spoken about a Darkman remake. He also mentioned the plans to Movieweb. “Ghost House Pictures, the company I work with, is trying to make it right now,” Raimi said. “We have a script and two great directors, but we still have some difficulties with the financing. It always happens the same in the movie business.”

As for those “two great directors,” Dread Central reveals that they are Brian Netto and Adam Schindler. They directed the movie Don’t Move, a Netflix thriller from 2024. Sam Raimi was a producer on that film. “If we’re talking Sam-related, it’s Darkman,” Schindler said. “We talked about Darkman [with him]. We’ve got a love and an affinity for Darkman.”

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What Could a Darkman Reboot Look Like?

There have already been two Darkman sequels, but neither is really worth noting because neither sequel included Sam Raimi or star Liam Neeson. Released in 1990, Darkman stars Liam Neeson as Dr. Peyton Westlake, a scientist working on a synthetic skin that could help burn victims. However, when a local crime boss sends thugs to find a document that Peyton’s girlfriend might have had in her possession, they destroy his lab and leave him for dead.

This was his origin story, as he ended up burned and severely disfigured. Luckily, he had his synthetic skin (which had the downfall of breaking down in the light) and used it to set out to bring down the crime boss who destroyed his life. Critics praised the film, and it was a minor box office success. However, when The Return of Durant and Die Darkman Die were released as sequels, they went straight to video and were a disappointment compared to the original film.

Sam Raimi, who had nothing to do with either sequel (not even as a producer), now wants to remake Darkman with new directors and for a new generation. There have been several comic books released with the character that were miles better than the sequels, so there is a little more familiarity there with fans. However, with today’s advancements in makeup and effects, there is a chance that Darkman could be a huge success, especially if the story keeps the tongue-in-cheek dark humor that Raimi brought to his original film.

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