Sam Raimi teases new 'Darkman' movie could finally be on the way, 30 years after original film

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens this week, and it's a big event, but not just because of its ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, it's the first Doctor Strange solo adventure since 2016 and a follow-up to both Spider-Man: No Way Home and WandaVision, but it's also the first feature film from legendary director Sam Raimi in almost a decade. That means Raimi fans everywhere are excited not just to look ahead at his latest work, but to look back at his entire filmography. 

But the fans aren't the only ones doing the looking back. Over the course of the Multiverse of Madness press tour, Raimi has discussed everything from his work on the Spider-Man trilogy in the early 2000s to his creation of Darkman, the pulpy, horror-laced vigilante film inspired by Raimi's love of The Shadow and Universal monster movies. It's been more than 30 years since the film arrived, and it remains a cult classic among Raimi fans. Now, it might finally be getting a major follow-up. 

Speaking to The Wrap this week, Raimi confirmed that there are talks underway about a sequel to Darkman, and it's gotten at least somewhat serious. 

"Yes. Universal is talking about a Darkman sequel. There’s a producer attached,” Raimi said. “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.”

The original Darkman film, Raimi's first studio effort, followed Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson), a scientist who was badly burned by a mobster after he stumbled upon a plot by a corrupt politician. Westlake's attempt to cure himself through experimentation eventually drove him mad, leading him to become the almost mummy-wrapped vigilante known as Darkman. Two direct-to-video sequels to the film, starring Arnold Vosloo as Westlake, arrived in 1995 and 1996, and quite a bit of tie-in material was generated, but Raimi never got to transform Darkman into a full-on franchise. 

Now, that might change with the introduction of a legacy sequel into the mix. It's something certain Darkman fans — including high-profile ones like Werewolves Within director Josh Ruben — have been hoping to see for quite some time, and now Raimi has confirmed that it's possible. Sadly, Raimi has no more details about the project at the moment, but he is intrigued by the idea of Liam Neeson himself returning to play Peyton Westlake.

“I don’t know if he’d do it,” Raimi said. “But he’d be incredible.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theaters now. 

In the meantime, other upcoming horror films include Firestarter in theaters and streaming on Peacock on May 13, The Black Phone in theaters on June 24 and Jordan Peele's NOPE in theaters July 22.