Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
has appeared in film since the
1977 made-for-television movie broadcast on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
. The
motion picture
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
rights to Spider-Man belonged to
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
until 1999, when
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
bought them for $7 million and produced Spider-Man's first
theatrical film
A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...
. He has been
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...
's most successful character in the
American film industry
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, ...
ever since.
After selling the Spider-Man motion picture rights to Sony, Marvel eventually founded its own film studio,
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
, developing the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU)
shared universe
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...
based only on the characters they still held the rights to. This would change in 2016, when Sony and the
Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
entered an agreement to introduce ''Spider-Man'' to the MCU. Despite some disagreements pertaining to finances and merchandising between the two parties, the agreement proved to be a successful endeavor for both companies. The
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Music
Albums
* ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue
* ''Crossover'', an album by ...
films ''
Avengers: Infinity War'' and ''
Avengers: Endgame'' included Spider-Man and crossed the two-billion-dollar mark at the worldwide box office for the first time. Meanwhile, Sony, in association with Marvel, launched its own shared universe known as
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the fil ...
(SSU), with Sony entering a three-billion-dollar streaming agreement with
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
and Disney.
History
The fictional character
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
, a comic book
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
created by
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
and
Steve Ditko
Stephen John Ditko. Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular ac ...
and featured in
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
publications, has appeared as a main character in numerous theatrical and made-for-television films.
The first four films were linked to television series and screened in theaters only in certain countries.
Nicholas Hammond
Nicholas Hammond (born 15 May 1950) is an American and Australian actor and writer who is best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film '' The Sound of Music'' and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1970s television series ''The Am ...
starred as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the 1977 made-for-television film ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' that spawned a broadcast series, and would appear as the character in two sequels edited from those episodes. In 1978, the
Toei Company
, simply known as Toei Company or Toei, is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movi ...
created a theatrical
spin-off
Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media
*Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine
* ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
from their
''Spider-Man'' television series, with Shinji Todō reprising his role as
Takuya Yamashiro / Spider-Man. None of these films had a theatrical release in the United States.
By 1999,
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
had acquired the motion picture rights to the character for cinema and television, creating two
''Spider-Man'' animated television series, and two film series comprising their own continuities:
Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...
's ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007) starring
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent Maguire (born 27 June 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for starring as Peter Parker (2002 film series character), Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi's trilogy, ''Spider-Man'' tr ...
as
the character, and
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy '' (500) Days of Summer.'' He then directed ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012 ...
's ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' duology (2012–2014) starring
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. After his breakout role in '' Boy A'' (2007), he came to international attention with the supporting role of Eduardo Saverin in the drama ''The Social Network'' ...
in the
role
A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs, and norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an
expected or free or continuously changing behavior and may have a given indi ...
.
In February 2015,
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
,
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
, and Sony made a deal to share the Spider-Man film rights, leading to a new iteration of Spider-Man being introduced and integrated into the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU). The deal allowed Sony Pictures to continue to own, finance, distribute, and have final creative control of the solo Spider-Man films, with
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...
distributing the films with his other appearances in a supporting capacity.
Tom Holland
Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, he featured on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list of 2019. Some publications have called him one of the most ...
portrays
this version of Spider-Man, and has appeared in six films to date, from ''
Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) to ''
Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021). In September 2019, following a brief stand-off resulting in the termination of the old agreement, Disney and Sony relented to fan outcry and reached a new agreement for Holland's version to return for future films; the first film to be produced afterwards was ''No Way Home'', where Holland appears alongside Maguire and Garfield, who reprise their roles in the film as supporting characters. A fourth MCU ''Spider-Man'' film, ''
Spider-Man: Brand New Day'', is in development at Sony and Marvel Studios for a July 2026 release.
Plans for an animated Spider-Man film were officially announced by Sony in April 2015, which eventually became ''
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2018) from
Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation Inc. (also referred to as Sony Animation Studios and abbreviated to SPA) is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and found ...
.
Shameik Moore
Shameik Alti Moore (born May 4, 1995) is an American actor and musician. He made his lead acting debut in '' Dope'' (2015), and is best known for voicing Miles Morales / Spider-Man in the animated film '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2 ...
voices the main character
Miles Morales / Spider-Man in the film, with various other versions of Peter Parker and
alternate versions of Spider-Man from the
multiverse
The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...
also appearing. A sequel, titled ''
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'', was released in 2023, with a third film, ''
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse'', currently in production and set for release in 2027. Potential spin-offs are also planned.
The Spider-Man films have been generally well received. They have collectively grossed $10.2 billion at the global box office, with ''Far From Home'' becoming the first Spider-Man film to gross over $1 billion worldwide followed by ''No Way Home'', which became Sony's
highest-grossing film of all time. In 2019, ''Into the Spider-Verse'' won the
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is an Academy Awards, Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the best animation, animated feature film. An animated feature is defined by the a ...
. Fifteen years prior, the
Academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
had awarded ''
Spider-Man 2
''Spider-Man 2'' is a 2004 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of Spider-Man. Directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story conceived by Michael Chabon and the writing team of Alfred Gough and Miles ...
'' the
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the best achievement in visual effects. It has been handed to four members of the team directly responsible for creatin ...
.
Early TV films
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' series
''Spider-Man'' (1977)
In 1977, the
pilot episode
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
of
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' television series was released by Columbia Pictures as ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' outside of the United States. It was directed by
E. W. Swackhamer, written by
Alvin Boretz
Alvin Boretz (June 15, 1919 – July 22, 2010) was an American writer for stage, screen, radio, and television. With an estimated one thousand dramatic scripts to his credit, Boretz contributed to the Golden Age of Television, leaving an endurin ...
and stars
Nicholas Hammond
Nicholas Hammond (born 15 May 1950) is an American and Australian actor and writer who is best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film '' The Sound of Music'' and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1970s television series ''The Am ...
as the titular character,
David White as
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Jr., known as J. Jonah Jameson, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist St ...
and
Jeff Donnell
Jean Marie "Jeff" Donnell (July 10, 1921 – April 11, 1988) was an American actress.
Early years
Donnell was born in South Windham, Maine, to Harold and Mildred Donnell, when her father was superintendent at a boys' reformatory in that town. ...
as
May Parker
Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
. The film premiered on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
on September 14, 1977, and received a VHS release in 1980.
