Marvel Movie Madness! Part 23: Spider-Man 2

Alan Smithee

I wouldn't say the character development is much different between SM & IM. They both have to deal with great responsibility (yadda yadda) and they both have women troubles. Not to mention they both deal with it all with a super human wise-cracking mechanism. It's true that Doc Oc gave it some emotional weight, but I wouldn't say that gave it the advantage. Iron Man is overall the most solid Marvel film to date. The dialogue is whittier and the pacing is tighter. Plus Downey and Bridges are both top of their class.

Jun 29 - 10:31 PM

Gordon Terry

I'm glad you like SPIDY, dude: so do I. Unlike some people around here.

Jun 30 - 06:54 PM

Kriss Kringle

The characters are too outrageous.It just didn't work for me.

Jul 1 - 05:43 AM

Gordon Terry

I'm a TOTAL FAN!!!! each one got better and better . . . BRUCE CAMPBELL was THE BEST!!!!!!!! (he'd pop-up in every movie). SPIDERMAN IV was supposed to reveal Bruce Campbell as Peter Parker's WORST ENEMY!!!! and then "they" pulled the plug on Sam Raimi's involvement in the series. BUMMER

Jun 29 - 06:29 PM

Noah Kinsey

Um, Gordo? RAIMI pulled the plug on Raimi's involvement.

Jun 29 - 07:03 PM

Matanuki .

Musta been a full moon out.

Jun 30 - 07:12 AM

Gordon Terry

NO; HERE'S THE ARTICLE TO PROVE IT!!!!!
damn . . . SO, from now on I have to INCLUDE AN RTICLE TO PROVE EVERYTHING I WRITE . . . its NOT FAIR! SONY PULLED THE PLUG! (to cut costs HERE's the article) The CEO of SonyCulver City, CA (January 11, 2010) -- Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.

The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. "Spider-Man 4" was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.

"A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We´re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter's roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning," said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

"Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job," said Sam Raimi.

"We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade. This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else´s hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable," said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio´s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. "Now everything begins anew, and that´s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can´t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012."

"Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. "We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen."

The studio will have more news about Spider-Man in 2012 in the coming weeks as it prepares for production of the film.

And there you have it. Spidey gets a major makeover. Batman survived countless facelifts. Will Spider-Man?


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pictures pulled the plug on RAIMI

Jun 30 - 09:49 AM

Noah Kinsey

Hey, buddy, thanks for at least having some sort of info to back up your beliefs. Unfortunately, this is a perfect example of cause and effect. What you pasted was the EFFECT of the situation. It was the PR release announcing the reboot plans after Raimi left. It was WELL documented that Raimi decided he just couldn't pull together a movie he wanted and the studio wanted - not to mention in the timeframe they were asking for (if they didn't release a Spidey movie by 2012, they would lose the rights back to Marvel). So he left. Dig deeper and you'll see the articles on it (because there are many). But of COURSE the PR releases are going to spin it to generate excitement for the new movie. So while Sony has the benefit of not spending the large amount for his movie, they would have happily spent the money on the Raimi/Spidey successful track record. Look it up. And on a seperate note - your long posts AREN'T articles?! Please don't start adding them.

Jun 30 - 12:17 PM

Gordon Terry

NOPE. Where's the documentation of your assertions? You post ZERO website addresses and you post ZERO quotations saying that Raimi was leaving. IN fact here on Rotten Tomatoes in 2009 there was an article stating Spiderman IV was going to be released on MAY 4, 2011. and then in JANUARY came the reports that The Studio changed its Plans.///reading it closely, Raimi hadn't committed. And Ziskin died earlier this month from Breast Cancer.

http://www.slashfilm.com/spider-man-4-in-may-2011/

"Spider-Man producer Laura Ziskin told theater owners on Thursday that Spider-Man 4 is tentatively being scheduled for a May 2011 release. She also confirmed that screenwriter James Vanderbilt has yet to turn in a final screenplay, but she insisted that Sony Pictures is very hopeful that they will be on track for 2011.
"Director Sam Raimi has yet to commit to the project, and told press earlier this month that he is ?excited to read? the screenplay, and is ?hoping it?s as great as our discussions were about it and hoping it feels right?. No stars are signed on to the project, however Sony has publicly insisted that they want to bring Tobey Maguire back for the fourth film. I still wonder if the script and money will be enough to bring the original team back to the fold. JK Simmons has said that the studio has recently checked in with his agents to say they want him back for a sequel, and he?s ready to return if Raimi is still involved.

