Spider-Man in film

TV films Spider-Man is the superhero persona of high school student Peter Parker, a character created by Marvel Comics writer-editor Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962 to entice teenage readers. In the 1970s, Marvel partnered with CBS to produce a TV adaptation of the character. The Marvel–CBS partnership yielded three Spider-Man films starring Nicholas Hammond for the live-action program The Amazing Spider-Man, which aired sporadically for thirteen episodes. The first film, Spider-Man (1977), follows the character's quest to thwart an extortionist's plot to kill a group of civilians with a mind control device. Two sequels, Spider-Man Strikes Back (1979) and ''Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge (1981), were composites of individual episodes of The Amazing Spider-Man''. Each film received minor distribution in theaters outside of the United States. A Japanese Spider-Man adaptation was conceived in the same period. Part of a four-year licensing deal with Marvel, Toei Company developed a theatrical film, Spider-Man (1978), as a spinoff to the live-action tokusatsu series of the same name, commonly referred to by its Japanese pronunciation Supaidāman. The film's origin story is a significant departure from the source material, portraying Spider-Man as the alter ego of a motorcyclist seeking to avenge his deceased father with powers inherited from Garia, the lone survivor of the extinct Spider Planet. Feature film development After the success of Superman (1978), Marvel began a concerted effort to produce more feature film projects. They abandoned several early Spider-Man proposals, including a musical and another concept culminating in a battle against Nazis and a 100-foot robot. By 1982, Roger Corman, an experienced producer of low-budget B films, optioned the rights to develop an adaptation with Orion Pictures from Lee's film treatment. Lee's original treatment featured Doctor Octopus as the primary antagonist and a subplot of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. However, Lee and Corman ended their collaboration when they could not agree on a budget. The Cannon Group executives Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus acquired the film rights to Spider-Man for $225,000 in 1985, with a provision that would restore ownership to Marvel should a film not be made within five years. They brought on Tobe Hooper to outline an origin story with screenwriter Leslie Stevens, the result being one depicting Spider-Man as a literal spider. In total, Cannon spent $2 million on a script and subsequent rewrites, but financial woes and disputes over the artistic direction frustrated the development. After Pathé Communications purchased Cannon, Galon and Globus split, and the Spider-Man film rights transferred to Golan's 21st Century Film Corporation through a severance package, before being sold to Carolco Pictures for $5 million in 1988. Carolco hired James Cameron as director and screenwriter with a stipulation that granted him authority over producing credits, similar to his contract for another studio production, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Cameron's scriptment, which was about 57 pages long, concentrated on Spider-Man as a morally ambiguous character. but the total cost of production rose to $50 million from its initial $15 million budget, leading the company to abandon the project by 1992. Protracted litigation ensued over the disposition of the Spider-Man copyrights, with Golan suing Carolco in 1993 over the claim that it had violated his contractually guaranteed credit as producer in the Cannon–Marvel agreement. By the mid-1990s, Carolco, 21st Century, and Marvel filed for bankruptcy, complicating the dispute. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) purchased all 21st Century-owned assets and Carolco's film rights during the proceedings, and instigated another lawsuit alleging fraud in the Cannon–Marvel deal. The studios spent the following year settling the remaining lawsuits, owing in part to soaring attorney fees. Marvel settled with Sony in a merchandising joint venture that conveyed the rights to produce film, television, and sequels to Sony and subsidiary Columbia for $7 million. At the same time, MGM compromised with Sony by surrendering its claim to the Spider-Man film rights in exchange for rights to Casino Royale (2006) and the global distribution rights to all subsequent James Bond films. Sony's ownership is perpetual provided that they release a new Spider-Man film at least once every five years. ==Sam Raimi trilogy==