''Spider-Man Strikes Back'' (1978)
In 1978, the two-part episode "Deadly Dust" from the
television series ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' was re-edited and released outside of the United States as a feature film, ''Spider-Man Strikes Back''. Nicholas Hammond reprises his role as Peter Parker / Spider-Man while
Robert F. Simon replaces David White in the role of
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Jr., known as J. Jonah Jameson, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist St ...
. The film was theatrically released on 8 May 1978.
''Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge'' (1981)
In 1981, a film made from
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' television series finale
A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...
"The Chinese Web", using the same method used to make ''Spider-Man Strikes Back'', was released as ''Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge'' in European territories. Nicholas Hammond and Robert F. Simon respectively reprise their roles as Peter Parker / Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson. It was directed by Ron Satlof and written by Robert Janes. Other actors include Rosalind Chao, Benson Fong, and Ellen Bry.
Japanese film

In 1978,
Tōei released a theatrical spin-off of their
''Spider-Man'' TV series at the Tōei Cartoon Festival. The film was directed by Kōichi Takemoto, who also directed eight episodes of the TV series. The week after the film's release, a character introduced in the film, Jūzō Mamiya (played by Noboru Nakaya), began appearing in episodes of the TV series. The film was released on July 22, 1978. Like the rest of the series, the film was made available for streaming on Marvel's official website in 2009.
Development
Cannon Films
The low box office performance of 1983's ''
Superman III
''Superman III'' is a 1983 superhero film directed by Richard Lester from a screenplay by David Newman and Leslie Newman based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the third installment in the ''Superman'' film series and the sequel to ''S ...
'' made feature-film adaptations of comic book properties a low priority in Hollywood until the late 1990s.
In 1985, after a brief option on ''Spider-Man'' by
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...
expired,
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
optioned the property to
Cannon Films
The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that investe ...
. Cannon chiefs
Menahem Golan
Menahem Golan (; May 31, 1929 – August 8, 2014, originally Menachem Globus) was an Israelis, Israeli film producer, screenwriter, and director. He co-owned The Cannon Group with his cousin Yoram Globus. Cannon specialized in producing low-to-mid ...
and his cousin
Yoram Globus
Yoram Globus (; born 7 September 1943) is an Israeli–American film producer, cinema owner, and distributor. He has been involved in over 300 full-length motion pictures and he is most known for his association with The Cannon Group, Inc., an ...
agreed to pay
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
$225,000 over the five-year option period, plus a percentage of any film's revenues.
However, the rights would revert to Marvel if a film was not made by April 1990.
Tobe Hooper
Willard Tobe Hooper (; January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, best known for his work in the horror film, horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of al ...
, then preparing both ''
Invaders from Mars'' and ''
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'' (also known as ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2'') is a 1986 American black comedy slasher film co-composed and directed by Tobe Hooper, and written by L. M. Kit Carson. It is the sequel to ''The Texas Cha ...
'', was mooted as director. Golan and Globus misunderstood the concept of the character ("They thought it was like The Wolf Man", said director
Joseph Zito
Joseph Zito (born May 14, 1946) is an American film director and producer, best known for directing several cult and genre films throughout the 1980s, such as ''Missing in Action'', '' Invasion U.S.A.'', '' Red Scorpion'', '' The Prowler'', an ...
)
and instructed writer
Leslie Stevens
Leslie Clark Stevens IV (February 3, 1924 – April 24, 1998) was an American producer, writer, and director. He created two television series for the ABC network, '' The Outer Limits'' (1963–1965) and '' Stoney Burke'' (1962–63), and ''Sea ...
, creator of ''
The Outer Limits
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'', to write a treatment reflecting their misconception. In Stevens' story, a corporate scientist intentionally subjects ID-badge photographer Peter Parker to radioactive bombardment, transforming him into a hairy, suicidal, eight-armed monster. This human tarantula refuses to join the scientist's new master-race of mutants, battling a succession of mutations kept in a basement laboratory.
Unhappy with this perceived debasement of his comic book creation, Marvel's
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
pushed for a new story and screenplay, written for Cannon by Ted Newsom and
John Brancato.
The variation on the
origin story
In fiction, an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist.
In American comic books, it also refers to how characters gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances ...
had Otto Octavius as a teacher and mentor to a college-aged Peter Parker. The cyclotron accident which "creates" Spider-Man also deforms the scientist into
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''The Amazin ...
and results in his mad pursuit of proof of the
Fifth Force
In physics, a fifth force refers to a hypothetical fundamental interaction (also known as fundamental force) beyond the four known interactions in nature: gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear forces.
Some speculativ ...
. "Doc Ock" reconstructs his cyclotron and causes electromagnetic abnormalities,
anti-gravity
Anti-gravity (also known as non-gravitational field) is the phenomenon of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to either the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to ba ...
effects, and
bilocation
Bilocation, or sometimes multilocation, is an alleged psychic or miraculous ability wherein an individual or object is located (or appears to be located) in two distinct places at the same time. Reports of bilocational phenomena have been made i ...
which threatens to engulf New York City and the world.
Joseph Zito
Joseph Zito (born May 14, 1946) is an American film director and producer, best known for directing several cult and genre films throughout the 1980s, such as ''Missing in Action'', '' Invasion U.S.A.'', '' Red Scorpion'', '' The Prowler'', an ...
, who had directed Cannon's successful
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. Born in Oklahoma, Norris first gained fame when he won the amateur Middleweight Karate champion title in 1968, which he held for six consecutive years. H ...
film ''
Invasion U.S.A.'', replaced Tobe Hooper. The new director hired Barney Cohen to rewrite the script. Cohen added action scenes, a non-canonical comic-book sidekick for the villain, gave Doc Ock the catch phrase, "Okey-dokey", and altered his goal from the Fifth Force to a quest for
anti-gravity
Anti-gravity (also known as non-gravitational field) is the phenomenon of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to either the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to ba ...
. Producer Golan (using his pen name "Joseph Goldman") then made a minor polish to Cohen's rewrite. Zito scouted locations and studio facilities in both the U.S. and Europe, and oversaw storyboard breakdowns supervised by
Harper Goff
Harper Goff (March 16, 1911 – March 3, 1993), born Ralph Harper Goff, was an American artist, musician, and actor. For many years, he was associated with The Walt Disney Company, in the process of which he contributed to various major film ...
. Cannon planned to make the film on the then-substantial budget of between $15 and $20 million.
While no casting was finalized, Zito expressed interest in actor/stunt man
Scott Leva
Scott Leva is a Academy Award-winning stuntman and stunt coordinator who entered stuntwork in the 1970s.
