Entertainment Sleuth/IGN.com Reports (with all credits cited herein):
Spider-Man
Genre: Action/Superhero/Comic Book Adaptation.
Studio: Columbia Pictures.
Production Company: Unknown.
Project Phase: In Development.
Who's In It: Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker/"Spider-Man"); Willem Dafoe (Norman Osborn/"The Green Goblin"); Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson); Ted Raimi (Dr. Curt Connors); James Franco (Harry Osborn, in final negotiations); J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson, in talks); Randy Savage (Bonesaw McGraw); Rosemary Harris (Aunt May); Cliff Robertson (Uncle Ben); Bruce Campbell.
Who's Making It: Sam Raimi (Director - Xena guy); Scott Rosenberg, David Koepp (Screenwriters); Ian Bryce, Laura Ziskin (Producers); Avi Arad, Eric Ellenbogen (Executive Producers); Don Burgess (Director of Photography); Neil Spisak (Production Designer); James Acheson (Costume Designer) John Dykstra (Special Effects Supervisor - Star Wars guy); Danny Elfman (Musical Score); based upon the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man.
Premise: Peter Parker, a gifted high school student, is bitten by a spider that he subjected to radiation. The spider's bite produces an unusual side-effect for young Peter, resulting in spider-like strength and agility proportional to a human physique, as well as a mysterious sixth sense. Deciding to fight crime, Peter fashions a costume and constructs various devices to aid him in his adventures. (Further plot details remain shrouded until active development begins on the project.)
Release Date: May 3, 2002.
Developments:
Mid-September, 2000... Columbia Pictures pushes back the film from a December 2001 opening to May 2002.
Early April, 1999... The Hollywood Reporter reports screenwriter David Koepp will write the script.
Early March, 1999... Sony Pictures and Marvel Entertainment agree upon a deal to make the film.
March, 1997... MGM has aquired the rights to the Spider-Man film from Carolco.
Comments: If you were to ask James Cameron which comic book superhero was his all-time favorite, chances are you'd get this answer: Spider-Man. Cameron first began to voice his interest in bringing the web-slinger to the silver screen during development of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Once that film was released, Cameron went about trying to secure the rights to the property through Carolco, the same production company that had financed T2 (to the tune of over $100 million dollars). Although T2 went on to worldwide success (over twice the amount of its cost was made back), the bottom line was that Carolco was in poor financial shape. As creditors started making noise and the entertainment industry watched for the fire sale of assets, Cameron was trying to forge ahead pre-production of the project. With a name like James Cameron tied to the project, all the legal red tape would be a small matter.
Meanwhile, at comic conventions and in press release kits, news of the soon-to-be Spider-Man movie spread like wildfire. Fans were already casting the principal leads (Charlie Sheen or Keanu Reeves as Peter? Schwarzennegger as Doc Octopus or Nicholson as the Green Goblin?) Annoucements were made in the Hollywood trade papers of the project. Even promotional keychains were made, with a swinging Spidey zipping through the air on one of his web-lines, the type reading "SPIDER-MAN. A JAMES CAMERON FILM. COMING IN 1993". Unfortunately, that was not to be.
As Carolco floundered about, the legal mess intensified. The property could be the saving grace of the company, and it wasn't about to release its number one property without a fight. 21st Century Films entered the fray, filing suit that it had the film rights to the superhero. Then came two other law suits from companies who claimed to own the television and video agreements to the property. Lawsuit upon lawsuit upon lawsuit...
While all this was happening, Cameron was finishing up work on his first Spider-Man screenplay. The focus of the movie was on a young Peter trying to adjust to superpowers and the huge responsibility he feels now burdened with, as well as his on-screen nemesis, the Green Goblin. Stan Lee, one of the creators of the character, apparently loved the screenplay. But the court cases were still appending for the property's rights, and with his hands tied up, Cameron put the screenplay to the side and began work on his next film, True Lies. By the time he could be expected to have that picture wrapped up, the legal mess should be all resolved.
Of course, that didn't happen. By the time True Lies was released in the summer of 1994, the Spider-Man issue was still being decided upon. It was to a point that even the people who had been following the case from the start couldn't tell you the short version of who was suing who, for what, and why. There was no short version.
As 1996 began, the Spider-Man project was on the backburner for James Cameron for almost six years. And again, the director didn't sit around waiting for the parties involved to sort things out. Cameron moved onto Titanic, is scheduled for principal photography this spring. Whether or not the True Believers will get to see the adventures of that other hero who darts through the sky wearing red and blue spandex before the close of this century remains to be seen.
That brings us up to date where we began with our Scoop Feedback section below. Dig in and enjoy.
Scoop Feedback: (latest casting rumors)
September 14, 2000... The Spider-Man film has officially been pushed back from November 2001 to May 3, 2002. The following comes from the Sony press release...
"Columbia Pictures will begin principal photography on the live-action action-adventure Spider-Man in January and has set the release of the film for May 3, 2002.
"The start date makes possible a production and post-production schedule that will enable the film's creators to realize their ambitious vision for Spider-Man and bring Marvel's worldwide comic book icon to life..."
Interestingly enough, this new move puts the film's release right on track with the release of Star Wars, Episode 2. Imagine that, Spidey versus the Force? Will the real villain please step forward? [Reported by Reg.]
September 15, 2000... You ask for things, and they bring them. We put out an APB on the whereabouts of the Venom project once we learned that New Line had placed it into turnaround. We figured the rights simply reverted back to Marvel, but where did they go from there? Answer: nowhere. We've received an anonymous tip from a solid source that the character's back in the Marvel stables, waiting to be called out for the Spidey franchise.
Does this lend credibility to any Eddie Brock cameo rumors? Let's just say it makes such a thing possible and leave it at that. [Thanks to Anonymous.]
Meanwhile, Comics Continuum reports that Marvel's Avi Arad thinks the latest decision to push Spider-Man back to May 3, 2002 was definitely the right one to make. Here's a quick look at what Arad had to say about the decision...
"We decided that we are much better off with a movie in the summer, especially after X-Men. We'll be starting the summer like Gladiator. I like summer movies...What it does for us, it's the first movie of the summer, it starts the whole business. It also makes it a summer movie in Europe. X-Men, as you know, just started its international run and we are already up to $90 million. The numbers are so much bigger and you have a longer run, and May obviously, is bigger than July because you have a whole summer to go."
[Originally appeared at the ComicsContinuum; reported by Reg.]
September 15, 2000... No second thoughts according to Arad. Comics Continuum reports that Marvel's Avi Arad thinks the latest decision to push Spider-Man back to May 3, 2002 was definitely the right one to make. Here's a quick look at what Arad had to say about the decision...
"We decided that we are much better off with a movie in the summer, especially after X-Men. We'll be starting the summer like Gladiator. I like summer movies...What it does for us, it's the first movie of the summer, it starts the whole business. It also makes it a summer movie in Europe. X-Men, as you know, just started its international run and we are already up to $90 million. The numbers are so much bigger and you have a longer run, and May obviously, is bigger than July because you have a whole summer to go."
[Appeared at the ComicsContinuum; reported by Reg.]
September 19, 2000... Here's the latest Spidey rumor to crawl out of the web at Dark Horizons. A scooper recently sent Horizons a tid-bit on the latest CGI developments rumored to be created for this much anticipated super-hero adaptation. The scooper known as 'Eta Kau Pi' reveals:
"I was talking to Ken Hahn, who was a big special effects guy on Hollow Man, and he told me that they are currently creating an entirely CG Manhattan for the movie. They are even thinking of making Spiderman in costume CG. With the technology the created for Hollow Man, he said it would be a breeze."
This certainly contradicts our earlier scoop from September 11 that revealed martial arts specialist Dominique Vanderburg will be playing the super-hero with his mask on. With the recent news of the film being pushed back until May 3, 2002, perhaps time will decide the fate of these duelling rumors? [Appeared at Dark Horizons; reported by Reg.]
September 21, 2000... Here's an interesting theory from one of our net-bandits who throws their two cents into the whole stunt-double versus CGI issue. Our scooper certainly presents a cool case with a few logical ideas drawn from the recent success of the X-Men, take a look...
