Describe your grand vision of the sequel

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The Shadow Sequel Poll

Describe your grand vision of the sequel

Want to add your own opinion? Email me! Don't forget to read the rules, though.

Don's Vision

I know this poll was about a Shadow sequel, but if I were a big Hollywood producer, I would want to start over from scratch. It's not that I HATED the 94 movie, but I have a different vision...

First of all, instead of being a blend of radio, comic, and pulp Shadows, my version would stick to the pulps. These days, everyone likes a dark and gritty drama, and the pulps could fuel this.

The script would have two layers:
1.) The first layer would be The Shadow and his agents versus a crime ring or mastermind of crime who use some kind of brilliant invention to commit various crime sprees (maybe an elaboration of the pulp story "The Black Hush"?). I love Shiwan Khan, but for the first movie in a possible new franchise I would want the "bad guys" to be more normal and two-faced (like the earlier issues). I think this makes for more realistic and sinister villains.

2.) The second story layer would concern Harry Vincent's induction into the agents. It messes with original continuity a little by having other agents (who came later) established as existing agents, but I think it works good like this. Harry has always been a great "proxy hero" that we put ourselves into, and he would serve this function in my movie. The Shadow would still save Harry from suicide, and Harry would still pledge himself to The Shadow's service; but he would have an internal struggle when confronted with some of The Shadow's methods. Margo Lane, already a dedicated member, could help show Harry the light and teach him The Shadow's nobility and purpose for his agents. An implied romantic attraction could show between the two, but not be a full blown romance yet (like George Clooney and Nicole Kidman in "The Peacemaker"... they were too busy saving the world to act on their feelings until the movie's end). At the end, Harry's aliegance to The Shadow would be solidified, and the character's emotional arc would have been completed.

The director: Ridley Scott ("Blade Runner", "Alien", "Blackhawk Down"). He packs so much detail on the screen, no matter the setting, that it's very convincing and real-feeling.

The action scenes: Not overblown or gratuitous, but the gunfights in the movie would have to be INTENSE. Someone like Hong Kong action movie choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "The Matrix") could handle the task. Every combattant wouldn't be amazing, just The Shadow: imagine a building full of pistol-packing crooks going up against a man that moves too fast to be hit. Not superhuman, just... something special. And with the flowing cloak, he could look like he was described once in the comics: "like ink flowing across glass". Smooth, fast, and deadly. And none of that overused "bullet time" stuff. It's cool for "The Matrix" but not The Shadow.

The cast: I have odd choices for this, and haven't "cast" all the characters in my head yet. You'll see...

The Villain: Guy Pearce ("Momento", "The Count of Monte Cristo") - Very suave. Attractive and unassuming... a perfect two-faced master of crime.
Rutledge Mann: John Goodman (TV's "Roseanne", "The Big Lebowski") - He's generally thought of as a comedic actor, but watch his performance on "Roseanne": he's kind and jovial one moment, completely serious and stern the next. Mann is also a big man, kind and friendly, but also dedicated to The Shadow and serious about his work. He could be the first agent that Harry meets (like Claude Fellows in the first pulp), and perhaps his dual nature could disturb Harry a little.
Margo Lane: Lara Flynn Boyle (TV's "The Practice", "Men In Black II") - She's attractive and has sex appeal, but retains a harder, gritty edge that Margo should've had. To be honest, I've never really liked Margo in the pulps, but I think Boyle could portray her in a more intelligent light. I'm sorry Margo fans... I guess I just liked Myra Reldon better.
Harry Vincent: Alec Baldwin ("The Hunt For Red October", and, uh... "The Shadow") - I know, I know... "But he's The Shadow". I'm sorry, but ever since I saw "Red October" years ago, I thought Balwin would make a great Harry. It's just the way I see it... sorry again.

And finally...

The Shadow / Lamont Cranston: Jeremy Irons ("Dead Ringers", "Kafka", "Lolita")- I know he's getting kind of old, but a few years ago he would have made a great Shadow (and at one point, he was attached to the role, as was John Travolta and Al Pacino!). He can be a very suave, upper-crust kind of guy, but with a lowering of his eyebrows and his voice he's one scary and intense guy. He has a great voice for both The Shadow and Lamont (intimidating spectre and bored rich-guy), and even looks the part too. MY movie Shadow wouldn't wear a fake nose...

So anyway, that's my Shadow movie. I won't go into the merchandise tie-ins, although I would love a good Shadow video-game... but that's a tale for another time.

The Shadow Sequel PollDescribe your grand vision of the sequel

Don's Vision

The Shadow Sequel Poll

Describe your grand vision of the sequel