Biography
Spider-Man
In 1985, Scott was tapped by Cannon Films & Joseph Zito (who was the 2nd director to replace Tobe Hooper as being th ...
, who had posed for Cannon's promotional photos and ads, and made public appearances as Spider-Man for Marvel. The up-and-coming actor
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
was also discussed for the leading role. Zito considered
Bob Hoskins
Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor and film director. Known for his intense but sensitive portrayals of "tough guy" characters, he began his career on stage before making his screen breakthrough pl ...
as Doc Ock. Stan Lee expressed his desire to play ''
Daily Bugle
The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB!'') is a fictional New York City tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, most ...
'' editor
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Jr., known as J. Jonah Jameson, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist St ...
.
Lauren Bacall
Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...
and
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...
were considered for
Aunt May
Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
,
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...
and
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...
as
Uncle Ben
Benjamin Franklin "Ben" Parker, usually referred to as Uncle Ben, is a supporting character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in association with the superhero Spider-Man (Peter Parker). He was the husband of ...
,
Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition f ...
as a sympathetic scientist, and
Adolph Caesar
Adolph Caesar (December 5, 1933 – March 6, 1986) was an American film and theater actor. Known for his signature deep voice, Caesar was a staple of off-Broadway as a member of the Negro Ensemble Company, and as a voiceover artist for numerous ...
as a police detective.
With Cannon finances siphoned by the expensive ''
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' and ''
Masters of the Universe
''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or ''She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince A ...
'', the company slashed the proposed ''Spider-Man'' budget to under $10 million. Director Zito opted out, unwilling to make a compromised ''Spider-Man''. The company commissioned low-budget rewrites from writers Shepard Goldman, Don Michael Paul, and finally
Ethan Wiley, and penciled in company workhorse
Albert Pyun
Albert Pyun (May 19, 1953 – November 26, 2022) was an American film director who made low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films.
The Independent Film Channel said that Pyun "has carved out a unique niche as a director of low-budge ...
as director, who also made script alterations.
Scott Leva was still associated with the character through Marvel (he had appeared in photo covers of the comic), and he read each draft. Leva commented: "Ted Newsom and John Brancato had written the script. It was good, but it needed a little work. Unfortunately, with every subsequent rewrite by other writers, it went from good to bad to terrible."
Due to Cannon's assorted financial crises, the project shut down after spending about $1.5 million on the project.
In 1989,
Pathé
Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe.
It is the name of a network of Fren ...
, owned by corrupt
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
financier
Giancarlo Parretti
Giancarlo Parretti (born 23 October 1941) is an Italian financier, who has bought, sold, and operated numerous businesses.
Early life
Parretti was born in Orvieto, north of Rome, Italy. He worked as a waiter in London before moving to Sicily. ...
, acquired the overextended Cannon. The filmmaking cousins parted, Globus remaining associated with Pathé, Golan leaving to run
21st Century Film Corporation, keeping a number of properties (including ''Spider-Man'') in lieu of a cash buy-out. He also extended his ''Spider-Man'' option with Marvel up to January 1992.
Golan shelved the low-budget rewrites and attempted to finance an independent production from the original big-budget script, already budgeted, storyboarded and laid out. At Cannes in May 1989, 21st Century announced a September start date, with ads touting the script by "Barney Cohen, Ted Newsom & John Brancato and Joseph Goldman".
As standard practice, Golan pre-sold the unmade film to raise production funds, with television rights bought by
Viacom
Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to:
* Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate
* Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom
* Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
and home video rights by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
, which wanted to establish a studio franchise.
Stephen Herek
Stephen Herek (born November 10, 1958) is an American film director. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he studied film at the University of Texas at Austin. He is best known for directing the 1989 film ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure''.
Career
His ...
was attached as director at this point. Golan submitted this "new" screenplay to Columbia in late 1989 (actually the 1985 script with an adjusted "1989" date) and the studio requested yet another rewrite. Golan hired
Frank LaLoggia
Frank LaLoggia (born January 12, 1954) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor and composer. LaLoggia appeared in several films before making his directorial debut with the horror film '' Fear No Evil'' (1981). His second featu ...
, who turned in his draft but grew disenchanted with 21st Century. Neil Ruttenberg was hired for one more draft, which was also "covered" by script readers at Columbia.
Columbia's script analysts considered all three submissions "essentially the same story". A tentative production deal was set. Stan Lee said in 1990: "21st Century
ssupposed to do ''Spider-Man'' and now they're talking to Columbia and the way it looks now, Columbia may end up buying ''Spider-Man'' from 21st Century."
Carolco Pictures / MGM
21st Century's Menahem Golan still actively immersed himself mounting "his" ''Spider-Man'', sending the original "Doc Ock" script for production bids. In 1990, he contacted Canadian effects company Light and Motion Corporation regarding the visual effects, which in turn offered the stop-motion chores to Steven Archer (''Krull'', ''Clash of the Titans'').
Toward the end of shooting ''
True Lies
''True Lies'' is a 1994 American action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker, a U.S. government agent, who struggles to balance his double life as a spy with his familial duties, ...
'', ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' carried the announcement that
Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures, Inc. was an American independent film studio that was founded by Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna in 1976. Kassar and Vajna ran Carolco together until 1989, when Vajna left to form Cinergi Pictures. Carolco hit its peak in th ...
had received a completed screenplay from James Cameron.
This script bore the names of James Cameron, John Brancato, Ted Newsom, Barry
icCohen and "Joseph Goldmari", a typographical scrambling of Golan's pen name ("Joseph Goldman") with Marvel executive Joseph Calamari. The script text was identical to the one Golan submitted to Columbia the previous year, with the addition of a new 1993 date. Cameron stalwart
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
was frequently linked to the project as the director's choice for Doctor Octopus.
James Cameron "scriptment"
Months later,
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
submitted an undated 57-page "
scriptment
A scriptment is a written work by a movie or television screenwriter that combines elements of a script and treatment, especially the dialogue elements, which are formatted the same as in a screenplay. It is a more elaborate document than a standa ...
" with an alternate story (the copyright registration was dated 1991), part screenplay, part narrative story outline.
The "scriptment" told the Spider-Man origin, but used variations on the comic book characters
Electro and
Sandman
The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes.
