Sam Raimi is inarguably one of the most important filmmakers in the history of superhero cinema. After making the excellent Darkman in 1990, he helped usher in a whole new era for the genre during the '00s when he directed the first Spider-Man trilogy, and in less than a couple months he is preparing to shatter our minds with the release of the extradimensional Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. At this point, the man deserves to have the keys to the city as far as making a movie about any comic book character he wishes – which is why it's so spectacularly enticing to learn that if given the opportunity to make a Batman movie, he wouldn't turn it down.
A brand new cinematic era for the Caped Crusader just began earlier this month, and all signs point to the canon becoming a growing phenomenon in pop culture – but that's not stopping Sam Raimi from putting out into the universe his desire to a film of his own about the Dark Knight. In a recent interview with Empire, the filmmaker spoke to other heroes he'd like to bring to the big screen after his adventure with Doctor Strange, and Gotham's protector was evidently the first name that popped to his mind. Said Raimi,
I’ve always loved Batman. If I ever saw the Batsignal up in the air, I’d come running.
What makes this idea so fascinating is Sam Raimi's gifted knack for making movies that can succeed at being grim and goofy simultaneously. Both of those tones have been explored via popular iterations of Batman that we've seen in the character's 82-year history, but generally speaking, projects choose one route or the other when telling a story with him as the protagonist. Raimi could be the filmmaker who successfully blends the two together and creates a version of the hero unlike any we have ever seen before.
Of course, there is that alluded-to issue above that could prevent this dream from ever becoming a reality. Matt Reeves' The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the latest live-action version of the titular character, is a certified box office hit, and both the filmmaker and the star have talked about an extended future. Warner Bros. has not yet officially announced plans for a sequel, but the news is inevitable, and Reeves deserves a nice long runway to explore his version of Gotham City given what he accomplished with his first crack with the material.
Hopefully Sam Raimi will still have the same attitude about making a Batman movie circa 2030.
In the meantime, the good news is that the Evil Dead filmmaker is not narrowing his focus, as there are other costumed vigilantes he'd be keen to bring to the big screen – including characters he's already had the chance to bring to life:
If I heard that deep, gurgling laugh of The Shadow coming from the darkness, I would also tentatively step outside. And Spider-Man would be ahead of Doctor Strange, but I don’t want to put him down the list!
The world of Marvel fans is proverbially biting its nails in anticipation of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, and the blockbuster now feels ever-so close. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, and more, the film will be out in theaters on May 6, and you can keep track of everything from the Marvel Cinematic Universe coming to the big screen with our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide.
