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Spider-Man series
File:Spiderman movie.jpgSpider-Man film poster
Directed by	Sam Raimi
Written by	David Koepp Alvin Sargent
Starring	Tobey Maguire as Spider Man
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Entertainment
Release date	2002 – present
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$2,012,181,222

The Spider-Man film series currently consists of three superhero films based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, portrayed by Tobey Maguire. The rights to a film based on Spider-Man were purchased in 1985 and moved through various production companies and studios, at one point having director James Cameron to direct, before being secured by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sony hired comic-book fan Sam Raimi to direct the films, and the series began with Spider-Man (2002), continued with Spider-Man 2 (2004) and became a trilogy with the release of Spider-Man 3 (2007). Throughout the films, Spider-Man developed a relationship with his school crush Mary Jane Watson, portrayed by Kirsten Dunst. The superhero has also battled the villains Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, New Goblin, and Venom throughout the series. While the films' storylines have been concluded, the studio plans to develop more films, continuing Spider-Man's adventures.

Development

In 1985, the bankrupt company Marvel Comics auctioned rights to the comic book superhero Spider-Man to the independent film studio Cannon Films, run by producer Menahem Golan and his cousin Yoram Globus, for $225,000. The film rights would revert back to Marvel if a film was not made by April 1990. Golan sought a script for the film adaptation, which was estimated to have a $15 million budget, and spent $2 million on ten different scripts. At one point, Golan had offered Spider-Man to Poltergeist director Tobe Hooper as part of a series of film projects.

A few years later, the company Pathé, owned by Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti, acquired a nearly bankrupt Cannon studio. Golan and his cousin Globus split their partnership, with Golan leaving to create another independent film studio, 21st Century Film Corporation, and his cousin staying behind at Pathé. In April 1989, Parretti and Globus transferred the rights to Spider-Man to Golan at his new studio. Golan renewed his contract with Marvel to return the rights to the company if a film was not made by January 1992. Golan could not locate financing for the film adaptation, so he sold TV rights to Viacom and home video rights to Columbia Pictures. Theatrical rights were sold to Carolco Pictures for $5 million. Carolco, budgeting Spider-Man at $50 million, attached director James Cameron to the project. Cameron was paid $3 million to provide a script treatment for the film adaptation. The story told Spider-Man's origin in a similar manner to the film, including organic webshooters, but had Electro and Sandman as villains, though these depictions are not the same characters as in the comics, with Electro as the head of a corporation. The story climaxes with a battle on top of the World Trade Center and had Peter revealing his identity to Mary Jane. The treatment was also heavy on language and had Spider-Man and Mary Jane having sex. In 1991, Carolco Pictures revised the original agreement between 21st Century and Marvel so Carolco would revert the rights to Marvel if the studio did not make a film by May 1996. In April 1992, production of Spider-Man ceased due to a tight budget at Carolco Pictures.

Litigation over the film rights began in 1993 when Golan's 21st Century sued Carolco for disavowing its obligation to give Golan a producer credit if the studio ever made Spider-Man. Eventually, Carolco sued Viacom and Columbia for the television and home video rights, and the two studios countersued. The studio 20th Century Fox, though not part of the litigation, contested rights to the film indirectly by presenting an exclusive contract with director Cameron, having transferred from Carolco. In 1996, Carolco, 21st Century, and Marvel went bankrupt. The studio MGM acquired 21st Century's position during its bankruptcy and also purchased Carolco's rights to Spider-Man, entitling itself to them under Marvel's previous agreements with 21st Century and Carolco. MGM also sued 21st Century, Viacom, and Marvel Comics, alleging fraud in the original deal between Cannon Pictures and Marvel. In 1998, Marvel re-emerged from bankruptcy with a new reorganization plan that merged the company with Toy Biz. The courts determined that the original contract of Marvel's rights to Golan had expired, returning the rights to Marvel. Marvel settled its lawsuits with MGM and Viacom, and in 1999, the company sold Spider-Man rights to Sony in a merchandising joint venture for a reported $7 million.