"I don't have any certified proof, but listen to reason if you will. It was stated that Wolverine's claws from the X-Men movie were of many different models. Some were actual props, and some were CGI. Could it stand to reason that the same would go for Spider-Man? The action scenes with Spidey kicking Goblin ass would be wire-work with a costumed stunt man, but for scenes with the arachnid swinging through the CGI Manhattan, that would also be CGI. I can already picture that happening...The other advantage of putting in the CGI Spider-Man in at choice occasions would reduce the possibility of a Jackman incident with catching the jewels in a harness." [Thanks going out to 'Newsfop']
September 25, 2000... On Friday, Spiderman Hype ran a report that sheds even more light on the Spider-Man stunt double saga. Shortly after the rumors of Dominique Vandenburg as the Spidey stuntman broke on the internet, Spiderman Hype received this anonymous e-mail from a source close to the production:
"I just read the lastest news about Dominique Vandenberg, and I have to tell you that it is not correct. He will not be the stunt coordinator for the movie, and I'm not even sure he is gong to be one of the Stunt Doubles. Jeff Haberstad is the stunt-Coordinator, and he has selected four stunt doubles for Tobey Maguire. None of which include Dominique."
Haberstad is certainly no stranger to hit movies, his credits include Blade, Men In Black, Broken Arrow, and Face Off. [Appeared at SpidermanHype; reported by Reg.]
We received a scoop last yesterday that seemed to confirm what Spiderman Hype's source told them. Our new scooper (who asked that their name be withheld) also said that four Spider-Man stuntmen have been hired by the production -- and that one of them is Alex Chansky, the former gymnastics captain at the University of California, Berkley. [Name withheld.]
Also, Cinescape reported yesterday that, while talking to Spider-Man director Sam Raimi two days previously, Raimi revealed that Danny Elfman would be scoring the film for him. [Originally appeared on Cinescape.]
September 30, 2000... SFX recently sat down with Spider-Man director Sam Raimi while on tour promoting his current project The Gift. Fortunately, in the midst of his publicity trail, Raimi didn't mind chatting about the upcoming Spidey project with the SFX gang.
"Batman and Superman are great movies, but they're more fantastic-world movies with these superheroes and outrageously funny villains in them. Spider-Man I want to make more real world. Peter Parker is real, and something fantastic happens to him.
"Raimi acknowledges that the audience has expectations of how Spider-Man should be. 'That's brand new for me,' Raimi said. 'The audience already has it in their minds who Peter Parker is, who Aunt May is, who Uncle Ben is, and you can get it wrong. I not only have to meet their expectations, I have to go beyond them. I have to choose so right that they'll think, 'he's the soul of the character.' People will say, 'are you crazy, that isn't Uncle Ben.' But what I'm going to be looking for is the soul of the character, whether or not he looks like him, or not. So he's truly the guy that we've come to know in the comics. Of course Uncle Ben's a bad example, because he's only in it for about a page and then I kill him!' " [Appeared at SFX; reported by Reg.]
October 4, 2000... Director Sam Raimi's been doing quite a bit of talking these days as the live action Spidey feature moves forward. Raimi recently chatted with Popcorn and revealed his thoughts and more interesting information on this much anticipated comic book adaptation. Popcorn adds:
"...The director says he and his crew are currently 'working in every phase of production you can imagine', which includes scouting locations in New York and Los Angeles, setting up sound stages and sets, finalizing script revisions and casting...True to the art of method acting, Maguire is 'undergoing a great transformation himself right now', working with a martial arts expert, a climbing expert and a physical trainer - who is helping him 'work on his body motion to get down the spider-type moves'. In fact, Maguire has spent so much time working on his physical image that Raimi reckons 'it's not going to be a Tobey that anybody recognizes...
"More important, though, is the reason why the director thought Maguire was right for the job in the first place. After all, there were plenty of good-looking twenty-something actors all desperate for the part. But Raimi says it's because the Cider House Rules star 'has a good heart and when you look into Tobey's eyes, he's really true. The thing that made [Peter Parker] so popular is that Peter Parker is a good person and Tobey is a good person, so I think it's going to work.'
"Plans are also being made for the movie's special effects. But while the director is adamant that his movie isn't going to be all effects and no plot, computer wizardry is going to be necessary..." [Appeared at Popcorn; reported by Reg.]
October 6, 2000... Raimi keeps on talking, this time to the Internet Movie Database. It appears that Tobey Maguire is fully entrenched in strict Spidey training. Raimi reveals:
"...We're kicking his a** in the training room. He's working out every day with a stunt co-ordinator and with his yoga instructor. He's on special diets. He is undergoing a tremendous physical metamorphosis. He's got a great desire to see Spiderman up on the screen. He already had a good body but he's now developing the body of a superhero...Tobey's already been working with a wire man, he's got really good physical motion and I think he's studying right now how to move in an insectoid style so he's working on it." Call it dedication or call it crazy, either way it's cool. [Appeared at the IMDB; reported by Reg.]
October 8, 2000... It seems as though everywhere we look Sam Raimi's Spidey-sense is tingling. Or something's tingling, anyway. E! Online recently caught up with Raimi at a charity benefit, where he served up even more casting thoughts on the upcoming production:
"...But what about casting for MJ (Mary Jane Watson), Spidey's girlfriend? Sam says he doesn't even have a shortlist yet, though he's thinking hard about carrot-topped Alicia Witt (Cecil B. DeMented). 'I really like how she tested,' he says. Spider-Man will only battle the Green Goblin this time. And with Nicolas Cage out of the picture due to scheduling conflicts, Raimi's hoping he won't lose busy John Malkovich the same way...' The idea is not to give fans what they expect,' he reasons, 'but what they want.' " Funny...Hudson isn't mentioned at all. Hmmmm. Anyway, moving on:
The Hollywood Reporter recently revealed that James Franco (Whatever it Takes) is in talks to play Harry Osborn, son of the green guy. Apparently, Franco was up for Petey but in losing that role became up for the younger Osborn.
But going further, Spiderman Hype followed up with this: 4Filmmakers shows Franco as a lock and Malkovich as...well, he's not even on the cast list anymore. Do they know something Raimi doesn't or isn't saying? [Appeared at E! Online; Hollywood Reporter; SpidermanHype; 4Filmmakers; reported by Reg.]
October 10, 2000... Spiderman Hype recently received this interesting scoop that indicates director Sam Raimi may be on the hunt for a younger version of Peter Parker:
"I was at a hotel this weekend in Long Island, New York and there was a room where people were holding auditions for something...So later I walked by and to my surprise there was none other than Sam Raimi. He was looking at young boys that looked a lot like a younger version of Tobey Maguire. What does this mean?? Could it be that there will be a flashback scene in the movie?" [Appeared at SpidermanHype; reported by Reg.]
October 12, 2000... It appears the recent release date delay of the Spider-Man production is now having an impact on Marvel Comics' financial portfolio. Yahoo Finance reports:
"Shares of Marvel have not fared too well...losing about 40% of their value in the last five weeks. The drop is likely due to a six-month delay in the release of the company's next major movie production, a live-action version of Spiderman. That means the schedule for receiving licensing revenue on the movie's merchandise has also been moved forward. Investors had hoped that initial Spider-Man-related sales would come as early as the current quarter...This news is definitely a disappointment, but it still does not change our long-term view on the stock." [Appeared at Yahoo; thanks to IGN Film Force for the juicy stock tip; reported by Reg.]
October 13, 2000... Spiderman Hype recently followed up on a report out of Variety that reveals actress Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) is passing on the role of Mary Jane Watson in the upcoming Spider-Man live action feature. Hudson's current acting plan is to join director Shekar Kapur (Elizabeth) on his upcoming war drama Four Feathers. This certainly sheds a new light on the recent rumors that have actress Alicia Witt as director Sam Raimi's new Mary Jane.
[Originally appeared in Variety; also SpidermanHype; reported by Reg.]
October 20, 2000... The most recent spy report at reveals the latest word from Spidey himself. Speaking at a recent press conference in Italy, Tobey Maguire offered up a few more Spiderman details. Spiderman Hype adds:
"...Maguire talked of Spider-Man, saying that Alicia Witt is a sure thing for the role of Mary Jane, while they are having problems casting the Norman Osborn role after the defection of Malkovich. He then went on saying he had never read a Spider-man Comic-book but liked the part as written in the script." [Appeared at SpidermanHype; reported by Reg.]
October 21, 2000... Will Bruce Campbell be joining the Spidey gang? At this point it's still anyone's guess but E-Online, managed to snag the straight story from Campbell himself. Here's the latest Campbell file:
"Is there a place in Spider-Man for director Sam Raimi's longtime leading man and cult favorite Bruce Campbell? I asked Campbell when I ran into him at a screening for the newly restored Halloween on, appropriately, Friday the 13th. 'We always work together,' says Campbell. But the phone hasn't rung yet. 'Sam's a squirrelly *******.' " [Appeared at E-Online; reported by Reg.]
October 24, 2000...Spiderman Hype shows us the way to Imaginary Forces where the new Spider-Man teaser trailer is now online. According to Hype, Sony Pictures was looking for a company who could assemble a strong, precise, aggressive, fast, mysterious, and clever 3D sequence that would reflect the feel of Spider-Man himself. As it turns out, Imaginary Forces, the company behind such title sequence animations as The Mummy and Men in Black, won the job. [Originally appeared at Imaginary Forces: thanks to Spiderman Hype; reported by Reg.]