Jun 30 - 06:22 PM

Noah Kinsey

Since you love to do research, you need to be a daily reader of Deadline.com. Here's the article (1 of many): http://www.deadline.com/2010/01/urgent-spider-man-4-scrapped-as-is-raimi-and-cast-out-franchise-reboot-planned/ . Like I said, read business insider sites, not just PR releases.

Jun 30 - 07:00 PM

Gordon Terry

Read Carefully, The Studio had a Deadline that Raimi said he couldn't meet; the Studio COULD HAVE negotiated with Raimi and opted not to because THe Studio ha other plans for Spiderman . . . NAMELY BUDGET CUTS. EXCLUSIVE: 'SPIDER-MAN 4' SCRAPPED; SAM RAIMI & TOBEY MAGUIRE & CAST OUT; FRANCHISE REBOOT FOR 2012
By NIKKI FINKE AND MIKE FLEMING | Monday January 11, 2010 @ 5:13pm ESTTags: Actors, Comic Books, Movies, Studios
Comments 781

UPDATES EXCLUSIVE: 'Spider-Man 4' Officially Has No Start Date As Of Today Because Of Script Problems; Sony "Unlikely" To Make Scheduled May 5, 2011, Release Date

BREAKING NEWS! 3RD UPDATE: Tobey Maguire just released this statement to me: â??I am so proud of what we accomplished with the Spider-Man franchise over the last decade. Beyond the films themselves I have formed some deep and lasting friendships. I am excited to see the next chapter unfold in this incredible story.â??

2ND UPDATE: Mike Fleming and Nikki Finke have just confirmed that Sony Pictures decided today to reboot the Spider-Man franchise after franchise director Sam Raimi pulled out of Spider-Man 4 because he felt he couldn't make its summer release date and keep the film's creative integrity. This means that Raimi and the cast including star Tobey Maguire are out. There will be no Spider-Man 4. Instead, Mike Fleming is told, the studio will focus on a Summer 2012 reboot from a script by Jamie Vanderbilt with a new director and a new cast. All this took place today at meeting on the lot today. An official Sony Pictures news release about it is expected out now (see below).

Immediately, the news brought celebration and consternation equally to webslinger fanboys who say the reboot plot puts Peter Parker back in high school. There's also much unconfirmed speculation that this new franchise will be in 3D. And the fans also recall that, in 1991, James Cameron wrote a treatment for Spider-Man and now they're wondering if he might helm the reboot. (Sony ended up acquiring his treatment in a legal settlement.)

Here's what went down: My sources tell me that Raimi told Sony Pictures: "I can't make your date. I can't go forward creatively." And, so, once he said "That's it", Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal and Columbia Pictures' Matt Tolmach decided they didn't want to replace him and instead chose to reboot the franchise. Insiders also tell me that Tobey Maguire heard the news in a phone call with Amy today. I'm told Tobey wasn't upset. "He's made 3 great Spider-Man movies. He's done really well. But he's the kind of guy who, if Sam wanted to go forward, would have been there for Sam and the studio. Absolutely."

Mike Fleming has heard that, from Spidey, Raimi could move to World Of Warcraft, or to The Given Day, that terrific novel by Dennis Lehane, author of Shutter Island and Mystic River. Both are worthy projects, but World Of Warcraft is a huge franchise.

Fortunately for the studio, Sony was not yet "pay or play" on some of the talent negotiations which were still only at the tail end. Raimi was insisting that John Malkovich play the villain, and the studio was looking to cast Anne Hathaway. "I'm not so sure we're going in that direction," an insider told me on January 5th. Sony had been hot for her until bigwigs realized she'd cost too much and they probably don't need "such a big star" for the pic, I was told. (See my previous, Anne Hathaway Wanted For 'Spider-Man 4'.)

As for those repeated rumors that Spider-Man 4 might shoot in 3D, I've learned it would have added at least 6 months to the production schedule and "no one on the pic has any idea how to do that," a source confided. You've got to figure 3D now is uppermost on Sony minds given the post-Avatar climate, and Summer 2012 is more than enough time to make the reboot with new technology. Back in April, Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton told Forbes magazine: "People are paying a premium to see movies in 3-D and that's a very big deal. It's never been done before that someone says you have to pay more to see Spider-Man than a romantic comedy."