Film series

Spider-Man

Spider-Man, directed by Sam Raimi, follows Peter Parker as he is bitten by a genetically engineered "super spider", which causes him to take on the traits of a spider. Following the death of his uncle, Peter devotes his life to fighting crime. Norman Osborn, in an attempt to save his company, experiments with human performance enchancing drugs. The drugs cause Norman to go insane, and don the mantle of the Green Goblin. When Spider-Man refuses to join the Green Goblin, the two face off against each other.

Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2, directed by Sam Raimi, picks up 2 years after the end of the first film. Peter is struggling with being Spider-Man, and keeping the rest of his life in order. Peter's best friend, Harry Osborn, is out for revenge against Spider-Man, and the woman he loves is about to marry someone else. Dr. Otto Octavius develops four mechanical, artificially intelligent arms to handle a fusion reactor he's creating. The reactor malfunctions, and the mechanical arms are melded to his body. With the arms giving him direction, Octavius sets out to build a bigger, stronger fusion reactor.

Spider-Man 3

Spider-Man 3, directed by Sam Raimi, finds Peter basking in the spotlight as Spider-Man, and finding that balance between being a superhero and being with his love, Mary Jane. Harry finally decided to take his revenge, and Peter learns the truth about who really killed his uncle. Flint Marko, an escaped convict, falls into a particle accelerator and becomes a shape-shifting sand monster. A rival photographer, Eddie Brock Jr., threatens to take Peter's place at the Daily Bugle.

Cast and characters

List indicator(s)

• Italics indicate a transition to a minor role, such as an extended flashback, after the initial appearance.
• A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.

Reception

Box office performance

*Note: Updated May 20, 2007. Please update if necessary.

The three Spider-Man films are at the top of the rankings of films based on Marvel comics, with Spider-Man ranking first, Spider-Man 2 ranking second, and Spider-Man 3 ranking third. Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man 3 are also ranked first, second, and third for all superhero films. Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man 3 are respectively the most successful films produced by Sony / Columbia.

Critical reaction

David Ansen of Newsweek enjoyed Spider-Man as a fun film to watch, though he considered Spider-Man 2 to be "a little too self-important for its own good". Ansen saw Spider-Man 3 as a return to the fun, finding it "the most grandiose chapter and the nuttiest". Tom Charity of CNN appreciated the films' "solidly redemptive moral convictions", also noting the vast improvement of the visual effects from the first film to the third. While he saw Doc Ock as the "most engaging" villain, he applauded Sandman as "a triumph of CGI wizardry". Richard Corliss of Time enjoyed the action of the films and thought that they did better than most action movies by "rethinking the characters, the franchise and the genre".

Colin Covert of the Star Tribune praised Spider-Man as a "superb debut" of the superhero as well as Spider-Man 2 as a "superior sequel" for filmgoers who are fans "of spectacle and of story". Covert expressed disappointment in Spider-Man 3 as too ambitious with the multiple storylines leaving one "feeling overstuffed yet shortchanged". Manohla Dargis of The New York Times enjoyed the humor of the first two films, but found it missing in the third installment. Dargis also noted, "The bittersweet paradox of this franchise is that while the stories have grown progressively less interesting the special effects have improved tremendously." Robert Denerstein of the Rocky Mountain News ranked the films from his favorite to his least favorite: Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 3. While Denerstein missed the presence of Alfred Molina as Doc Ock from the second film, he found the third film -- despite being "bigger, though not necessarily better" -- to have a "satisfying conclusion".

Future

In an August 2006 interview, Marvel producer Kevin Feige said he anticipated more sequels to the Spider-Man films "because of the wealth of stories in the comics". Producer Avi Arad felt that some issues come to an end, but due to the character's age and his complex love life, the story is still continuous. Although Tobey Maguire has not signed on for another sequel, the actor has denied reports that he will not return, stating, "I feel like the stories all deserve to be told, and, you know, if... the whole team wants to get back together, and we feel like we can make a good movie that's worth making, then I'm up for it." Maguire later said that it may take years to develop a script. Actress Kirsten Dunst has also expressed openness to return if director Sam Raimi and Maguire do. Raimi told Premiere magazine that he "couldn't imagine" doing more sequels to the Spider-Man films without Tobey Maguire in the title role, but refused to completely rule out directing any future installments.