October 25, 2000... A longtime scooper has contacted us with great news for all you anxiously-awaiting fans of the film. Guess what ADI special effects supervisor Tom Woodruff is shooting today? The mask and makeup effects for none other than the Green Goblin. Hopefully we'll be able to convince our scooper to give us a detailed report as to what the Goblin design looks like. [You never know where 'Farrah's Panties' might turn up.]
October 30, 2000... It looks like rumor that Randy "Macho Man" Savage will have a part in Spider-Man are indeed accurate. The Houston Chronicle published a report last week where the paper caught up with Savage while he was at the paper's Special Olympics Celebrity Carnival on the evening of October 24th. Savage spoke briefly about being in the upcoming Spider-Man to Chronicle reporter Chris Chancellor, saying that his character would be similar to Bane from Batman and Robin and might be named "Smasher". [Scooped to us by 'Moosez'; T appeared on Scoops Wrestling.com and first at The Houstyu on Chronicle.]
There's a slightly different story being told by IGN FilmForce today about the Spider-Man wrestling character Savage will portray. According to the FilmForce article, one of their readers asked the wrestler about the rumor. Savage then told them he'd be playing the part of Bone Saw McGraw. [Originally appeared in IGN FilmForce.]
November 5, 2000... Empire Online caught up with Malkovich at the London Film Festival, where Shadow of the Vampire was being screened. And rightly so, they asked him about climbing on board the glider. His answer? In a word: no. But to elucidate, Malkovich was quite honest about his reasons, so we felt we'd reprint the quotes here: "I won't be doing Spider-Man. It's not really my genre particularly, and there were scheduling difficulties and what they offered wasn't in any way an inducement for me to do it."
Empire then asked if this had anything to do with the possibility of playing in a sequel to Talented Mr. Ripley, and he responded that it was a possibility, but that wasn't the only reason. "It was everything, way too much time, not enough money, not enough of anything. I mean, if I'd have loved it obviously I would have done it, but those sort of films aren't art films, they're business propositions." [Originally appeared at Empire Online.]
November 10, 2000... Ain't It Cool News first reported it, and now Comics2Film has confirmed it: actor J.K. Simmons (who plays Vern Schillenger on HBO's Oz) has auditioned for the role of J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. An unnamed source told C2F that Simmons is a "strong contender" for the part, and that the actor had a "great, great audition." [Originally appeared on Ain't It Cool, Comics2Film.]
So is William H. Macy out of the running? Our source told us he was front and center for the part, but now the indication is Raimi is auditioning other actors for the role. Simmons would be a great choice, no doubt, but we still want to know what happened to Macy?
4:40 PM, November 17, 2000... Coming Attractions has just been informed by Sony Pictures that, as of this afternoon, Willem Dafoe (Platoon, eXistenZ and the upcoming Shadow of the Vampire) has been signed to play The Green Goblin in Spider-Man. The 45 year old actor will now play the role that John Malkovich vacated earlier last month. This is confirmed and rock solid, kids! [Thanks to Sony Pictures.]
5:30 PM, November 17, 2000... It looks like the first site to break the news was SpiderManHype.com, who got the material online a half-hour before our piece ran. This is definitely a case where you should believe the hype! [Pumpkin bomb busting by SpiderManHype.com.]
November 18, 2000... In other casting news, the crew at Spider-Man Hype.com, have also confirmed with Sony that Franco is definitely in as Harry O. To see their report, click here. [Originally appeared on SpiderManHype.com; scooped by JangoFett24 and PjParker.]
November 28, 2000... Sony Pictures sent out a late afternoon press release stating that the studio is in final negotiations with actor James Franco. Franco has long been rumored to be the front-runner to play Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin (to be played by Willem Dafoe).
Here's the full press release:
Culver City, CA, November 28, 2000 - James Franco is in final negotiations to join the cast of Columbia Pictures’ live-action feature film Spider-Man, the studio announced today. He will play Harry Osborn, the high school pal and college roommate of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire).
Franco is currently filming a co-starring role opposite Robert De Niro in Franchise Pictures’ City By the Sea for director Michael Caton-Jones. He recently completed shooting the title role in TNT’s “James Dean,†directed by Mark Rydell, and the Martin Scorsese-produced independent film Deuces Wild, starring with Stephen Dorff, Fairuza Balk, Brad Renfro and Matt Dillon. He was last seen starring on the big screen in Columbia Pictures/Phoenix Pictures’ Whatever It Takes.
Last season, Franco starred in NBC’s critically acclaimed series “Freaks and Geeks.†In 1998, Franco co-starred opposite Drew Barrymore in the 20th Century Fox hit Never Been Kissed.
Spider-Man is helmed by Sam Raimi (The Gift, For Love of the Game, A Simple Plan), a self-confessed fanatic of the web-slinging superhero. Laura Ziskin (As Good As it Gets, To Die For, Pretty Woman) and Oscar nominee Ian Bryce (Almost Famous, Saving Private Ryan, Twister) produce. Avi Arad (X-Men, Blade) serves as executive producer.
The film centers on student Peter Parker who, after being bitten by a mutant spider, gains superhuman strength and the spider-like ability to cling to any surface. He vows to dedicate his life to fighting crime. Harry Osborn, Peter’s friend, is haunted by the relentless desire to live up to his father Norman’s (Willem Dafoe) expectations. Unbeknownst to both Harry and Peter, Norman is the Green Goblin, Spider-Man’s arch-enemy.
The screenplay for Spider-Man was written by David Koepp (Stir of Echoes, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park). The creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess (Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, Forrest Gump), production designer Neil Spisak (The Gift, For Love of the Game, Heat) and costume designer James Acheson, who has won Academy Awards for Restoration, Dangerous Liaisons and The Last Emperor.
The film is slated to begin shooting in Los Angeles in January. The production will then move to New York. Spider-Man is being readied for a May 3, 2002 release.
Columbia Pictures is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. SPE is a division of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution, television production and distribution, worldwide channel investments, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development of new entertainment products, services and technologies, and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web http://www.spe.sony.com.
Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies with operations in five divisions: licensing, toys-via its Toy Biz division-comic book and trade publishing, entertainment and the Internet. Through the ownership of over 4,700 proprietary characters, Marvel licenses its characters in a wide range of consumer products, services and media such as feature films, television, the Internet, apparel, video games, collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvel’s characters and plot lines are created and developed through the comic book publishing division, which maintains a leadership position in the U.S. and abroad. For additional company information visit the Company’s corporate Web site at http://www.marvel.com. [Thanks to Sony Pictures.]
December 2, 2000... Comics2Film does a roundup on potential Mary Janes who may have scheduling problems that will keep them from making Peter Parker's dreams come true. Actress James King has signed on board Lone Star State of Mind, and the production schedules for Lone Star and this project overlap quite nicely. In addition, Mena Suvari, if she appears in American Pie 2, will more than likely have that as a conflict. Which makes sense, since she needs to be Gwen Stacy instead. But regardless, that story can be found over at Comics2Film. [Originally appeared at Variety, SpiderManHype.com, Comics2Film.]
December 6, 2000... Sometimes you get a piece of fan art that looks so good, we naturally have to show it to the rest of the world.
Today we received just such a piece of art. Behold Jim Compton's interpretation of what the teaser poster for Spider-Man should be!
"To the Freaks, geeks and all you other people on the internet... I give you. S-P-I-D-E-R-M-A-N," was all our scooper said in his email to us today. Upon closer examination the logo made for the poster looks not quite as slick as the movie logo we've seen earlier...but apart from that one minor nitpick, we think it's one helluva piece of work. [Our hats are off to Jim Compton for giving the Spider fans an early Christmas present.]
December 12, 2000... Well, the search for MJ ends...and at the end of the yellow brick road (or spider-web as the case may be), we find...Kirsten Dunst. Although the actress had been rumored to be in the running for the role, confirmation from Sony came about five minutes ago that she did indeed ink the deal. We hear that you can expect the info to smack the trades on Thursday. [Thanks to Sony for the info; reported by Suni Sidhu.]