Representation in traditional folklore
The San ...
as villains. This "Electro" (named Carlton Strand, instead of Max Dillon) was a megalomaniacal parody of corrupt capitalists. Instead of Flint Marko's character, Cameron's "Sandman" (simply named Boyd) is mutated by an accident involving
Philadelphia Experiment
The Philadelphia Experiment was an alleged event claimed to have been witnessed by an ex- merchant mariner named Carl M. Allen at the United States Navy's Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, some time aroun ...
-style bilocation and atom-mixing, in lieu of getting caught in a nuclear blast on a beach. The story climaxes with a battle atop the
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are the hundreds of sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may also refer to:
Buildings
* World Trade Center (1973–2001), a building complex that was destroyed during the September 11 at ...
and had
Peter Parker
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of ...
revealing his identity to
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane "MJ" Watson is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, making her first appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #25 (June 1965), and subsequent ...
. In addition, the treatment was also heavy on profanity, and had Spider-Man and Mary Jane having sex on the
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...
.
This treatment reflected elements in previous scripts: from the Stevens treatment, organic web-shooters, and a villain who tempts Spider-Man to join a coming "master race" of mutants; from the original screenplay and rewrite, weird electrical storms causing blackouts, freak magnetic events and bi-location; from the Ethan Wiley draft, a villain addicted to toxic super-powers and multiple experimental spiders, one of which escapes and bites Peter, causing a hallucinatory nightmare invoking
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...
's ''
The Metamorphosis
''The Metamorphosis'' (), also translated as ''The Transformation'', is a novella by Franz Kafka published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''The Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes to find himself inex ...
''; from the Frank LaLoggia script, a blizzard of stolen cash fluttering down onto surprised New Yorkers; and from the Neil Ruttenberg screenplay, a criminal assault on the
NYC Stock Exchange.
In 1991, Carolco Pictures extended Golan's option agreement with Marvel through May 1996,
but in April 1992, Carolco ceased active production on Spider-Man due to continued financial and legal problems. During this time
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
was considered for Peter Parker / Spider-Man;
Maggie Smith
Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (28 December 1934 – 27 September 2024) was a British actress. Known for her wit in both comedic and dramatic roles, she had List of Maggie Smith performances, an extensive career on stage and screen for over seve ...
as Aunt May;
Robyn Lively
Robyn Elaine Lively Johnson (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the 1989 films '' Teen Witch'' and '' The Karate Kid Part III'', as well as the TV shows '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'', ''Twin Peaks'', '' Savanna ...
as Mary Jane Watson;
R. Lee Ermey
Ronald Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was an American actor and United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marine drill instructor. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film ''Full Met ...
as J. Jonah Jameson;
Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn ( or ; born July 31, 1956) is an American actor, primarily known for his roles in science fiction films directed by James Cameron; as Sgt. Kyle Reese in ''The Terminator'' (1984), Cpl. Dwayne Hicks in ''Aliens (film), Aliens'' (1 ...
as Boyd / Sandman; and
Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in various science fiction, action and horror genre productions, including Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise and Frank Black in the Fox television series ...
as Carlton Strand / Electro.
Litigation
When James Cameron agreed to make ''Spider-Man'', Carolco lawyers simply used his previous ''Terminator 2'' contract as a template. A clause in this agreement gave Cameron the right to decide on movie and advertising credits. Show business trade articles and advertisements made no mention of Golan, who was still actively assembling the elements for the film.
In 1993, Golan complained publicly and finally instigated legal action against Carolco for disavowing his contractual guarantee credit as producer. On the other hand, Cameron had the contractual right to decide on credits.
Eventually, Carolco sued Viacom and Columbia to recover broadcast and home video rights, and the two studios countersued.
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
, though not part of the litigation, contested Cameron's participation, claiming exclusivity on his services as a director under yet another contract.
In 1996, Carolco, 21st Century, and Marvel went bankrupt.
Via a
quitclaim
Generally, a quitclaim is a formal renunciation of a legal claim against some other person, or of a right to land. A person who quitclaims renounces or relinquishes a claim to some legal right, or transfers a legal interest in land. Originally a c ...
from Carolco dated March 28, 1995,
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
acquired 21st Century's film library and assets, and received "...all rights in and to all drafts and versions of the screenplay(s) for ''Spider-Man'' written by James Cameron, Ted Newsom & John Brancato, Menahem Golan, Jon
icMichael Paul, Ethan Wiley, Leslie Stevens, Frank Laloggia, Neil Ruttenberg, Barney Cohen, Shepard Goldman and any and all other writers." MGM also sued 21st Century, Viacom, and Marvel Comics, alleging fraud in the original deal between Cannon and Marvel. In 1998, Marvel emerged from bankruptcy with a reorganization plan that merged the company with
Toy Biz
Toy Biz, Inc. (later known as Marvel Toys) was a toy manufacturer, originally founded in Montreal, Quebec as Charan Toys. The company is best known for holding the Marvel Comics toy license from 1990 to 2006.
In 1993, Marvel Entertainment Group ...
.
The courts determined that the original contract of Marvel's rights to Golan had expired, returning the rights to Marvel, but the matter was still not completely resolved. In 1999, Marvel licensed ''Spider-Man'' rights to
Columbia, a subsidiary of
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
. MGM disputed the legality, claiming it had the ''Spider-Man'' rights via Cannon, 21st Century, and Carolco.
Columbia Pictures
In the meantime, MGM/UA chief executive
John Calley moved to
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
. Intimately familiar with the legal history of producer
Kevin McClory
Kevin O'Donovan McClory (8 June 1924 – 20 November 2006) was an Irish screenwriter, film producer, and film director. McClory was best known for producing the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' and for his legal battles with the character's cre ...
's claim to the rights to both ''
Thunderball'' and other related
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
characters and elements, Calley announced that Columbia would produce an alternate 007 series, based on the "McClory material", which Calley acquired for Columbia. Columbia had made the original 1967 film spoof of ''
Casino Royale'', a non-
Eon production.
Both studios now faced rival projects, which could undercut their own long-term financial stability and plans. Columbia had no consistent movie franchise, and had sought ''Spider-Man'' since 1989; MGM/UA's only reliable source of theatrical income was a new James Bond film every two or three years. An alternate 007 series could diminish or even eliminate the power of MGM/UA's long-running Bond series. Likewise, an MGM/UA ''Spider-Man'' film could negate Columbia's plans to create an exclusive cash cow. Both sides seemed to have strong arguments for the rights to do such films.
The two studios made a trade-off in March 1999; Columbia relinquished its rights to create a new 007 series in exchange for MGM's giving up its claim to ''Spider-Man''. Columbia acquired the rights to all previous scripts in 2000,
but exercised options only on the "Cameron Material", i.e., both the completed multi-author screenplay and the subsequent scriptment.
