Darkman: Sam Raimi Says Universal Is Developing Legacy Sequel

As Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was gearing up for a release fans of filmmaker Sam Raimi began celebrating his return to filmmaking. It’s been nine years since the fan-favorite directed a movie and the love for his work was felt throughout the internet, in particular early hits like Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, and his original superhero movie, Darkman. Though a modest hit at the time of its release, Raimi never returned for the follow-ups (which went direct-to-video at the time) and pursued other projects. Now in a new interview the director reveals that Universal Studios is developing a legacy-sequel to Darkman and he’s all ears.

“Yes. Universal is talking about a Darkman sequel,” Raimi told The Wrap. “There’s a producer attached, I haven’t heard the story yet or gone into it, I’ve been so busy with this movie. But I think it’s cool.” Raimi further confirmed that while they were “probably thinking” about sequels at the time of the first movie, he doens’t have any ideas in a drawer that he’s eager to unearth for a sequel. The key factor in a follow-up will naturally be star Liam Neeson though with Raimi himself saying: “I don’t know if he’d do it, but he’d be incredible.”

Funny enough, ComicBook.com spoke to Neeson earlier this year and asked him if he would be interested in returning should the opportunity arose, and he seemed just as eager, telling us:  “That’s a good question. I would be very interested in reading the script. Very.” 

For those completely unaware what Darkman even is, the film came together in the early 1990s when Sam Raimi was being courted by studios for actual major work. Though he missed out on directing Batman and The Shadow, the director created his own superhero character, Darkman. Liam Neeson stars as the title hero, a brilliant surgeon whose synthetic skin invention comes in handy after a mob encounter leaves him hideously scarred and equally as deranged. It’s wild, wacky, deeply romantic, and succinctly puts together its own world and rules with efficiency and skill. 

Produced on a $14 million budget the film would gross just over $48 million at the global box office, but it still permeated outside of the film. Comics, novels, action figures, and even a video game were created to tie-in to the film which eventually earned two direct-to-video sequels, which saw actor Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy) take on the title role).