December 13, 2000... This next scooper recently conducted an interview with Anthony LaMolinara, one of the creators for the special effects in such films as Stuart Little and Hollow Man. LaMolinara offered up a few nuggets of info about how they're approaching the digital realizations of the hero and villain in the movie:
"I made an interview with Anthony LaMolinara (a very kind person, by the way) in Naples at Monumedia (a festival focused on new technologies). I asked him some informations about the work he's doing on Spider-Man. He described me how the two main characters (Spidey and the Green Goblin) will look like. In particular, they want to use a lot of computer graphic when Peter Parker will be in his costume. They are also working to create a very cool effect for his hands when he climbs the walls. The Green Goblin will look as a surfer according to LaMolinara and they are doing for him great pumpkin bombs. Imageworks is concentrated on these two characters and they are not foretelling to work on other villains for this first movie. Why I'm saying first? Because LaMolinara is very confident on the movie and he thinks we'll see many sequels. You can see the video interview at: CaltaNet." [Scooped by our pal Robert Bernocchi.]
Early morning...December 16, 2000... For the aforementioned ShoWest teaser trailer with a bunch of CGI web stuff flying about, click here to go to the French Premiere site and check it out. [Nyarlathotep means quality, originally appeared at http://www.premiere.fr.]
Late evening...December 16, 2000... SpiderManHype.com is listing Cliff Robertson as being just the other side of official confirmation to being Uncle Ben. Also, Randy Savage apparently has stated he will be playing Bonesaw McGraw. [Originally appeared at SpiderManHype.com.]
December 18, 2000... SciFi.com was the first to break word about the latest Spider-Man castings. Speaking at apress conference for his upcoming supernatural thriller The Gift, director Sam Raimi confirmed the addition of Cliff Robertson as Uncle Ben, as well as revealing that Rosemary Harris will play Aunt May. Raimi also said his longtime buddy Bruce Campbell, star of the Evil Dead films, will also be making a cameo in Spider-Man.
The director also acknowledged that the movie's script had -- and still is -- undergoing rewrites, even though shooting is a month away. "I'm not happy with it yet," Raimi told reporters at the press conference. "But I think it's a very good script now. What we need to do is make it more than great, though. That's the problem. The expectation is so high that a very good script that I would have shot, and happily, isn't good enough. So I would say it's true, but that's the relatuive terms that it's true in. But no, the studio...[is now] happy. Now it's worse than that. Now I've got to get happy." [Originally broken by SciFi.com, with scoopage from Ted Geoghegan.]
December 20, 2000... Comics2Film is reporting that J.K. Simmons (Oz, For Love of the Game) is confirmed to star as Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man. A source told C2F Simmons is definitely on-board the project, although no official announcement has materialized from Sony just yet. [Originally appeared at Comics2Film.]
Official announcement of Bruce Campbell's involvement also came today in The Hollywood Reporter. Campbell was officially mentioned as playing the wrestling ring announcer in the match-up between Spider-Man and "Bone Saw" McGraw. [The Hollywood Reporter, better late than never.]
3:40 PM, January 4, 2001... Coming Attractions was invited to a special press event held by Sony Pictures today, allowing the press to meet the cast and crew of Spider-Man. Held on the Sony Pictures lot in Hollywood, CA's own Suni Sidhu attended the event, listened to director Sam Raimi and stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe and James Franco, and gazed upon two of the sets where filming will take place!
IMAGE #1: This wrestling cage match set (below) surrounded the set of chairs where, in a short while, the Spider-Man cast and crew would sit. Moments before the press conference was about to start, the cage lifted off the mat and rose into the air, allowing access for Sam Raimi and his team. (pic not shown here)
IMAGE #2: The Spider-Man conference is underway! Seated from left to right are executive producer Avi Arad, producer Laura Ziskin, actors James Franco, Willem Dafoe, Tobey Maguire, director Sam Raimi, actress Kirsten Dunst, special effects supervisor John Dykstra, and producer Ian Bryce. The wrestling mat's logo, "NYWL" stands for the "New York Wrestling League", the make believe wrestling association that will host the film's wrestling match between a newbie Spider-Man and "Bone Saw" McGraw. In the film Peter Parker decides to start out his Spider-Man career by trying to make some money by enterting a wrestling match with Bone Saw (a.k.a. "Macho Man" Randy Savage.) This is the actual set where the scene will be filmed. (pic not shown here)
IMAGE #3: Suni took this snapshot of another Spider-Man set which appears to be the top part of a hotel building. Above the hotel facade is a green screen on the roof, probably to place the skyline of New York City in the background. As well, there appears to be some machinery rigged to make part of the hotel fall away, as if an explosion were to take place... (pic not shown here)
IMAGE #4: Here's a close-up shot of the hotel balcony that appears to be made up to "fall" away during the scene. (pic not shown here)
IMAGE #5: And here they are, the main quintet of the Spider-Man movie: from left to right, actress Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), actor Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), director Sam Raimi, and actors Willem Dafoe (Norman Osborn/Green Goblin) and James Franco (Harry Osborn). Look at Tobey and that boy's arms -- he is pumped and ready to play Spidey! (pic not shown here)
Fans, friends, compatriots -- the long wait is nearly over. The first day of filming on Sony Pictures' long-awaited Spider-Man is this coming Monday, January 8th! [Reported by your friendly neighborhood Suni Sidhu.]
4:00 PM, January 4, 2001... SpiderManHype.com has just posted Part 1 of their press conference transcript, dealing the questions asked to Sam Raimi, Willem Dafoe and John Dykstra. Raimi confirmed that his brother Ted will indeed be in the movie, as well as commented on the controversy surrounding the organic webshooters over the comic book's traditional mechanical ones. The question was asked by SpiderManHype.com, and Raimi responded:
"I'm familiar with the debate but I haven't followed every bit of it. I know that in the Spider-Man comic books, to clarify that issue, Spider-Man is vested with these powers and the webshooters and we web fluid that he builds, he puts it in the webshooters and that's how he shoots the webs. But, what we're trying to do in this Spider-Man picture is not just stick to the level of the comic books, we're trying to capture the spirit of the picture. Now, we've always seen the great strength of Spider-Man and the fact that he's a real person, he's one of us. He's a kid from Brooklyn who doesn't have a lot of money. He doesn't get the girls, he's got acne, he's an average looking kid. (BIG LAUGH as Tobey looks at him weird)? well, slightly better than average. And he's one of us, unlike Superman who's from the planet Krypton or other fantastic heroes. He's really a kid who we identify with. And this kid is vested with these great powers, or perhaps cursed with these powers. But the important thing is that he's one of us. In the comic book, which I'm a giant fan of, he is a genius and we're going to keep that. He's a very smart kid, but when he can develop a material that even 3M corporation can't seem to develop, it stops and distances him from a normal human being and an average kid in high school. So we thought the best thing to do was, since he's bit by the spider and takes on the powers of the spider?crawling walls, the ability to leap like some spiders have, the great proportion of strength of a spider he's developed on the inside, we thought it was a logic progression to led it also spin its own web, and that way keep him a complete human being that we could identify with and being consistent with the once he's bitten by spider takes on all the powers, why not take on all 5 and not just 4 out of 5. In addition, it was another device to create alienation because Peter Parker has always been an outcast and Spider-Man a misunderstood hero. And I think that's a lot of the appeal of Spider-Man that teenage kids understand who think that I'm not understood just like Spider-Man. So having yourself change physically distances you from your friends and peers and I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."
Read what Raimi has to say about the cinematic version of Spider-Man's costume, as well as Willem Dafoe talking about how he'll play the Green Goblin by reading Part 1 of the press conference transcript!
[Brought to you by the gang at SpiderManHype.com, who're out to give the competition at the online version of the Daily Bugle a run for its money.]
January 5, 2001... Extras are wanted for the wrestling scene in Spider-Man! Audience Associates Inc. informed us that they're looking for people who are interested in playing the role of wrestling spectators to watch Spider-Man and "Bone Saw" McGraw get it on in the squared circle!
Details are as follows: the days of filming will be Wednesday, January 17th and Thursday the 18th , from 8 AM to 7 PM. Extras must be over the age of 16. The email from Audience Associates describes the extras part as the following: "You will be a 'unpaid Spectator' on the set, as part of a crowd, - a group of excited, cheering/booing/hissing fans watching a wild out of control caged wrestling match. This scene is where Peter Parker (played by Tobey Maguire) first becomes Spider-Man and takes on the 'Evil' Bone Saw McGraw (played by Macho Man Randy Savage) There will be special effects. You are there in the crowd to help cheer him on."
Please note that you won't get paid for the time spent on set, but Audience Associates says everyone will be given a continental breakfast and box lunch, as well as be included in draws for prizes and merchandise. If you're interested or want additional information, email audiencela@yahoo.com, call their office at (323) 653-4105, or visit their website at tvtix.com. [Press release furinished by Audience Associates.]
Related Sites:
SpiderManHype.com -- The domain name says it all. Casting, news, and production news and rumors, all about the forthcoming movie, make up this site. An interesting component of the site allows readers to vote on who they'd like to see in the Spider-Man movie - and the results are posted.
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Last updated: Friday, 05-Jan-2001 18:28:48 PST.