Other sources report that Columbia's owner Sony agreed to pay $10 million, plus 5% of any movies' gross revenue and half the revenue from consumer products.
After more than a decade of attempts, ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' truly went into production
and since then all of the Spider-Man films were produced and distributed by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
, the primary film production holding of
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
. The first three were directed by
Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...
, and the reboot and its sequel were directed by
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy '' (500) Days of Summer.'' He then directed ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012 ...
.
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ellen ZiskinGale Research Company (2002). ''Contemporary theatre, film, and television,'' p. 388. Gale Research Co., (March 3, 1950 – June 12, 2011) was an American film producer. She was the executive producer of '' Pretty Woman'' (1990 ...
served as producer until her death in 2011.
''Spider-Man'' (2002–2007)
''Spider-Man'' (2002)
''Spider-Man'' follows orphaned high schooler
Peter Parker
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of ...
(
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent Maguire (born 27 June 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for starring as Peter Parker (2002 film series character), Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi's trilogy, ''Spider-Man'' tr ...
), who pines after popular girl-next-door
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane "MJ" Watson is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, making her first appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #25 (June 1965), and subsequent ...
(
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989) and has since starred in several film and television productions. She has received several awar ...
). While on a science class field trip at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, a genetically-engineered "super spider" bites Peter. As a result, Peter gains superhuman abilities, including increased strength, speed, and the abilities to scale walls and generate organic webbing. After his beloved
uncle Ben
Benjamin Franklin "Ben" Parker, usually referred to as Uncle Ben, is a supporting character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in association with the superhero Spider-Man (Peter Parker). He was the husband of ...
(
Cliff Robertson
Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film ''PT 109 (film), PT 109'', a ...
) is murdered, the teenager realizes that he must use his newfound abilities to protect New York City. Meanwhile, wealthy industrialist
Norman Osborn
Norman Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of th ...
(
Willem Dafoe
William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...
), the father of Peter's best friend
Harry Osborn
Harold Theopolis "Harry" Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing ...
(
James Franco
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), ''Milk (2008 American film), Milk'' (200 ...
), subjects himself to an experimental performance-enhancing serum, which creates a psychotic and murderous split personality. Donning a military battle suit, Norman becomes a freakish "Green Goblin", who begins to terrorize the city. Peter, as Spider-Man, now must battle with the Goblin, all while dealing with personal situations involving his domestic and his love life.
''Spider-Man 2'' (2004)
Two years after the events of the first film, Peter struggles to balance his superhero and private lives and still pines after Mary Jane, who is now engaged. Harry continues to believe Spider-Man is responsible for his father's death. Spider-Man contends with scientist
Otto Octavius (
Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British and American actor. He is known for his leading roles and character actor roles on the stage and screen. In a career spanning over five decades he has received a Drama Desk Award ...
), also known as Doctor Octopus, who initially mentors his alter-ego and has four mechanical tentacles fused to his spine following a failed fusion-based experiment and sets out to recreate the same that could destroy much of New York City.
''Spider-Man 3'' (2007)
Peter is still with Mary Jane, while Harry succeeds his father as the new
Green Goblin (credited as New Goblin).
Eddie Brock
Edward Charles Allan "Eddie" Brock is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, making a cameo appearance in ''Web of Spider-Man'' #18 (September 1 ...
(
Topher Grace
Christopher John Grace ( ; born July 12, 1978), known professionally as Topher Grace, is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric Forman in the teen sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2005) and Eddie Brock / Venom in Sam Raimi's s ...
), who, like Peter, is a photographer for the ''Daily Bugle'', sets out to defame Spider-Man and incriminate him. Meanwhile,
Flint Marko (
Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom '' Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in ''Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...
), an escaped convict, falls into a particle accelerator and becomes a shape-shifting sand monster known as Sandman. Peter later learns that Marko killed Ben, causing Peter's own dark intentions to grow. This vendetta is enhanced by the appearance of a mysterious black alien
symbiotic
Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biolo ...
substance that bonds to Peter, resulting in the formation of a new black costume. Once Peter separates himself from the alien, it finds a new host in the form of Brock, resulting in the creation of
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
and Peter having to battle the villains in the end.
Canceled fourth film and potential revival
In 2007, ''Spider-Man 4'' entered development, with Raimi attached to direct and Maguire, Dunst, and other cast members set to reprise their roles. Both a fourth and a fifth film were planned and, at one time, the idea of shooting the two sequels
concurrently was under consideration. However, Raimi stated in March 2009 that only the fourth film was in development at that time, and that if there were fifth and sixth films, those two films would actually be a continuation of each other. ''
Zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
'' screenwriter
James Vanderbilt
James Platten Vanderbilt (born November 17, 1975) is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing the films ''Zodiac'' (2007), ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012) and its 2014 sequel, and '' Independence Day: Resurgence'' (2 ...
was hired by
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
in October 2007 to pen the screenplay after initial reports in January that Sony was in contact with
David Koepp
David Koepp (; born June 9, 1963) is an American screenwriter and director. He is the fourth most successful screenwriter of all time in terms of U.S. box office receipts with a total gross of over $2.6 billion. Koepp has achieved both critical ...
, who wrote the first ''Spider-Man'' film.
The script was being rewritten by
David Lindsay-Abaire
David Lindsay-Abaire (né Abaire; born November 30, 1969) is an American playwright, lyricist and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007 for his play '' Rabbit Hole'', which also earned several Tony Award nominations. Lin ...
and
Gary Ross
Gary Ross (born November 3, 1956) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known for writing and directing the fantasy comedy-drama film '' Pleasantville'' (1998), the sports drama film ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), the dystopia ...
in November 2008 and October 2009. Sony also engaged Vanderbilt to write scripts for ''Spider-Man 5'' and ''Spider-Man 6''.
In 2007, Raimi expressed interest in depicting the transformation of Dr. Curt Connors into his villainous alter-ego, the
Lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
; the character's actor
Dylan Baker
Dylan Baker (born October 7, 1959) is an American actor. He gained recognition for his roles in films such as '' Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), ''Happiness'' (1998), '' Thirteen Days'' (2000), '' Road to Perdition'' (2002), ''Spider-Man ...
and producer Grant Curtis were also enthusiastic about the idea.