The events that led to today's shocking decision to scrap Spider-Man 4 can be traced to mid-December when I saw a December 11th email alerting the pic's special effects crew that the fourquel would not be starting as planned "but Sam Raimi has story issues [that] need to be resolved before we are ready to shoot". At that point, it wasn't well known that the Spider-Man franchise director helming the 4th installment had huge problems with the script that has run through screenwriters Jamie Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire, and Gary Ross. I was told Sam Raimi had been very vocal inside Sony that he "hated" it. I broke this story on January 5th, and reported that Raimi and Sony were anxiously waiting for still another version from screenwriter Alvin Sargent, who wrote Spidey 2 & 3 and is married to Spidey franchise producer Laura Ziskin. "It is unlikely that May 11, 2011, date will be made,"

Jul 1 - 08:11 AM

Gordon Terry

FROM the LOS ANGELES TIMES . . .
(NOAH you BASELESSLY disagree with many people on this thread . . . its a shame//again you are too analytical in tyour thinking.)

---I even wrote to Sony / Columbia Pictures when this Bullshit happened. Sam Raimi's Spiderman series needs CLOSURE . . we are now STUCK not knowing the real identity of "The Bruce Campbell Character" . . . This SPIDERMAN series meant a lot too me because the stories would be cohesive with each subsequent film . . . and now the stories are SILENCED because The Studio cut the budget and gave Sam Raimi an ultimatum.

(I have two articles to your one article supporting my claim that SPIDERMAN was DERAILED because of The Studio AND "Sam Raimi" inability to come to an agreement.)//
Again I think its a SHAME that money had to be a factor in Screwing-us out of seeing what would happen with THE BRUCE CAMPBELL character.

'Spider-Man' film team is squashed
Sony delays the fourth film and parts ways with director Sam Raimi and stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, the tandem that helped the first three movies earn $2.5 billion in worldwide box office.
January 12, 2010|By Claudia Eller and John Horn

Peter Parker can catch all sorts of villains in his webs, but the one thing Spider-Man couldn't bring to Sony Pictures was a workable script -- and budget -- for the $2.5-billion franchise's fourth installment, derailing one of the most lucrative movie series in Hollywood history.

Less than a week after the studio said it was postponing production on the fourth web-slinger movie over story problems, Sony on Monday pulled the plug on the project as it was being conceived with director Sam Raimi after he told the studio he wasn't comfortable moving forward with the sequel, originally scheduled for release in May 2011.
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Star Tobey Maguire, who has played the arachnid superhero in the previous three "Spider-Man" films, is also bowing out, as is his on-screen love interest, Kirsten Dunst. The studio said it would hire a new star and director and re-boot the movie as a story about Parker's early life as a "teenager grappling with contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises." Because Sony is essentially starting from scratch, the studio has pushed the picture's release to 2012.

The resulting film is expected to be far less costly than the production Raimi had envisioned for his version. Sony wanted to make the picture for about $230 million, which the director thought was not enough given his ambitions.

" 'Spider-Man' will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously," Sony Chairman Michael Lynton said in a prepared statement. "We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films."

The studio declined to elaborate on the decision. But several people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter said Sony hopes to find a new director and actors quickly, with filming expected to begin before the end of the year. Screenwriter James Vanderbilt ("Zodiac") has been hired to write the script, and "Spider-Man" veterans Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin will return as producers, the studio said.

The postponement of such a lucrative franchise leaves Sony with a huge hole in its 2011 schedule, especially in the summer, when the studios release their big, expensive -- and often highly profitable -- event movies. The first three "Spider-Man" films grossed nearly $2.5 billion in their worldwide theatrical releases and generated hundreds of millions of dollars more in DVD, TV and merchandising sales.

Despite the studio's corporate parent's massive size, the "Spider-Man" films have had a material impact on Sony Corp.'s bottom line. In the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2004, for instance, Sony said that initial returns from "Spider-Man 2" were one of the main factors in the studio's quarterly swing from an operating loss to a profit.

