Robert Zemeckis had been involved with a film adaptation in the 1980s, while Sam Raimi's pitch was ignored. Universal allowed Raimi to develop an original treatment inspired by The Shadow in 1987 with the development of Darkman. David Koepp had listened to the radio serial of The Shadow as a child, when CBS re-ran it on Sunday nights.
In the 1980s, Robert Zemeckis was involved in a film adaptation of The Shadow. Meanwhile, Sam Raimi's pitch for a movie was rejected. Universal gave Raimi permission to create an original story inspired by The Shadow in 1987, which led to the development of Darkman. David Koepp had been exposed to The Shadow through a radio series as a child when CBS re-broadcast it on Sundays.