Raimi also discussed his desire to upgrade
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known best for his role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' horror series, beginning with the short movie '' Within the Woods'' (1978). He has also f ...
from a
cameo appearance
A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
to a significant role, later revealed to be
Quentin Beck / Mysterio.
It was reported in December 2009 that
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...
was in negotiations to play
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
and that
Anne Hathaway
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime ...
would play
Felicia Hardy
Black Cat is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and Dave Cockrum, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #194 in July 1979 as an List of Spider-Man enemies, adver ...
, though she would not have transformed into the Black Cat as in the comics. Instead, Felicia was expected to become a new superpowered figure called the Vulturess. Several years later, in 2013, Raimi re-clarified that the Vulturess concept was discarded and Hathaway would've indeed been Black Cat if ''Spider-Man 4'' had been made. Concept art by
storyboard artist
A storyboard artist (sometimes called a story artist or visualizer) creates storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions.
Work
A storyboard artist visualizes stories and sketches frames of the story. Quick pencil drawings and mar ...
Jeffrey Henderson revealed in June 2016 showed the inclusion of an opening montage of Spider-Man going up against C and D-list villains, such as Mysterio,
the Shocker,
the Prowler, the
Stilt-Man
S'Byll
S'Byll (sometimes spelled S'byll) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
S'Byll is a Skrull that was raised on the planet Satriani. She was responsible for curing Super-Skrull of his disease.
Si ...
and
the Rhino, with the Vulture serving as the main antagonist; Henderson recalls that the film would have opened with a montage of Spider-Man, now feeling free after breaking up with Mary Jane, catching all villains from his
rogues gallery
A rogues' gallery (or rogues gallery) is a police collection of mug shots or other images of criminal suspects kept for identification purposes.
History
In 1855, Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, established ...
that the crew knew Raimi would never use in his films. Henderson also disclosed that Malkovich would have played the Vulture, who would have been a
private contractor
Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other ...
who committed terrible actions in behalf of the
U.S. government
The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States.
The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executi ...
, leading him to be called the "Vulture" because he never left anything but "bones" behind, and the film's climax would have shown the Vulture and Spider-Man fighting in a bloody fight that Spider-Man would have barely won by causing the Vulture's wings to make him tumble between building until crashing into the
Citicorp Building's ether and off its top, killing him.
In April 2022, Raimi stated that he had planned to include
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Николаевич Кравинов) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, th ...
in the film.
As disagreements between Sony and Raimi threatened to push the film off the intended May 6, 2011, release date, Sony Pictures announced in January 2010 that plans for ''Spider-Man 4'' had been canceled due to Raimi's withdrawal from the project. Raimi reportedly ended his participation due to his doubt that he could meet the planned May 6, 2011 release date while at the same time upholding the film creatively; he admitted that he was "very unhappy" with the way ''Spider-Man 3'' had turned out, and was under pressure to make the fourth film the best that he could. Raimi purportedly went through four iterations of the script with different screenwriters and still "hated it".
In June 2021, animatic producer David E. Duncan, who worked on ''Spider-Man 4'', uploaded an animatic of the canceled project dated November 12, 2009 to his Vimeo account along with the description: "One of a half dozen animatics I produced for the ill-fated 4th Raimi Spider-Man. Studio politics, creative differences and bad internet reactions (to John Malkovich as Vulture) caused the plug to be pulled December of 2009, early in the prep stage. However, one month later, Sony moved forward with Andrew Garfield reboot...". The animatic depicts a battle between Spider-Man and the Vulture. Duncan later deleted the animatic from his page, but it can still be found on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.
Following his appearance in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
film ''
Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021), some fans called for Sony to make a fourth ''Spider-Man'' film starring Maguire using the
hashtag
A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...
"#MakeRaimiSpiderMan4" on
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
. In addition, Raimi and Dunst expressed interest in a possible return in a fourth film, while Maguire stated that he was "open for anything". However, Raimi later stated that he had no plans to direct such a film.
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012–2014)

Following the cancelation of ''Spider-Man 4'', Sony announced that the franchise would be
rebooted
''Rebooted'' is the third season of the animated television series ''Ninjago (TV series), Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'' (titled ''Ninjago'' from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The seaso ...
with a new director and cast.
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy '' (500) Days of Summer.'' He then directed ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012 ...
directed both of the ''Amazing Spider-Man'' films.
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012)
The film focuses on
Peter Parker
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of ...
(
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. After his breakout role in '' Boy A'' (2007), he came to international attention with the supporting role of Eduardo Saverin in the drama ''The Social Network'' ...
) developing his abilities in high school and his relationship with
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyne Maxine "Gwen" Stacy is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man (Peter Parker). A college student and the daughter of George Stacy, Georg ...
(
Emma Stone
Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress and film producer. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2017, she was the world's highest-paid actr ...
). He fights the Lizard, the monstrous form of
Dr. Curt Connors (
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Owain Evans (; born 22 July 1967), known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He has portrayed roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), '' Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000), and '' Enduring Love'' (2004), in addition to Xenophilius Lovegood in ''Harry ...
), who is his father's former partner and a scientist at
Oscorp
Oscorp (sometimes stylized as OsCorp), also known as Oscorp Industries, is a fictional multibillion-dollar multinational corporation appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, predominantly in stories about Spider-Man. The compa ...
.
''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (2014)
Peter graduates from high school, continues his crime-fighting duties as Spider-Man, while combating the electricity-manipulating
Electro (
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...
), rekindling his relationship with Gwen, and encountering his old friend
Harry Osborn
Harold Theopolis "Harry" Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing ...
(
Dane DeHaan
Dane William DeHaan ( ; born 1985 or 1986) is an American actor. His roles include Andrew Detmer in ''Chronicle'' (2012), Jason Glanton in '' The Place Beyond the Pines'' (2012), Lucien Carr in '' Kill Your Darlings'' (2013), Harry Osborn / Gre ...
), who is slowly dying from a genetic disease.
Canceled third film, spin-offs, and potential revival
In June 2013, Sony announced the release dates for the next two ''Spider-Man'' films following ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2''. The third film was scheduled to be released on June 10, 2016, and the fourth to be released on May 4, 2018.
Paul Giamatti
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti ( ; born June6, 1967) is an American actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globes, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.
After studying a ...
confirmed he would return as
Rhino
A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
in the third film following his brief appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2''. That November, Sony Pictures Entertainment chief
Michael Lynton
Michael Mark Lynton (born January 1, 1960) is a businessman and current chairman of Snap Inc. He previously served as chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In 2017, Lynton stepped down as CEO of Sony Entertainment to becom ...
told analysts: "We do very much have the ambition about creating a bigger universe around Spider-Man. There are a number of scripts in the works".