Spider-Man (2002) in 2014|left Columbia began developing Spider-Man after their rights acquisition in 1999. Columbia signed Tobey Maguire to a three-picture, $3–4 million pay-or-play contract as Peter Parker in July 2000, with greater compensation for subsequent films. Maguire was Raimi's preferred choice based on his performance in The Cider House Rules (1999). Leonardo DiCaprio, Freddie Prinze Jr., Heath Ledger, Scott Speedman and Wes Bentley were among the actors Columbia considered to star. Spider-Man explores Peter's struggles adapting to his newfound superpowers, which he acquires from the bite of a genetically engineered spider. After the death of his uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson), Peter vows to contain crime in New York, climaxing in a confrontation with the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). Spider-Man was shot from January to June 2001, It emerged as the third highest-grossing film of 2002 with $825 million globally, and was nominated for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound at the 75th Academy Awards. Spider-Man was a catalyst in the rise of superhero film and greatly influenced Hollywood conception of superheroes. Spider-Man 2 (2004) A sequel to Spider-Man was announced by Columbia in April 2002. The studio re-hired most of the filmmaking crew responsible for the creation of the original film. The completed script coalesced from a draft conceived by Koepp, Alfred Gough, and Miles Millar, with Sargent credited as the lead screenwriter. Maguire received an upfront salary of $17 million after months of negotiations for a new contract. The studio reversed its decision when Ronald Meyer, the then-president of Vivendi Universal and Maguire's father-in-law, intervened. Spider-Man 3 (2007) Because the studio wanted to commence soon on a sequel, Raimi and his brother Ivan spent about two months preparing a treatment while Spider-Man 2 ran in theaters. Sargent returned to write a screenplay following the direction of the Raimi treatment. The filmmakers were interested in resolving the character arcs with a tale of redemption and forgiveness. They also developed the script with an emphasis on Peter's evolving relationship with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). and the film was released in May 2007. Despite ending the theatrical run grossing $890.9 million, Spider-Man 3 drew mixed reviews in the media. Cancellation Media coverage of Spider-Man 4 gives contradictory accounts about the project's development. One report disseminated by Deadline Hollywood said Sony was prioritizing the sequel to shoot back-to-back with a fifth film. However, Raimi maintained in a 2009 interview that the studio only pursued Spider-Man 4 and had no definitive proposals for further sequels. Even so, Sony recruited screenwriter James Vanderbilt to write scripts for a fourth, fifth, and sixth Spider-Man film after initial reports claimed the studio was negotiating with Koepp. The Spider-Man 4 script was rewritten by David Lindsay-Abaire and Gary Ross in November 2008 and October 2009. Raimi had been unhappy with Spider-Man 3 and wanted to create a satisfying narrative to conclude the franchise, but found himself at odds with Sony because he was unable to rectify problems in the story within the allotted time. The problems were such that the release was postponed several times to accommodate changes in the writing. Ultimately, Raimi withdrew as Spider-Man 4 director, prompting Sony to cancel the film in January 2010 and begin development of a reboot. The media has since publicized information about plot, characters, and casting from interviews conducted with filmmakers involved in the project. ==Marc Webb films==

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) in 2013|right Columbia committed to a Spider-Man reboot with Marvel Studios, envisioning an origin story that would showcase Peter's civilian life. They hired Marc Webb as director from a shortlist of filmmakers including David Fincher and Wes Anderson. Sargent, Vanderbilt, and Steve Kloves produced the finished script. Casting reflected specifications for mostly unknown actors. Andrew Garfield joined as Peter Parker in July 2010, signing a three-picture deal with a starting salary of $500,000. Webb said he was convinced by Garfield's screen test of a cutscene eating a burger. The filmmakers felt it was important Peter's perception as an outcast be adapted to a modern context. The Amazing Spider-Man features Peter confronting the Lizard, the monstrous form of Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), an Oscorp scientist who previously had a partnership with Peter's deceased father. It was shot from December 2010 to April 2011, and was released in the United States in July 2012. The Amazing Spider-Man finished as the seventh highest-grossing film of 2012, amassing $758 million at the box office. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) Webb and Garfield were confirmed in the press to be returning for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in September 2012. Filmmakers redesigned the Spider-Man costume to more closely resemble both comic book suits and the suit in the Raimi films. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 depicts Peter's quest to protect Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), resulting in battles with the electricity-manipulating Electro (Jamie Foxx) and a vengeful Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan). Filming lasted about 100 days, followed by the theatrical rollout in May 2014. The Amazing Spider-Man 2, while profitable, failed to replicate the success of The Amazing Spider-Man. Cancellation The Amazing Spider-Man success spawned immediate discussion of an expanded Spider-Man film universe. Sony commissioned a third and fourth sequel for releases in 2016 and 2018; they secured Webb's commitment as director only for the former. Eventually, a number of spinoff projects took precedence, owing to the relative failure of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and sequel development collapsed when Sony entered a new licensing agreement with Marvel and parent company Walt Disney Studios. ==Marvel Cinematic Universe==