The first three movies also made a significant difference to the income at the previously publicly traded Marvel, which is now less reliant on "Spider-Man" earnings since recently being acquired by the Walt Disney Co. Thanks to royalties from Sony as well as its 50% cut of merchandise on 2007's "Spider-Man 3," Marvel reported $122 million of revenue.

Sony and the filmmakers have been scrambling for weeks to keep â??Spider-Man 4â?? together, according to people close to the project.

There have been four writers on the sequel. In addition to a draft by Vanderbilt, the studio hired Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire ("Rabbit Hole") and Gary Ross ("Seabiscuit") to revise the script. Alvin Sargent (who has writing credits on the last two "Spider-Man" films) then spe

Jul 1 - 08:20 AM

Markus Arbutina

Thanks Brian. Come on no one else picked up on the Billy Madison reference. I respect his opinion, just really wanted to use that line.

Jun 29 - 07:44 PM

Linda Burke

I actually agree with you Patrick. I've always thought Tobey was annoying in the role. Same goes for Dunst. Never liked either of them.

Jun 30 - 10:33 AM

Markus Arbutina

Haha, you guys just don't know your movies.

Jul 2 - 11:36 AM

Wig gins

You didn't like that they gave Doc Oc a human side?

Jun 29 - 08:10 PM

Cyborg Unicorn

Well I liked it a bit, and it made sense in the movie, but I guess myself being more of an Ultimate fan, I wanted Doc Ock to be more sinister. I remember reading an issue where Doc Ock punched tied-up spider-man's tooth loose and then pulled it out with his mechanical arm!

Jun 29 - 09:33 PM

Cyborg Unicorn

but Sandman having a human side ticked me off a little more, especially with everything going on in the movie.

Jun 29 - 09:34 PM

Wig gins

No offense but I fail to see how that makes Doc Oc interesting, it seems just like the typical comic book "make him evil and violent because it's cool and mature" kind of thing. Someone like the Joker fits as a complete psychopathic monster, but Spider-Man 2's human and remorseful Doc Oc is the most interesting take on the character.

But with that said, trying to make Sandman an empathetic villain was just a sad attempt at recreating what they did with Doc Oc. Sandman was always a lame villain (Lizard should have been the baddie in Spidey 3), and they only had him in there for the visual effects, but they tried to give him pathos with the story with his daughter and revealing him to be Uncle Ben's "real" killer (which only destroyed the whole moral backdrop of the series).

Jun 30 - 02:14 AM

Gordon Terry

at any rate THe BRUCE CAMPBELL story-thread in Sam Raimi's SPIDERMAN will be lost forever, boooooooooo hoooooo hoooooo (crying like a baby). SPIDERMAN was a BRILLIANT series under Sam Raimi's direction . . .EVEN THOUGH A LOT OF PEOPLE dismiss it as being brilliant.

Jun 30 - 09:53 AM

Manuel Granados

At least that freed up Bruce Campbell to be Sam Axe in Burn Notice, so it's good.

Jun 30 - 10:27 AM

Jeremiah Rancourt

Raimi had a few villians waiting in the background for a Spiderman 4 and 5, likely both Mysterio and the Lizard. That's how you're supposed to do a villain lead-up, by introducing the characters earlier in the series and then turning them bad.

I read on an imdb article that Raimi had intended to make The Lizard the next bad guy in Spiderman 4, but Sony nixed the idea b/c he wouldn't be "believable." Yet, here we are w/ the reboot and they're doing The Lizard w/o all the patient lead-up Raimi had been preparing.

Raimi chose The Vulture after The Lizard was shot down by Sony. That's what I heard and read. I am not interested in the Spidey reboot and hope it does poorly enough that Sony begs Raimi to return.

Jun 30 - 12:57 PM

Jason Woods

You constant and random use of caps lock makes me angry. And Spider Man 3 was a terrible movie.

Jul 1 - 11:24 AM

Gordon Terry

SPIDER MAN 3, made close to a BILLION DOLLARS dude.

somebody must have liked it.

Budget $258 million
Gross revenue $890,871,626//

its like people are on another planet. If the movie was bad nobody would have seen it.