Garfield stated that his contract was for three films, and was unsure of his involvement for the fourth film. In February 2014, Sony announced that Webb would return to direct the third film. In March, Webb stated that he would not be directing the fourth film, but would like to remain as a consultant for the series.
Roberto Orci
Roberto Gaston Orcí (July 20, 1973 – February 25, 2025) was a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer.
Born in Mexico City, Orci began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Toge ...
told
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
in July that he was not working on the third film due to his involvement in ''
Star Trek Beyond
''Star Trek Beyond'' is a 2016 American science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Justin Lin, written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung. It is the 13th film in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the third installment in List of Star ...
''.
Alex Kurtzman
Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing the scripts to ''Transformers'' (2007), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)'', ''Star Trek'' (2009), ''Star Trek Into Darkness ...
stated in an interview that the third film was still continuing production and that there was a possibility of seeing a Black Cat film. Sony later announced in July that ''The Amazing Spider-Man 3'' had been delayed to 2018.
After the announcement in February 2015 of a new series with
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
, the sequels to ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' were canceled.
In July 2015,
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Massachusetts, he first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song " Asshole") and th ...
, who portrayed
George Stacy
George Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily in association with Spider-Man. He is Gwen Stacy's father and the police captain from the New York City Police Department. Stacy is a st ...
in both films, revealed that the third film at one point had Spider-Man "take this formula and regenerate the people in his life that died".
In December 2013, Sony issued a press release through the viral site ''Electro Arrives'' announcing that two films were in development, with Kurtzman, Orci, and
Ed Solomon
Edward James Solomon (born September 15, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He wrote the screenplays to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989), ''Men in Black (1997 film), Men in Black'' (1997), and ''Now You See Me (film), Now You See Me'' ( ...
writing a spin-off to ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' focused on
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
(with Kurtzman attached to direct) and
Drew Goddard
Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard (born February 26, 1975) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer most closely associated with the horror genre. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ...
writing one focused on the villain team
Sinister Six
The Sinister Six are a group of supervillains in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, mainly those featuring Spider-Man. The members are drawn from the character's list of enemies, with the original members forming the team in ''T ...
. Hannah Minghella and Rachel O'Connor would oversee the development and production of these films for the studio. The Venom spin-off eventually became
the 2018 film for
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the fil ...
. In April 2014, it was announced that Goddard would direct the ''Sinister Six'' film, and that both spin-offs would be released before a fourth ''Amazing Spider-Man'', with Spider-Man potentially appearing in both spin-offs. Later in the month,
Matt Tolmach and
Avi Arad
Avi Arad (; ; born August 1, 1948) is an Israeli-American studio executive and producer of film, television and animation. He became the CEO of Toy Biz in the 1990s, was the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment and is the founder, ...
revealed the ''Sinister Six'' film would be a redemption story, and that the film's lineup might differ from the comics. In July 2014, Sony announced that ''The Sinister Six'' was scheduled for release on November 11, 2016.
By August 2014, Sony was also looking to release a female-centered spin-off film in 2017, with
Lisa Joy
Lisa Joy (born May 23, 1977) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and lawyer. She is best known as the co-creator, writer, director, and executive producer of the HBO science-fiction drama series ''Westworld'' (2016–2022). For her ...
writing, and had given the ''Venom'' spin-off the potential title of ''Venom: Carnage''.
Despite the announcement in February 2015 of a new series with Marvel Studios, ''The Sinister Six'', ''Venom'', and female-led spin-off films set in the ''Amazing Spider-Man'' timeline were then "still moving forward". Marvel Studios president
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
was not expected to be creatively involved with these films.
However, ''The Sinister Six'' was canceled due to ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' underperforming commercially, and by November 2015, the other prospective spin-off films were canceled as well. Sony has reworked these plans into creating a new film series based on Marvel characters associated with Spider-Man separate from both the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU) or the ''Amazing Spider-Man'' franchise, starting with the release of ''Venom'' (2018).
Following his appearance in the MCU film ''
Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021), some fans called for Sony to make a third ''Spider-Man'' film starring Garfield using the hashtag "#MakeTASM3" on
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
. In an interview with ''
Entertainment Tonight
''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...
'', Garfield expressed interest in reprising his role as Peter Parker for another Spider-Man film. MCU Spider-Man actor
Tom Holland
Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, he featured on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list of 2019. Some publications have called him one of the most ...
later expressed support for Garfield to reprise the role in a potential third film.
Licensing agreement with Marvel Studios
Sony's 1999 exclusive rights acquisition, covering all Spider-Man universes (including 900+ Marvel characters related to Spider-Man), is perpetual provided that Sony releases a new Spider-Man film at least once every 5.75 years.
Sometime in 2014, prior to the release of ''
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (internationally titled ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro'') is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel En ...
'', there had been informal discussions between
Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal (born March 25, 1958) is an American film producer and business executive. She served as the Chairwoman of the Motion Pictures Group of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and Co-Chairperson of SPE, including Sony Pictures Television, ...
and
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
president
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
about whether the world and characters of ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' films (including
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. After his breakout role in '' Boy A'' (2007), he came to international attention with the supporting role of Eduardo Saverin in the drama ''The Social Network'' ...
's
version of Spider-Man) could be
retroactively integrated into the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU), but discussions came to nothing. Pascal and
Avi Arad
Avi Arad (; ; born August 1, 1948) is an Israeli-American studio executive and producer of film, television and animation. He became the CEO of Toy Biz in the 1990s, was the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment and is the founder, ...
had attempted to connect the two franchises prior to these discussions, with the pair revealing that they were intending on licensing out the design of the
Oscorp
Oscorp (sometimes stylized as OsCorp), also known as Oscorp Industries, is a fictional multibillion-dollar multinational corporation appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, predominantly in stories about Spider-Man. The compa ...
Tower from ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...
'' (2012) so it could appear in the New York City skyline of the MCU film ''
The Avengers'' (2012), establishing the existence of Spider-Man and associated elements in the MCU. It never materialized as a result of the building's design being finalized too late into the latter film's
post-production
Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
process. Sony also mooted with the idea of doing a
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Music
Albums
* ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue
* ''Crossover'', an album by ...
film between ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' films and the
Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...
films with Garfield and
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent Maguire (born 27 June 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for starring as Peter Parker (2002 film series character), Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi's trilogy, ''Spider-Man'' tr ...
playing their respective versions of Spider-Man, with Raimi reportedly eyed to direct, but this too never came to fruition. In December 2014, following the
hacking of Sony Pictures' computers, Sony and Marvel Studios were revealed to have had discussions about licensing Spider-Man to appear in the MCU film ''
Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) while having control of the film rights remaining with Sony. Talks between the studios then broke down. Instead, Sony had considered having Raimi return to direct a new trilogy.