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Spider-Man
Genre: Action/Superhero/Comic Book Adaptation.
Studio: Columbia Pictures.
Production Company: Unknown.
Project Phase: In Development.
Who's In It: Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker/"Spider-Man"); Willem Dafoe (Norman Osborn/"The Green Goblin"); Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson); Ted Raimi (Dr. Curt Connors); James Franco (Harry Osborn, in final negotiations); J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson, in talks); Randy Savage (Bonesaw McGraw); Rosemary Harris (Aunt May); Cliff Robertson (Uncle Ben); Bruce Campbell.
Who's Making It: Sam Raimi (Director - Xena guy); Scott Rosenberg, David Koepp (Screenwriters); Ian Bryce, Laura Ziskin (Producers); Avi Arad, Eric Ellenbogen (Executive Producers); Don Burgess (Director of Photography); Neil Spisak (Production Designer); James Acheson (Costume Designer) John Dykstra (Special Effects Supervisor - Star Wars guy); Danny Elfman (Musical Score); based upon the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man.
Premise: Peter Parker, a gifted high school student, is bitten by a spider that he subjected to radiation. The spider's bite produces an unusual side-effect for young Peter, resulting in spider-like strength and agility proportional to a human physique, as well as a mysterious sixth sense. Deciding to fight crime, Peter fashions a costume and constructs various devices to aid him in his adventures. (Further plot details remain shrouded until active development begins on the project.)
Release Date: May 3, 2002.
Developments:
Mid-September, 2000... Columbia Pictures pushes back the film from a December 2001 opening to May 2002.
Early April, 1999... The Hollywood Reporter reports screenwriter David Koepp will write the script.
Early March, 1999... Sony Pictures and Marvel Entertainment agree upon a deal to make the film.
March, 1997... MGM has aquired the rights to the Spider-Man film from Carolco.
Comments: If you were to ask James Cameron which comic book superhero was his all-time favorite, chances are you'd get this answer: Spider-Man. Cameron first began to voice his interest in bringing the web-slinger to the silver screen during development of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Once that film was released, Cameron went about trying to secure the rights to the property through Carolco, the same production company that had financed T2 (to the tune of over $100 million dollars). Although T2 went on to worldwide success (over twice the amount of its cost was made back), the bottom line was that Carolco was in poor financial shape. As creditors started making noise and the entertainment industry watched for the fire sale of assets, Cameron was trying to forge ahead pre-production of the project. With a name like James Cameron tied to the project, all the legal red tape would be a small matter.
Meanwhile, at comic conventions and in press release kits, news of the soon-to-be Spider-Man movie spread like wildfire. Fans were already casting the principal leads (Charlie Sheen or Keanu Reeves as Peter? Schwarzennegger as Doc Octopus or Nicholson as the Green Goblin?) Annoucements were made in the Hollywood trade papers of the project. Even promotional keychains were made, with a swinging Spidey zipping through the air on one of his web-lines, the type reading "SPIDER-MAN. A JAMES CAMERON FILM. COMING IN 1993". Unfortunately, that was not to be.
As Carolco floundered about, the legal mess intensified. The property could be the saving grace of the company, and it wasn't about to release its number one property without a fight. 21st Century Films entered the fray, filing suit that it had the film rights to the superhero. Then came two other law suits from companies who claimed to own the television and video agreements to the property. Lawsuit upon lawsuit upon lawsuit...
While all this was happening, Cameron was finishing up work on his first Spider-Man screenplay. The focus of the movie was on a young Peter trying to adjust to superpowers and the huge responsibility he feels now burdened with, as well as his on-screen nemesis, the Green Goblin. Stan Lee, one of the creators of the character, apparently loved the screenplay. But the court cases were still appending for the property's rights, and with his hands tied up, Cameron put the screenplay to the side and began work on his next film, True Lies. By the time he could be expected to have that picture wrapped up, the legal mess should be all resolved.
Of course, that didn't happen. By the time True Lies was released in the summer of 1994, the Spider-Man issue was still being decided upon. It was to a point that even the people who had been following the case from the start couldn't tell you the short version of who was suing who, for what, and why. There was no short version.
As 1996 began, the Spider-Man project was on the backburner for James Cameron for almost six years. And again, the director didn't sit around waiting for the parties involved to sort things out. Cameron moved onto Titanic, is scheduled for principal photography this spring. Whether or not the True Believers will get to see the adventures of that other hero who darts through the sky wearing red and blue spandex before the close of this century remains to be seen.
That brings us up to date where we began with our Scoop Feedback section below. Dig in and enjoy.
Scoop Feedback: (latest casting rumors)
September 14, 2000... The Spider-Man film has officially been pushed back from November 2001 to May 3, 2002. The following comes from the Sony press release...
"Columbia Pictures will begin principal photography on the live-action action-adventure Spider-Man in January and has set the release of the film for May 3, 2002.
"The start date makes possible a production and post-production schedule that will enable the film's creators to realize their ambitious vision for Spider-Man and bring Marvel's worldwide comic book icon to life..."
Interestingly enough, this new move puts the film's release right on track with the release of Star Wars, Episode 2. Imagine that, Spidey versus the Force? Will the real villain please step forward? [Reported by Reg.]
September 15, 2000... You ask for things, and they bring them. We put out an APB on the whereabouts of the Venom project once we learned that New Line had placed it into turnaround. We figured the rights simply reverted back to Marvel, but where did they go from there? Answer: nowhere. We've received an anonymous tip from a solid source that the character's back in the Marvel stables, waiting to be called out for the Spidey franchise.
Does this lend credibility to any Eddie Brock cameo rumors? Let's just say it makes such a thing possible and leave it at that. [Thanks to Anonymous.]
Meanwhile, Comics Continuum reports that Marvel's Avi Arad thinks the latest decision to push Spider-Man back to May 3, 2002 was definitely the right one to make. Here's a quick look at what Arad had to say about the decision...
"We decided that we are much better off with a movie in the summer, especially after X-Men. We'll be starting the summer like Gladiator. I like summer movies...What it does for us, it's the first movie of the summer, it starts the whole business. It also makes it a summer movie in Europe. X-Men, as you know, just started its international run and we are already up to $90 million. The numbers are so much bigger and you have a longer run, and May obviously, is bigger than July because you have a whole summer to go."
[Originally appeared at the ComicsContinuum; reported by Reg.]
September 15, 2000... No second thoughts according to Arad. Comics Continuum reports that Marvel's Avi Arad thinks the latest decision to push Spider-Man back to May 3, 2002 was definitely the right one to make. Here's a quick look at what Arad had to say about the decision...
"We decided that we are much better off with a movie in the summer, especially after X-Men. We'll be starting the summer like Gladiator. I like summer movies...What it does for us, it's the first movie of the summer, it starts the whole business. It also makes it a summer movie in Europe. X-Men, as you know, just started its international run and we are already up to $90 million. The numbers are so much bigger and you have a longer run, and May obviously, is bigger than July because you have a whole summer to go."
[Appeared at the ComicsContinuum; reported by Reg.]
September 19, 2000... Here's the latest Spidey rumor to crawl out of the web at Dark Horizons. A scooper recently sent Horizons a tid-bit on the latest CGI developments rumored to be created for this much anticipated super-hero adaptation. The scooper known as 'Eta Kau Pi' reveals:
"I was talking to Ken Hahn, who was a big special effects guy on Hollow Man, and he told me that they are currently creating an entirely CG Manhattan for the movie. They are even thinking of making Spiderman in costume CG. With the technology the created for Hollow Man, he said it would be a breeze."
This certainly contradicts our earlier scoop from September 11 that revealed martial arts specialist Dominique Vanderburg will be playing the super-hero with his mask on. With the recent news of the film being pushed back until May 3, 2002, perhaps time will decide the fate of these duelling rumors? [Appeared at Dark Horizons; reported by Reg.]
September 21, 2000... Here's an interesting theory from one of our net-bandits who throws their two cents into the whole stunt-double versus CGI issue. Our scooper certainly presents a cool case with a few logical ideas drawn from the recent success of the X-Men, take a look...
"I don't have any certified proof, but listen to reason if you will. It was stated that Wolverine's claws from the X-Men movie were of many different models. Some were actual props, and some were CGI. Could it stand to reason that the same would go for Spider-Man? The action scenes with Spidey kicking Goblin ass would be wire-work with a costumed stunt man, but for scenes with the arachnid swinging through the CGI Manhattan, that would also be CGI. I can already picture that happening...The other advantage of putting in the CGI Spider-Man in at choice occasions would reduce the possibility of a Jackman incident with catching the jewels in a harness." [Thanks going out to 'Newsfop']
September 25, 2000... On Friday, Spiderman Hype ran a report that sheds even more light on the Spider-Man stunt double saga. Shortly after the rumors of Dominique Vandenburg as the Spidey stuntman broke on the internet, Spiderman Hype received this anonymous e-mail from a source close to the production:
"I just read the lastest news about Dominique Vandenberg, and I have to tell you that it is not correct. He will not be the stunt coordinator for the movie, and I'm not even sure he is gong to be one of the Stunt Doubles. Jeff Haberstad is the stunt-Coordinator, and he has selected four stunt doubles for Tobey Maguire. None of which include Dominique."