Jul 1 - 12:46 PM

Big Brother

I liked Drag Me because firstly, I'm a huge fan of horror comedies. LOTR's will always be second in my heart to The Frighteners by Peter Jackson :). OK, maybe I'm exaggerating there, but I do love the genre and it's so rare to see much in the horror genre that's quality anymore. I actually went into Drag Me expecting to be disappointed again and instead it reminded me exactly why I love the genre in the first place. Plus I have a soft spot because it inspired the "Tales of the demon goat clown" stories that my nieces get such a kick out of. Nothing quite so amusing as being told the friars in the kitchen at Applebee's are down and having you niece explain to the waitress in a dead serious voice that it was probably the demon goat clown that did it. Have I possibly traumatized them for life? Maybe. Was it totally worth it? Definately :).

Jun 30 - 09:24 AM

Noah Kinsey

I LOVE The Frighteners!!!

Jun 30 - 12:23 PM

Noah Kinsey

You, good sir, just went up another level in awesomeness. But on to Drag Me to Hell. My problem was I went in with HUGE expectations since I had heard how great it was, and how it was return to form with him. I just didn't see that. Plus, I felt the girl did nothing wrong when she denied the old bat ANOTHER extension on her loan. It wasn't in her hands, really. It would've been one thing had this been the FIRST extension. In other words, I felt the whole movie was her being unjustly punished. And seriously, old lady? Curses don't grow on trees. Save those for people who REALLY deserve them. Like child predators. Or people who park over the white line into another spot, when the parking lot is already pretty full - making you park in BFE (Butt F*cking England) away from your destination.

Jun 30 - 12:34 PM

Cyborg Unicorn

Darkman for me, then Evil Dead 2. I liked that the first wasn't as funny as the second was, but they're all absurd for sure, and the quality of the second surely surpasses the first. But I do like that scene when the house starts laughing, that's my favorite part even though i slightly dislike the silliness in the film. The third one is even worse, but maybe I'll watch it if it's on tv

Jun 29 - 10:16 PM

Cyborg Unicorn

Liam Neeson is a badass, there's no denying it. The whole time I was watching Taken, I was thinking, "This is the most pumped I've seen him since Darkman!" and got me really jonesing to watch it again.

Jun 29 - 10:18 PM

Justin D.

How right you are. It was almost as bad as the toad/lightning joke in X-Men. How about the sad attempt at a joke when he first encounters Dr. Octopus?

Doc Ock - "You're getting on my nerves."
Spidey - "I have a knack for that."
Doc Ock - "Not anymore."

Seriously Raimi? That's the best you could come up with? You, the man who created the - admittedly funny - Evil Dead series? Let's not forget the scene in the elevator w/ Hal Sparks (nice to see he's putting that "I Love the [insert decade here]" popularity to good use). What's the old saying; "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard?"

Jun 29 - 07:25 PM

Manuel Granados

The only wit and humor that appears in these movies comes from: Bruce Campbell and the ridiculous situations with the Stan Lee cameo. It annoyed me that even in video games like Marvel Vs Capcom Spider-Man has amazing one liners yet in this movie he's as funny as an alcoholic clown. And what makes it worst is that Raimi is not Aronofsky (who is incapable of doing something silly/funny at times), he gave us the scene where the little Bruce Campbell dives into the mouth of the big Bruce Campbell or the scene where both Bruces punch one another as they argue. He knows how to be funny and witty, he just decided Spider-Man had to be mopey ALL the time.

Jun 29 - 08:59 PM

Noah Kinsey

@Manuel - I think Raimi took note of Tobey's execution of the witty Bonesaw line, and realized those things weren't gonna sound right out of Tobey's mouth - so he ditched it. Tobey just can't be charismatic.

Jun 30 - 01:43 PM

Gordon Terry

What about the scantily clad woman on the BELGIAN EVIL DEAD poster? What about Bridgette Fonda in the AMERICAN-ENDING of Army of Darkness? You seem to simply want to contradict every thing I say.

Jun 30 - 06:48 PM

Noah Kinsey

I don't simply want to contradict everything you say, I just disagree. I haven't been much of a dick about it - just being a fan of all of his work - don't see how his signature horror was present throughout this movie. Yes, he had a few nods, but nothing as obvious. And by the way, are you seriously backing up your statement with a BELGIUM poster?! Really?!

Jun 30 - 07:13 PM

Gordon Terry

Raimi took the shots for the Belgium poster---you are a HARD case. It has Ellen Sandwiss and Bruce Campbell on the poster.

Jul 1 - 08:02 AM