Licensing agreement with Marvel Studios Marvel had been seeking to incorporate Spider-Man into their multimedia franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), as early as 2014. By this point, they were pursuing control of the film rights thanks to their recent box office success. Studio president Kevin Feige suggested retroactively integrating The Amazing Spider-Man franchise into the MCU to Amy Pascal, then-Sony co-chairman, to improve the prospects of associated films. At the same time, Pascal and producer Avi Arad had attempted to establish continuity by authorizing use of the design of The Amazing Spider-Man Oscorp Tower for The Avengers (2012), but the approval process occurred too late into the production of The Avengers. Another idea brought forward was a crossover film combining The Amazing Spider-Man universe with that of the Raimi trilogy. In December 2014, an anonymous group hacked Sony's computer networks and leaked confidential information, among them emails of discussions between Sony and Marvel pertaining to the licensing of Spider-Man for the MCU film Captain America: Civil War (2016). It reinstated the conditions of their preexisting arrangement, with a clause that entitled Marvel the right to reduce their annual royalty payments to Sony based on the performance of their films. Conversely, Sony retained full creative control of the MCU Spider-Man films. The studios once more renegotiated in 2019, briefly resulting in the dissolution of their partnership. Sony sought to maintain their original agreement, which conferred merchandising rights and 5% of first-dollar gross to Disney. On the other hand, Disney demanded that future Spider-Man films produced by Feige be funded equally in a cooperative venture, increasing their share of profits. Negotiations resumed after public backlash to Sony, and the studios reached a new deal that September, the terms of which guaranteed a third Spider-Man film and a related MCU project. Title roles Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) in 2016|left Work on an MCU Spider-Man production began in February 2015. Ted Melfi, Jonathan Levine, and Jon Watts were among the filmmakers executives considered to direct Spider-Man: Homecoming, with Watts ultimately signed as director in June 2015. The studios hired a succession of writers to produce the script for Homecoming. Some 1,500 actors were scouted for the role of Peter Parker / Spider-Man. The filmmakers held further auditions when Tom Holland and Charlie Rowe were picked as the finalists. Homecoming details Peter's transformation into Spider-Man, in what the filmmakers described as a coming-of-age story. and the film was released in July 2017. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Studio executives were already contemplating sequels to Homecoming before the original film's release. The filmmakers developed Spider-Man: Far From Home as the final film of the third phase of the MCU's Infinity Saga. Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers were confirmed to be returning for the film in mid 2017. Watts was especially interested in resolving the narratives about the Spider-Man characters from Avengers: Endgame (2019) because they received an ambiguous resolution. In Far From Home, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) recruits Peter to help Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) defeat the Elementals. Filming occurred from July to October 2018, and the theatrical release was scheduled in July 2019. Far From Home became the first Spider-Man film to gross $1billion at the box office. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) A third entry in the MCU Spider-Man franchise began development shortly after Sony and Marvel's contract was effective. while McKenna and Sommers returned to write the screenplay of what would become Spider-Man: No Way Home. The writers conceived a multiverse story from an idea inspired by the fantasy drama ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946), wherein Peter convinces Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to reverse the events leading to the exposure of his identity as Spider-Man with a spell. The film connects Sony's Spider-Man universes to the MCU and features several of the associated characters, including Maguire and Garfield's Spider-Men. No Way Home production lasted from October 2020 to March 2021, and the film debuted in theaters in December 2021. By the end of the global rollout, it became the highest-grossing film of 2021 with a box office take of $1.910billion. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Pascal announced work on a second trilogy of MCU Spider-Man films in 2021. Although No Way Home had been Holland's final contracted standalone film as Spider-Man, the actor was confirmed to be reprising the role for Spider-Man: Brand New Day in 2024. The film will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Principal photography was postponed to accommodate Holland's simultaneous commitments to Avengers: Doomsday and the Christopher Nolan-directed film The Odyssey (both 2026). Brand New Day is scheduled for release on July 31, 2026. Ensemble roles Captain America: Civil War marked Spider-Man's first appearance in the MCU. Filmmaking duo Anthony and Joe Russo directed Civil War, and they campaigned intensively to reintroduce the character in the film. Production for Civil War commenced in 2015, lasting four months. Marvel produced two Avengers films featuring Holland as Spider-Man: Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Infinity War and Endgame were initially conceptualized as a two-part film, but the studios later split the project into two distinct films that they shot concurrently in 2017. ==Animated Spider-Verse==

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in 2023 Based off the failure of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony began planning spinoffs to rehabilitate the franchise, including an animated film. Lord and Rodney Rothman prepared the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse script, and the responsibility for directing was split between Rothman, Bob Persichetti, and Peter Ramsey. Actor Shameik Moore stars as Miles, which was announced in the media in April 2017. Jake Johnson, John Mulaney, Nicolas Cage, and Chris Pine voice Spider-Men from alternate universes. The Spider-Verse timeline exists independently from the live-action Spider-Man films. After its December 2018 release, Into the Spider-Verse became the first non-Disney film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in seven years. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Studio discussions for a sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, preceded the release of Into the Spider-Verse. Across the Spider-Verse originated from a planned two-part film that was revised once the filmmakers developed the story to indicate a separate follow-up film. Lord and Miller returned to undertake the scriptwriting with David Callaham, based on a plot depicting a romance between Miles and Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld). Sony engaged Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson to direct Across the Spider-Verse. The film is distinguished with an expanded cast of Spider-People, led by Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, and Karan Soni. Production was mired in labor disputes. After a delay in the release schedule, Across the Spider-Verse opened to theaters in June 2023, finishing the year as the sixth highest-grossing film with $690.9 million. As well, the film was a candidate for Best Animated Feature at the 96th Academy Awards. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027) Creation of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse coincided with Across the Spider-Verse. Sony originally scheduled a March 29, 2024 release date for Beyond the Spider-Verse, but postponed the film indefinitely in the wake of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The studio plans to release the film on June 18, 2027. Spin-offs Due to the success of the Spider-Verse, development is ongoing on spinoffs that explore the mythology of Spider-Man. On the other hand, The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France in June 2023 and later on YouTube in March 2024. A Spider-Verse Story depicts Miles undergoing a panic attack induced by stress in his personal life. Kaluuya is writing the script for the Spider-Punk film with Ajon Singh. In May 2023, reports emerged that Sony was contemplating a live-action Miles Morales film, which would take priority after the releases of Brand New Day and Beyond the Spider-Verse. ==Sony's Spider-Man Universe==

