In my opinion, one of the things that totally messed up The Shadow film was the character of Shiwan Khan. He was just wrong for the film. The main antagonist should be a non-powered criminal mastermind of some sort, not a reject from Stargate. I just think it would work much better.
shareShiwan Khan was directly from the books. He was hardly a reject from Stargate. That movie came out AFTER The Shadow, and the Stargate series after that.
shareSadi Bel Ada would be cool, but she would be a hard sell as the main villain. Maybe the Fingers.
The-Shadow
Television today is diseased, and the Daleks are the cure.
-Air Chisel
Anyone up for The Voodoo Master? That's one of my all time favorite Shadow pulps. Maybe the movie shouldn't have just one big villain, but should be an adaptation of a pulp story. In that case, my vote goes to "Crime, Insured".
shareShaiwan Khan was in the books, but he did not have all the powers he did in the movie.
He was a criminal mastermind, not an evil sorcerer.
I second the Voodoo Master,one of the great Shadow villians,and if we are talking about a specific novel, I always liked "The Ghost Makers".
I'll Teach You To Laugh At Something's That's Funny
Homer Simpson
Ooo..."The Ghost Makers" is a good one too. What about "The Golden Vulture"? That is an extremely well written collaboration between Lester Dent and Walter Gibson, the two great Pulp writers. The Golden Vulture is almost an anti-Shadow.
I rather like Crime, Insured - Gibson using an insurance organization as the villain was inspired storytelling.
The Voodoo Master would be a great choice - The Shadow's first match-up against him is great [I've not read the others yet unfortunately].
I liked the Golden Vulture too - but if that story gets adapted into a movie I wonder if it would be better to save it for a sequel so that modern audiences are more familiar with The Shadow first.
Double Z would be an interesting choice---perhaps The Black Master----or the group of plotters from "The Romanoff Jewels", which is regarded as the one of the greatest stories of The Shadow!
shareTrue. The Golden Vulture would be better off as a sequel. I like the Voodoo Master for the first movie, I always liked him more than Shiwan Khan in the pulps. He was a better match for The Shadow than Khan was. I don't think a studio would consider Crime, Insured worthy of a film adaptation, as there as is no big villian like most studios want for these kinds of movies.
shareI agree, the Voodoo Master would be great! Gibson outdid himself with that one! The first VM novel really made an impression! I also like the villains from the first two years of the series, The Black Master, Double Z, The Silent Seven---they'll have to figure out which one works best for the camera!
shareShaiwan Khan was in the books, but he did not have all the powers he did in the movie.
He was a criminal mastermind, not an evil sorcerer.
I was informed at one time that a new movie was in the works with The Voodoo Master to be in it, but it fell through.
sharethe problem for me was not the character himself, but john lone, a pretty lame guy.
shareGiven that Shiwan Kahn was an enemy from the pulps and the one who made the most appearances I wouldn't say he felt out of place. For me, the relationship/dynamic between the Shadow and Shiwan Khan was actually one of the most interesting parts, in how he truly was his eery dark reflection. In how Cranston as Ying Ko was actually Shiwan's inspiration to take up his family legacy and become a criminal/warlord/conqueror in Asia. And how the Tolku tried to reform both of them, whilst teaching them both the ways to "Cloud Men's Minds". However he managed to succeed in reforming Cranston, but failed with Khan. In contrast The Shadow was not able to fully master his ways yet, but Khan did. (Cranston not managing to pass the test of the Phurba until the climax, after which he uses his newfound powers to defeat Khan) This also makes Khan's attempt to bring him to his side pretty believable given their pasts. And it plays interestingly with the idea of whether or now The Shadow is the same darkness that spawned Ying Ko and so forth.
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