The 1990s were a tumultuous time for comic book fans who were looking to see their favorite heroes up on the big screen. It wasn't all bad, what with films like BLADE, THE CROW, THE ROCKETEER, and BATMAN RETURNS being a part of the mix. However, fans also had to contend with box office bombs like STEEL, starring Shaquille O’Neal, Pamela Anderson's BARB WIRE, and of course, SPAWN. While the genre at that time was very much like a box of chocolates – you never know what you're going to get – Sam Raimi's DARKMAN stands as one of the best from the decade. As Raimi's cult classic turns 30, The Hollywood Reporter has asked producer Rob Tapert to give a new oral history about the film's making to help celebrate one of superhero cinema's often unsung heroes.
As it happens, DARKMAN has a rich history that exposes the film as one of Hollywood's stranger offerings. Originally, the film's director, Sam Raimi, wanted to make a movie based on The Shadow. However, not being able to secure the rights to the character had left Raimi at a crossroads, and so he created his own mysterious, disfigured hero and forged a pact with Universal Pictures for his first big studio venture. Unfortunately, Raimi's DARKMAN had tranfomed into an uphill battle for the now fan-favorite director, as the film was plagued by poor test screenings and nervous executives over at Universal. Then, during the project's final hour, Raimi and his team had assembled a cut of the film that had not been approved by the studio.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with DARKMAN, the film focuses on a brilliant scientist by the name of Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson), who after being left for dead vows to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive. Also starring Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, and Larry Drake, DARKMAN shared the story of a broken man whose scarred visage served as a window into his tortured soul. No criminal was safe as long as Darkman was lurking in the shadows.
While speaking with THR, Tapert recalled how Univeral assigned a new editor during post-production in an attempt to mitigate poor reactions to the film during its test-screening process:
When Universal brought in their own editor [Bud S. Smith], they really did not want Sam in the process. Before that, we started on the preview process, scoring maybe 65 [from the audience] and we were down to maybe a 26. They felt that he had his opportunity with the original editor [David Stiven], who was so befuddled that he wanted to cut it into a romance movie. He had a breakdown and one day said, ‘I can’t do this,’ and left.
According to Tapert, Smith had agreed to work on DARKMAN so long as he could do it alone. In a matter of just three weeks, Smith had delivered an alternative cut of the movie that was much shorter than Raimi's version. Sadly, despite Smith's most valiant efforts, test audiences failed to connect with DARKMAN.
Universal sent us away. We came back, and the editor had cut it down from two hours to 85 minutes. We tested that, and it did not test as well as the longer version, which was Sam’s cut. I think we went through four or five more test screenings, and each time the score got lower and lower, and we got more depressed.
It goes without saying that Raimi's back was up against the wall when hoping to make Universal see the appeal of his Darkman concept. Thankfully, there were people working on the film who were willing to go to bat for the director, including Danny Elfman, who at one point threatened to remove his name from the movie on account of how Raimi was being strong-armed by the studio.
In addition to encountering any number of editorial issues, there had also been a time when McDormand was not Universal's first choice to play Julie Hastings, Westlake's love interest and reason to continue fighting. When the film was being cast, the studio had been pushing for Julia Roberts, who at the time had just starred in films like MYSTIC PIZZA, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, and PRETTY WOMAN, opposite Richard Gere. Another name on Universal's short-list was Kelly Lynch, who'd previously made a name for herself after starring in COCKTAIL, ROAD HOUSE, and the Gus Van Sant classic DRUGSTORE COWBOY.
According to DARKMAN's casting director Nancy Nayor:
She [Roberts] and Liam had dated briefly and were broken up. When they read the audition scene together, both actors had tears in their eyes. It was so intimate. Right after, her agent called and said she felt it might be better if she was taken out of consideration. I think she felt it would just be too awkward for them to work together again so soon under the circumstances.
While I've already painted Sam Raimi's DARKMAN as a complicated film to bring to the silver screen, the story of its making gets a whole lot weirder as we learn that a bit of covert editing went down during the film's final hours. As the story goes, Universal opted to distribute Smith's shorter version of the film to theaters. Naturally, this did not sit well with Raimi and those who believed in his vision. Thus, Raimi, Tapert, and the director's editor Bob Murawski recut the movie in under 48-hours before release:
I don’t mind saying this now, and Sam will probably be unhappy, but the studio said, ‘There is nothing we can do to save this picture. Let’s lock it [Smith cut approved].’ So we locked the picture on Friday night at 5 p.m. We were incredibly disheartened and dispirited. And Sam’s present editor, a guy by the name of Bob Murawski, said, ‘There is a much better movie than what we are locking right now.’ So, the decision was made that we would re-edit the movie. We spent 48 hours basically recutting the entire movie, restoring things we thought were important. We added nine minutes back in, things we really liked that the preview audiences would recoil from, but that was what it was meant to do. We locked it — and didn’t tell anybody.
As you can probably imagine, Universal was pissed that Raimi and company had gone behind their backs. Be that as it may, Raimi's version had already gone to print and press screenings were officially scheduled to begin. Mwuahaha!
Universal came to watch it after the mix, and there was this giant outcry, but there was nothing to be done," Tapert remembers. The negative had been cut. Critic screenings were 48 hours later. Bob and I advocated very strongly for the deception. Sam, left to his own, probably would not have done that. He is not that kind of guy. But I am.”
Again … Mwuahaha!
In the end, DARKMAN received mostly positive reviews and had grossed $48 million at the box office. By all accounts, the movie ended up being a success when considering the project's $16 million dollar budget. As for DARKMAN, the film continues to be a favorite among those who delight in superhero cinema. It's an unconventional installment to the genre for sure, but that's also a part of its lasting appeal. Also, if I may be so bold, Raimi's actions on the release of DARKMAN serve as a fine middle finger to the suits who think that they know better than the creator. Artistic integrity goes a long way when you're you know, an artist. My hat is off to Mr. Raimi and company for sticking to their guns, and pulling off perhaps one of the ballsiest moves in superhero filmmaking to date, even 30 years later.