Since 2018, Sony has distributed a series of live-action films based on secondary characters of the Spider-Man canon, part of a broader multimedia project dubbed Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The franchise's first entry is Venom (2018), itself comprising a trilogy with Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and Venom: The Last Dance (2024). Three other titles complete the SSU: Morbius (2022), Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter (both 2024). Sony ceased their output of films indefinitely after the box office failures of Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter. The SSU operates with a loosely shared continuity to all existing Spider-Man film franchises but does not explicitly feature the character beyond the depiction of Peter's birth in Madame Web. ==Amateur works==

Amateur films about Spider-Man examine a range of interpretations of the character from ordinary people. Donald F. Glut produced the earliest known Spider-Man fan film in 1969, featuring the character battling in a California state park. It was Glut's final amateur film before pursuing an acting career. Spider-Man Versus Kraven the Hunter (1974) was director Bruce Cardozo's student project for his studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Lee, impressed by the film's scope, permitted its noncommercial exhibition, but refused Cardozo's proposals for a theatrical release because they did not share the same vision for a feature film. Spider-Man Versus Kraven the Hunter chronicles Kraven the Hunter's pursuit to kill Spider-Man in a conspiracy devised by Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson. The film has seldom been shown since its release. James Krieg's Viva Spider-Man (1989) attempts to reimagine the first animated TV adaptation of Spider-Man. In 1992, Dan Poole developed ''The Green Goblin's Last Stand as an adaptation of The Amazing Spider-Man'' "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" storyline. Poole financed the film's $400 budget with wages from his job as a mail clerk at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. He also performed most of the stunt work in ''The Green Goblin's Last Stand, including a simulated web slinging sequence that was recorded at an unoccupied office building. Other unauthorized depictions of Spider-Man include the Turkish exploitation film 3 Dev Adam (, 1973), featuring the character as the mastermind of a counterfeiting scheme, and Dariya Dil'' (1988). Production of amateur Spider-Man films has continued into the twenty-first century. Italian Spiderman (2007), a short film released in snippets on YouTube, parodies Italian adventure films of the mid-twentieth century, though it bears little resemblance to the American comics. Spider-Man: Lotus (2023) depicts a story partially shaped by director Gavin J. Konop's struggles as a high school student. Lotus was derided by fans, and leaked texts of racist comments sent by Konop and lead actor Warden Wayne drew widespread coverage in the media. ==Cast==

Theatrical re-releases In March 2024, Sony spearheaded a re-release campaign of the live-action Spider-Man films to commemorate Columbia's centennial anniversary. They commenced the theatrical rollout with the Raimi trilogy in April, followed by The Amazing Spider-Man films in mid-May, before concluding with the MCU trilogy in multiple weekends from late May to early June. ==Reception==

Box office } • Europe (excluding France and Italy) 17,963,121 • Brazil and Japan 12,487,714 • France and Italy 8,948,733 • China • South Korea 2,367,704 • Brazil, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea 23,990,127 • Argentina, Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Korea 31,377,180 • Europe (excluding Russia) 14,325,892 }} • Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, South Korea 23,372,211 • Europe 14,972,453 }} • China 21,891,581 • Europe 17,907,011 • Brazil, Chile, South Korea, Venezuela 15,570,692 • Mexico 9,800,000 • Japan • Argentina 1,118,453 }} • China 39,380,000 • Europe 24,849,626 • Mexico 10,810,870 • South Korea 8,023,606 • Japan • India 1,856,875 • Argentina 1,285,785 }} • United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates 81,146,702 • Russia • South Korea 7,529,648 }} • China 11,763,454 • Europe 6,538,381 • Mexico 3,345,000 • Brazil 2,059,756 • South Korea 724,394 • Argentina 304,881 }} Critical and public response ==See also==