Raimi confirmed that Sony would be making at least 3 more sequels, though he didn't know where he would be required to direct. In January 2007, Columbia Pictures entered negotiations with screenwriter David Koepp, who is credited with the first Spider-Man screenplay, to pen the script for a fourth film, which would be released in 2009 or 2010. The following April, the studio said that the sequel was in the early stages of development, with no official word on casting, start date, and release. Later that month, Raimi expressed interest in directing New Line's The Hobbit. Entertainment Weekly suggested if he pursued the new project, the production schedule for Spider-Man 4 would be delayed, or a new director would replace Raimi. Sony co-chairwoman Amy Pascal said that if Raimi, Maguire, and Dunst did not return, the studio would make more Spider-Man films without them.

In May 2007, Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee said that The Lizard would be a logical choice for the next film's villain. Dr. Curt Connors, who becomes the Lizard in the comics, has been portrayed by Dylan Baker in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.. And most recentley, Freeze Dried Movies said that alongside The Lizard, Cletus Kasady/Carnage would be a villain. They also said that Felicia Hardy/Black Cat might finally appear.

References

1. ^ Ronald Grover (2002-04-15). "Unraveling Spider-Man's Tangled Web". Business Week. Retrieved 2007-01-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
2. ^ Janet Shprintz (1998-08-19). "Spider-Man's legal web may finally be unraveled". Variety. Retrieved 2007-01-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. Deborah Caulfield (1985-08-28). "From Massacre to Martians". The Record. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. ^ Michael A. Hiltzik (1998-10-05). "Spider-Man caught in a tangled web". The Star-Ledger. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
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25. David Ansen (2007-05-07). "Spidey the Swinger". Newsweek. Retrieved 2007-05-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
26. Tom Charity (2007-05-03). "Review: 'Spider-Man 3' mixes highs and lows". CNN. Retrieved 2007-05-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
27. Richard Corliss (2007-05-03). "Spider-Man Gets Sensitive". TIME. Retrieved 2007-05-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
28. Colin Covert (2007-05-03). "Movie review: 'Spider-Man' weaves tangled web". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2007-05-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
29. Manohla Dargis (2007-05-04). "Superhero Sandbagged". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-05-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
30. Robert Denerstein (2007-05-04). "Denerstein: Spidey sense and sensibility". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2007-05-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
31. Larry Carroll (2006-08-18). "After Spidey, Marvel To Focus On Hulk's Relaunch, Captain America's Big-Screen Debut". MTV. Retrieved 2006-08-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
32. Stax (2007-03-05). "IGN Interview: Avi Arad". IGN. Retrieved 2007-03-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
33. Dennis Michael (2007-04-10). "Peter Parker Ponders Possibilities". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2007-04-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
34. "Tobey Maguire: 'Everything's in transition'". CNN. 2007-05-02. Retrieved 2007-05-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
35. Patrick Lee (2007-04-04). "Maguire Open To Spidey 4". Sci Fi Wire. Retrieved 2007-04-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
36. Tom Roston (January/February 2007). "The Secrets of Spider-Man 3". Premiere. pp. 62, 65, 118. Retrieved 2006-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
37. Heather Newgen (2007-04-20). "Sam Raimi Confirms Spidey 4, 5 and 6!". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2007-04-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
38. Michael Fleming (2007-01-21). "Columbia, Koepp talk 'Spider-Man'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-01-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
39. Sheigh Crabtree (2007-04-15). "The inner life of the super-villain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-04-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
40. Adam Markovitz (2007-04-16). "'Hobbit' Forming?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-04-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
41. "'Spider-Man' will go on, studio says". Baltimore Sun. 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2007-05-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
42. "Stan Lee's choice for Spider-Man 4's villain: The Lizard". ReelzChannel. 2007-05-16. Retrieved 2007-05-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Spider-Man film franchise overview at Box Office Mojo
• Spider-Man 4 at IMDb (in development)

• Spider-Man films
• Fantasy films
• Film series
• Action films by series