Haberstad is certainly no stranger to hit movies, his credits include Blade, Men In Black, Broken Arrow, and Face Off. [Appeared at SpidermanHype; reported by Reg.]
We received a scoop last yesterday that seemed to confirm what Spiderman Hype's source told them. Our new scooper (who asked that their name be withheld) also said that four Spider-Man stuntmen have been hired by the production -- and that one of them is Alex Chansky, the former gymnastics captain at the University of California, Berkley. [Name withheld.]
Also, Cinescape reported yesterday that, while talking to Spider-Man director Sam Raimi two days previously, Raimi revealed that Danny Elfman would be scoring the film for him. [Originally appeared on Cinescape.]
September 30, 2000... SFX recently sat down with Spider-Man director Sam Raimi while on tour promoting his current project The Gift. Fortunately, in the midst of his publicity trail, Raimi didn't mind chatting about the upcoming Spidey project with the SFX gang.
"Batman and Superman are great movies, but they're more fantastic-world movies with these superheroes and outrageously funny villains in them. Spider-Man I want to make more real world. Peter Parker is real, and something fantastic happens to him.
"Raimi acknowledges that the audience has expectations of how Spider-Man should be. 'That's brand new for me,' Raimi said. 'The audience already has it in their minds who Peter Parker is, who Aunt May is, who Uncle Ben is, and you can get it wrong. I not only have to meet their expectations, I have to go beyond them. I have to choose so right that they'll think, 'he's the soul of the character.' People will say, 'are you crazy, that isn't Uncle Ben.' But what I'm going to be looking for is the soul of the character, whether or not he looks like him, or not. So he's truly the guy that we've come to know in the comics. Of course Uncle Ben's a bad example, because he's only in it for about a page and then I kill him!' " [Appeared at SFX; reported by Reg.]
October 4, 2000... Director Sam Raimi's been doing quite a bit of talking these days as the live action Spidey feature moves forward. Raimi recently chatted with Popcorn and revealed his thoughts and more interesting information on this much anticipated comic book adaptation. Popcorn adds:
"...The director says he and his crew are currently 'working in every phase of production you can imagine', which includes scouting locations in New York and Los Angeles, setting up sound stages and sets, finalizing script revisions and casting...True to the art of method acting, Maguire is 'undergoing a great transformation himself right now', working with a martial arts expert, a climbing expert and a physical trainer - who is helping him 'work on his body motion to get down the spider-type moves'. In fact, Maguire has spent so much time working on his physical image that Raimi reckons 'it's not going to be a Tobey that anybody recognizes...
"More important, though, is the reason why the director thought Maguire was right for the job in the first place. After all, there were plenty of good-looking twenty-something actors all desperate for the part. But Raimi says it's because the Cider House Rules star 'has a good heart and when you look into Tobey's eyes, he's really true. The thing that made [Peter Parker] so popular is that Peter Parker is a good person and Tobey is a good person, so I think it's going to work.'
"Plans are also being made for the movie's special effects. But while the director is adamant that his movie isn't going to be all effects and no plot, computer wizardry is going to be necessary..." [Appeared at Popcorn; reported by Reg.]
October 6, 2000... Raimi keeps on talking, this time to the Internet Movie Database. It appears that Tobey Maguire is fully entrenched in strict Spidey training. Raimi reveals:
"...We're kicking his a** in the training room. He's working out every day with a stunt co-ordinator and with his yoga instructor. He's on special diets. He is undergoing a tremendous physical metamorphosis. He's got a great desire to see Spiderman up on the screen. He already had a good body but he's now developing the body of a superhero...Tobey's already been working with a wire man, he's got really good physical motion and I think he's studying right now how to move in an insectoid style so he's working on it." Call it dedication or call it crazy, either way it's cool. [Appeared at the IMDB; reported by Reg.]
October 8, 2000... It seems as though everywhere we look Sam Raimi's Spidey-sense is tingling. Or something's tingling, anyway. E! Online recently caught up with Raimi at a charity benefit, where he served up even more casting thoughts on the upcoming production:
"...But what about casting for MJ (Mary Jane Watson), Spidey's girlfriend? Sam says he doesn't even have a shortlist yet, though he's thinking hard about carrot-topped Alicia Witt (Cecil B. DeMented). 'I really like how she tested,' he says. Spider-Man will only battle the Green Goblin this time. And with Nicolas Cage out of the picture due to scheduling conflicts, Raimi's hoping he won't lose busy John Malkovich the same way...' The idea is not to give fans what they expect,' he reasons, 'but what they want.' " Funny...Hudson isn't mentioned at all. Hmmmm. Anyway, moving on:
The Hollywood Reporter recently revealed that James Franco (Whatever it Takes) is in talks to play Harry Osborn, son of the green guy. Apparently, Franco was up for Petey but in losing that role became up for the younger Osborn.
But going further, Spiderman Hype followed up with this: 4Filmmakers shows Franco as a lock and Malkovich as...well, he's not even on the cast list anymore. Do they know something Raimi doesn't or isn't saying? [Appeared at E! Online; Hollywood Reporter; SpidermanHype; 4Filmmakers; reported by Reg.]
October 10, 2000... Spiderman Hype recently received this interesting scoop that indicates director Sam Raimi may be on the hunt for a younger version of Peter Parker:
"I was at a hotel this weekend in Long Island, New York and there was a room where people were holding auditions for something...So later I walked by and to my surprise there was none other than Sam Raimi. He was looking at young boys that looked a lot like a younger version of Tobey Maguire. What does this mean?? Could it be that there will be a flashback scene in the movie?" [Appeared at SpidermanHype; reported by Reg.]
October 12, 2000... It appears the recent release date delay of the Spider-Man production is now having an impact on Marvel Comics' financial portfolio. Yahoo Finance reports:
"Shares of Marvel have not fared too well...losing about 40% of their value in the last five weeks. The drop is likely due to a six-month delay in the release of the company's next major movie production, a live-action version of Spiderman. That means the schedule for receiving licensing revenue on the movie's merchandise has also been moved forward. Investors had hoped that initial Spider-Man-related sales would come as early as the current quarter...This news is definitely a disappointment, but it still does not change our long-term view on the stock." [Appeared at Yahoo; thanks to IGN Film Force for the juicy stock tip; reported by Reg.]
October 13, 2000... Spiderman Hype recently followed up on a report out of Variety that reveals actress Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) is passing on the role of Mary Jane Watson in the upcoming Spider-Man live action feature. Hudson's current acting plan is to join director Shekar Kapur (Elizabeth) on his upcoming war drama Four Feathers. This certainly sheds a new light on the recent rumors that have actress Alicia Witt as director Sam Raimi's new Mary Jane.
[Originally appeared in Variety; also SpidermanHype; reported by Reg.]
October 20, 2000... The most recent spy report at reveals the latest word from Spidey himself. Speaking at a recent press conference in Italy, Tobey Maguire offered up a few more Spiderman details. Spiderman Hype adds:
"...Maguire talked of Spider-Man, saying that Alicia Witt is a sure thing for the role of Mary Jane, while they are having problems casting the Norman Osborn role after the defection of Malkovich. He then went on saying he had never read a Spider-man Comic-book but liked the part as written in the script." [Appeared at SpidermanHype; reported by Reg.]
October 21, 2000... Will Bruce Campbell be joining the Spidey gang? At this point it's still anyone's guess but E-Online, managed to snag the straight story from Campbell himself. Here's the latest Campbell file:
"Is there a place in Spider-Man for director Sam Raimi's longtime leading man and cult favorite Bruce Campbell? I asked Campbell when I ran into him at a screening for the newly restored Halloween on, appropriately, Friday the 13th. 'We always work together,' says Campbell. But the phone hasn't rung yet. 'Sam's a squirrelly *******.' " [Appeared at E-Online; reported by Reg.]
October 24, 2000...Spiderman Hype shows us the way to Imaginary Forces where the new Spider-Man teaser trailer is now online. According to Hype, Sony Pictures was looking for a company who could assemble a strong, precise, aggressive, fast, mysterious, and clever 3D sequence that would reflect the feel of Spider-Man himself. As it turns out, Imaginary Forces, the company behind such title sequence animations as The Mummy and Men in Black, won the job. [Originally appeared at Imaginary Forces: thanks to Spiderman Hype; reported by Reg.]
October 25, 2000... A longtime scooper has contacted us with great news for all you anxiously-awaiting fans of the film. Guess what ADI special effects supervisor Tom Woodruff is shooting today? The mask and makeup effects for none other than the Green Goblin. Hopefully we'll be able to convince our scooper to give us a detailed report as to what the Goblin design looks like. [You never know where 'Farrah's Panties' might turn up.]
October 30, 2000... It looks like rumor that Randy "Macho Man" Savage will have a part in Spider-Man are indeed accurate. The Houston Chronicle published a report last week where the paper caught up with Savage while he was at the paper's Special Olympics Celebrity Carnival on the evening of October 24th. Savage spoke briefly about being in the upcoming Spider-Man to Chronicle reporter Chris Chancellor, saying that his character would be similar to Bane from Batman and Robin and might be named "Smasher". [Scooped to us by 'Moosez'; T appeared on Scoops Wrestling.com and first at The Houstyu on Chronicle.]
There's a slightly different story being told by IGN FilmForce today about the Spider-Man wrestling character Savage will portray. According to the FilmForce article, one of their readers asked the wrestler about the rumor. Savage then told them he'd be playing the part of Bone Saw McGraw. [Originally appeared in IGN FilmForce.]
November 5, 2000... Empire Online caught up with Malkovich at the London Film Festival, where Shadow of the Vampire was being screened. And rightly so, they asked him about climbing on board the glider. His answer? In a word: no. But to elucidate, Malkovich was quite honest about his reasons, so we felt we'd reprint the quotes here: "I won't be doing Spider-Man. It's not really my genre particularly, and there were scheduling difficulties and what they offered wasn't in any way an inducement for me to do it."
Empire then asked if this had anything to do with the possibility of playing in a sequel to Talented Mr. Ripley, and he responded that it was a possibility, but that wasn't the only reason. "It was everything, way too much time, not enough money, not enough of anything. I mean, if I'd have loved it obviously I would have done it, but those sort of films aren't art films, they're business propositions." [Originally appeared at Empire Online.]
November 10, 2000... Ain't It Cool News first reported it, and now Comics2Film has confirmed it: actor J.K. Simmons (who plays Vern Schillenger on HBO's Oz) has auditioned for the role of J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. An unnamed source told C2F that Simmons is a "strong contender" for the part, and that the actor had a "great, great audition." [Originally appeared on Ain't It Cool, Comics2Film.]
So is William H. Macy out of the running? Our source told us he was front and center for the part, but now the indication is Raimi is auditioning other actors for the role. Simmons would be a great choice, no doubt, but we still want to know what happened to Macy?
4:40 PM, November 17, 2000... Coming Attractions has just been informed by Sony Pictures that, as of this afternoon, Willem Dafoe (Platoon, eXistenZ and the upcoming Shadow of the Vampire) has been signed to play The Green Goblin in Spider-Man. The 45 year old actor will now play the role that John Malkovich vacated earlier last month. This is confirmed and rock solid, kids! [Thanks to Sony Pictures.]
5:30 PM, November 17, 2000... It looks like the first site to break the news was SpiderManHype.com, who got the material online a half-hour before our piece ran. This is definitely a case where you should believe the hype! [Pumpkin bomb busting by SpiderManHype.com.]
November 18, 2000... In other casting news, the crew at Spider-Man Hype.com, have also confirmed with Sony that Franco is definitely in as Harry O. To see their report, click here. [Originally appeared on SpiderManHype.com; scooped by JangoFett24 and PjParker.]
November 28, 2000... Sony Pictures sent out a late afternoon press release stating that the studio is in final negotiations with actor James Franco. Franco has long been rumored to be the front-runner to play Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn/the Green Goblin (to be played by Willem Dafoe).
Here's the full press release:
Culver City, CA, November 28, 2000 - James Franco is in final negotiations to join the cast of Columbia Pictures’ live-action feature film Spider-Man, the studio announced today. He will play Harry Osborn, the high school pal and college roommate of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire).
Franco is currently filming a co-starring role opposite Robert De Niro in Franchise Pictures’ City By the Sea for director Michael Caton-Jones. He recently completed shooting the title role in TNT’s “James Dean,†directed by Mark Rydell, and the Martin Scorsese-produced independent film Deuces Wild, starring with Stephen Dorff, Fairuza Balk, Brad Renfro and Matt Dillon. He was last seen starring on the big screen in Columbia Pictures/Phoenix Pictures’ Whatever It Takes.
Last season, Franco starred in NBC’s critically acclaimed series “Freaks and Geeks.†In 1998, Franco co-starred opposite Drew Barrymore in the 20th Century Fox hit Never Been Kissed.
Spider-Man is helmed by Sam Raimi (The Gift, For Love of the Game, A Simple Plan), a self-confessed fanatic of the web-slinging superhero. Laura Ziskin (As Good As it Gets, To Die For, Pretty Woman) and Oscar nominee Ian Bryce (Almost Famous, Saving Private Ryan, Twister) produce. Avi Arad (X-Men, Blade) serves as executive producer.
The film centers on student Peter Parker who, after being bitten by a mutant spider, gains superhuman strength and the spider-like ability to cling to any surface. He vows to dedicate his life to fighting crime. Harry Osborn, Peter’s friend, is haunted by the relentless desire to live up to his father Norman’s (Willem Dafoe) expectations. Unbeknownst to both Harry and Peter, Norman is the Green Goblin, Spider-Man’s arch-enemy.
The screenplay for Spider-Man was written by David Koepp (Stir of Echoes, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park). The creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess (Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, Forrest Gump), production designer Neil Spisak (The Gift, For Love of the Game, Heat) and costume designer James Acheson, who has won Academy Awards for Restoration, Dangerous Liaisons and The Last Emperor.
The film is slated to begin shooting in Los Angeles in January. The production will then move to New York. Spider-Man is being readied for a May 3, 2002 release.
Columbia Pictures is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. SPE is a division of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution, television production and distribution, worldwide channel investments, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development of new entertainment products, services and technologies, and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web http://www.spe.sony.com.
Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies with operations in five divisions: licensing, toys-via its Toy Biz division-comic book and trade publishing, entertainment and the Internet. Through the ownership of over 4,700 proprietary characters, Marvel licenses its characters in a wide range of consumer products, services and media such as feature films, television, the Internet, apparel, video games, collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvel’s characters and plot lines are created and developed through the comic book publishing division, which maintains a leadership position in the U.S. and abroad. For additional company information visit the Company’s corporate Web site at http://www.marvel.com. [Thanks to Sony Pictures.]
December 2, 2000... Comics2Film does a roundup on potential Mary Janes who may have scheduling problems that will keep them from making Peter Parker's dreams come true. Actress James King has signed on board Lone Star State of Mind, and the production schedules for Lone Star and this project overlap quite nicely. In addition, Mena Suvari, if she appears in American Pie 2, will more than likely have that as a conflict. Which makes sense, since she needs to be Gwen Stacy instead. But regardless, that story can be found over at Comics2Film. [Originally appeared at Variety, SpiderManHype.com, Comics2Film.]
December 6, 2000... Sometimes you get a piece of fan art that looks so good, we naturally have to show it to the rest of the world.
Today we received just such a piece of art. Behold Jim Compton's interpretation of what the teaser poster for Spider-Man should be!
"To the Freaks, geeks and all you other people on the internet... I give you. S-P-I-D-E-R-M-A-N," was all our scooper said in his email to us today. Upon closer examination the logo made for the poster looks not quite as slick as the movie logo we've seen earlier...but apart from that one minor nitpick, we think it's one helluva piece of work. [Our hats are off to Jim Compton for giving the Spider fans an early Christmas present.]
December 12, 2000... Well, the search for MJ ends...and at the end of the yellow brick road (or spider-web as the case may be), we find...Kirsten Dunst. Although the actress had been rumored to be in the running for the role, confirmation from Sony came about five minutes ago that she did indeed ink the deal. We hear that you can expect the info to smack the trades on Thursday. [Thanks to Sony for the info; reported by Suni Sidhu.]
December 13, 2000... This next scooper recently conducted an interview with Anthony LaMolinara, one of the creators for the special effects in such films as Stuart Little and Hollow Man. LaMolinara offered up a few nuggets of info about how they're approaching the digital realizations of the hero and villain in the movie:
"I made an interview with Anthony LaMolinara (a very kind person, by the way) in Naples at Monumedia (a festival focused on new technologies). I asked him some informations about the work he's doing on Spider-Man. He described me how the two main characters (Spidey and the Green Goblin) will look like. In particular, they want to use a lot of computer graphic when Peter Parker will be in his costume. They are also working to create a very cool effect for his hands when he climbs the walls. The Green Goblin will look as a surfer according to LaMolinara and they are doing for him great pumpkin bombs. Imageworks is concentrated on these two characters and they are not foretelling to work on other villains for this first movie. Why I'm saying first? Because LaMolinara is very confident on the movie and he thinks we'll see many sequels. You can see the video interview at: CaltaNet." [Scooped by our pal Robert Bernocchi.]
Early morning...December 16, 2000... For the aforementioned ShoWest teaser trailer with a bunch of CGI web stuff flying about, click here to go to the French Premiere site and check it out. [Nyarlathotep means quality, originally appeared at http://www.premiere.fr.]
Late evening...December 16, 2000... SpiderManHype.com is listing Cliff Robertson as being just the other side of official confirmation to being Uncle Ben. Also, Randy Savage apparently has stated he will be playing Bonesaw McGraw. [Originally appeared at SpiderManHype.com.]
December 18, 2000... SciFi.com was the first to break word about the latest Spider-Man castings. Speaking at apress conference for his upcoming supernatural thriller The Gift, director Sam Raimi confirmed the addition of Cliff Robertson as Uncle Ben, as well as revealing that Rosemary Harris will play Aunt May. Raimi also said his longtime buddy Bruce Campbell, star of the Evil Dead films, will also be making a cameo in Spider-Man.
The director also acknowledged that the movie's script had -- and still is -- undergoing rewrites, even though shooting is a month away. "I'm not happy with it yet," Raimi told reporters at the press conference. "But I think it's a very good script now. What we need to do is make it more than great, though. That's the problem. The expectation is so high that a very good script that I would have shot, and happily, isn't good enough. So I would say it's true, but that's the relatuive terms that it's true in. But no, the studio...[is now] happy. Now it's worse than that. Now I've got to get happy." [Originally broken by SciFi.com, with scoopage from Ted Geoghegan.]
December 20, 2000... Comics2Film is reporting that J.K. Simmons (Oz, For Love of the Game) is confirmed to star as Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man. A source told C2F Simmons is definitely on-board the project, although no official announcement has materialized from Sony just yet. [Originally appeared at Comics2Film.]
Official announcement of Bruce Campbell's involvement also came today in The Hollywood Reporter. Campbell was officially mentioned as playing the wrestling ring announcer in the match-up between Spider-Man and "Bone Saw" McGraw. [The Hollywood Reporter, better late than never.]
3:40 PM, January 4, 2001... Coming Attractions was invited to a special press event held by Sony Pictures today, allowing the press to meet the cast and crew of Spider-Man. Held on the Sony Pictures lot in Hollywood, CA's own Suni Sidhu attended the event, listened to director Sam Raimi and stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe and James Franco, and gazed upon two of the sets where filming will take place!
IMAGE #1: This wrestling cage match set (below) surrounded the set of chairs where, in a short while, the Spider-Man cast and crew would sit. Moments before the press conference was about to start, the cage lifted off the mat and rose into the air, allowing access for Sam Raimi and his team. (pic not shown here)
IMAGE #2: The Spider-Man conference is underway! Seated from left to right are executive producer Avi Arad, producer Laura Ziskin, actors James Franco, Willem Dafoe, Tobey Maguire, director Sam Raimi, actress Kirsten Dunst, special effects supervisor John Dykstra, and producer Ian Bryce. The wrestling mat's logo, "NYWL" stands for the "New York Wrestling League", the make believe wrestling association that will host the film's wrestling match between a newbie Spider-Man and "Bone Saw" McGraw. In the film Peter Parker decides to start out his Spider-Man career by trying to make some money by enterting a wrestling match with Bone Saw (a.k.a. "Macho Man" Randy Savage.) This is the actual set where the scene will be filmed. (pic not shown here)
IMAGE #3: Suni took this snapshot of another Spider-Man set which appears to be the top part of a hotel building. Above the hotel facade is a green screen on the roof, probably to place the skyline of New York City in the background. As well, there appears to be some machinery rigged to make part of the hotel fall away, as if an explosion were to take place... (pic not shown here)
IMAGE #4: Here's a close-up shot of the hotel balcony that appears to be made up to "fall" away during the scene. (pic not shown here)
IMAGE #5: And here they are, the main quintet of the Spider-Man movie: from left to right, actress Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), actor Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), director Sam Raimi, and actors Willem Dafoe (Norman Osborn/Green Goblin) and James Franco (Harry Osborn). Look at Tobey and that boy's arms -- he is pumped and ready to play Spidey! (pic not shown here)
Fans, friends, compatriots -- the long wait is nearly over. The first day of filming on Sony Pictures' long-awaited Spider-Man is this coming Monday, January 8th! [Reported by your friendly neighborhood Suni Sidhu.]
4:00 PM, January 4, 2001... SpiderManHype.com has just posted Part 1 of their press conference transcript, dealing the questions asked to Sam Raimi, Willem Dafoe and John Dykstra. Raimi confirmed that his brother Ted will indeed be in the movie, as well as commented on the controversy surrounding the organic webshooters over the comic book's traditional mechanical ones. The question was asked by SpiderManHype.com, and Raimi responded:
"I'm familiar with the debate but I haven't followed every bit of it. I know that in the Spider-Man comic books, to clarify that issue, Spider-Man is vested with these powers and the webshooters and we web fluid that he builds, he puts it in the webshooters and that's how he shoots the webs. But, what we're trying to do in this Spider-Man picture is not just stick to the level of the comic books, we're trying to capture the spirit of the picture. Now, we've always seen the great strength of Spider-Man and the fact that he's a real person, he's one of us. He's a kid from Brooklyn who doesn't have a lot of money. He doesn't get the girls, he's got acne, he's an average looking kid. (BIG LAUGH as Tobey looks at him weird)? well, slightly better than average. And he's one of us, unlike Superman who's from the planet Krypton or other fantastic heroes. He's really a kid who we identify with. And this kid is vested with these great powers, or perhaps cursed with these powers. But the important thing is that he's one of us. In the comic book, which I'm a giant fan of, he is a genius and we're going to keep that. He's a very smart kid, but when he can develop a material that even 3M corporation can't seem to develop, it stops and distances him from a normal human being and an average kid in high school. So we thought the best thing to do was, since he's bit by the spider and takes on the powers of the spider?crawling walls, the ability to leap like some spiders have, the great proportion of strength of a spider he's developed on the inside, we thought it was a logic progression to led it also spin its own web, and that way keep him a complete human being that we could identify with and being consistent with the once he's bitten by spider takes on all the powers, why not take on all 5 and not just 4 out of 5. In addition, it was another device to create alienation because Peter Parker has always been an outcast and Spider-Man a misunderstood hero. And I think that's a lot of the appeal of Spider-Man that teenage kids understand who think that I'm not understood just like Spider-Man. So having yourself change physically distances you from your friends and peers and I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."
Read what Raimi has to say about the cinematic version of Spider-Man's costume, as well as Willem Dafoe talking about how he'll play the Green Goblin by reading Part 1 of the press conference transcript!
[Brought to you by the gang at SpiderManHype.com, who're out to give the competition at the online version of the Daily Bugle a run for its money.]
January 5, 2001... Extras are wanted for the wrestling scene in Spider-Man! Audience Associates Inc. informed us that they're looking for people who are interested in playing the role of wrestling spectators to watch Spider-Man and "Bone Saw" McGraw get it on in the squared circle!
Details are as follows: the days of filming will be Wednesday, January 17th and Thursday the 18th , from 8 AM to 7 PM. Extras must be over the age of 16. The email from Audience Associates describes the extras part as the following: "You will be a 'unpaid Spectator' on the set, as part of a crowd, - a group of excited, cheering/booing/hissing fans watching a wild out of control caged wrestling match. This scene is where Peter Parker (played by Tobey Maguire) first becomes Spider-Man and takes on the 'Evil' Bone Saw McGraw (played by Macho Man Randy Savage) There will be special effects. You are there in the crowd to help cheer him on."
Please note that you won't get paid for the time spent on set, but Audience Associates says everyone will be given a continental breakfast and box lunch, as well as be included in draws for prizes and merchandise. If you're interested or want additional information, email audiencela@yahoo.com, call their office at (323) 653-4105, or visit their website at tvtix.com. [Press release furinished by Audience Associates.]
Related Sites:
SpiderManHype.com -- The domain name says it all. Casting, news, and production news and rumors, all about the forthcoming movie, make up this site. An interesting component of the site allows readers to vote on who they'd like to see in the Spider-Man movie - and the results are posted.
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Last updated: Friday, 05-Jan-2001 18:28:48 PST.
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