On February 9, 2015, Sony and Disney announced a licensing agreement that would allow Spider-Man to appear in the MCU, with the character appearing in an MCU film and Sony releasing a ''Spider-Man'' film co-produced by Feige and Pascal. Sony would continue to own, finance, distribute, and exercise final creative control over the ''Spider-Man'' films.
Feige stated that Marvel had been working to add Spider-Man to the MCU since at least October 2014. The next month, Marvel Entertainment CCO
Joe Quesada
Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, ...
indicated that the Peter Parker version of the character would be used, which Feige confirmed in April. The following June, Feige clarified that the initial Sony deal did not allow the character to appear in any of the
MCU television series, as it was "very specific... with a certain amount of back and forth allowed".
Tom Holland
Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, he featured on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list of 2019. Some publications have called him one of the most ...
, who portrays
Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the MCU, revealed in November 2016 that he was signed for "three Spider-Man movies and three solo movies".
In June 2017, Holland, Feige, and
Jon Watts
Jonathan Watts (born June 28, 1981) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the Spider-Man in film, ''Spider-Man'' films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): ''Spider-Man: Homecoming, Homec ...
, director of the first MCU ''Spider-Man'' trilogy, confirmed that a child (portrayed by Max Favreau) wearing an Iron Man mask whom
Tony Stark
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
saves from a drone in ''
Iron Man 2
''Iron Man 2'' is a 2010 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the sequel to ''Iron Man'' (2008) and the third film in the Marvel Cinem ...
'' (2010), was a young Peter Parker, retroactively making it the introduction of the character to the MCU.
In August 2019, Disney and Sony could not reach a new agreement regarding the Spider-Man films, with Marvel Studios and Feige said to no longer have any involvement in any future films. ''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
'' noted that Disney had hoped future films would be a "50/50 co-financing arrangement between the studios", with the possibility to extend the deal to other Spider-Man-related films, an offer Sony rejected and did not counter. Instead, Sony hoped to keep the terms of the previous agreement, where Marvel would receive 5% of the film's initial theatrical gross, with Disney refusing.
''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' added that the lack of a new agreement would see the end of Holland's Spider-Man in the MCU.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' cited unnamed sources claiming negotiations had "hit an impasse" and that a new deal could still be reached.
On August 24, Feige reportedly commented at Disney's
D23 Expo
D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, also known as Disney D23 or simply D23, is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Eve ...
: "We got to make five films within the MCU with Spider-Man: two standalone films and three with the
Avengers
Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...
. It was a dream that I never thought would happen. It was never meant to last forever. We knew there was a finite amount of time that we'd be able to do this, and we told the story we wanted to tell, and I'll always be thankful for that."
The following month, in response to fan outcry, Disney and Sony reached a new deal, which included a third Spider-Man film as well as one other film, both set in the MCU.
At the time, Watts entered final negotiations to return as director.
In November 2021, Pascal revealed in an interview that Sony and Marvel Studios are going to continue collaborating for another trilogy of films set in the MCU.
The Infinity Saga
''Captain America: Civil War'' (2016)

Reports indicated that the first MCU film that Spider-Man would appear in as part of the deal would be ''Captain America: Civil War''.
Directors
Joe and Anthony Russo had lobbied for months to include the character in that film. Anthony Russo stated that, despite Marvel telling them to have a "plan B" should the deal with Sony fail, the Russos never created one because "it was very important to us to reintroduce" Spider-Man in the film, adding, "We only have envisioned the movie with Spider-Man." By the end of May 2015,
Asa Butterfield
Asa Bopp Farr Butterfield ( ; born 1 April 1997) is an English actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, Butterfield first achieved recognition as the lead of the historical drama film '' The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'' (2008). He continued ...
, Holland,
Judah Lewis,
Matthew Lintz,
Charlie Plummer and
Charlie Rowe screen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...
ed for the lead role, against
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. One of the highest-grossing actors of all time, his films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide. In 2008, Downey was named by ''Time ...
, who portrays Tony Stark / Iron Man, for chemistry.
The six were chosen out of a search of over 1,500 actors to test in front of Feige, Pascal, and the Russo brothers.
In June, Feige and Pascal narrowed the actors considered to Holland and Rowe. Both screen tested again with Downey, with Holland also testing with
Chris Evans, who portrays
Steve Rogers / Captain America, and emerged as the favorite.
Holland was ultimately cast as Spider-Man in June.
The following month,
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei ( , ; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress.
She gained prominence for her comedic performance in '' My Cousin Vinny'' (1992), which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She received further nominations ...
was in talks for the role of
May Parker
Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
, later appearing in ''Civil War''.
In the film, Parker, who has spent the last six months as the local costumed crimefighter Spider-Man, is recruited by Stark to join his team of Avengers to stop Rogers and his rogue faction of Avengers, who oppose the
Sokovia Accords, from fleeing with fugitive
Bucky Barnes
James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in '' ...
. During the fight with Rogers and his team, Parker, utilizing a Stark-upgraded version of his initial makeshift suit, proves to be a formidable opponent, and implements a tactic with which he, Stark,
James Rhodes / War Machine, and
Vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
disable
Scott Lang / Ant-Man in his
giant-sized form. Upon returning home, Parker discovers some of the
Stark tech features of the suit he was given by Stark.
''Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017)
''Spider-Man: Homecoming'' was released on July 7, 2017. The film was directed by Watts,
from a screenplay by
Jonathan M. Goldstein &
John Francis Daley
John Francis Daley (born July 20, 1985) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for playing high school freshman Sam Weir on the NBC comedy-drama ''Freaks and Geeks'' and FBI criminal profiler Dr. Lance Sweets on the crime drama se ...
and Watts &
Christopher Ford Christopher Ford may refer to:
* Christopher Ford (screenwriter), American film screenwriter, producer, and actor
*Christopher Ashley Ford (born 1967), American lawyer and government official
*Chris Ford
Christopher Joseph Ford (January 11, ...
and
Chris McKenna &
Erik Sommers
Erik Sommers is an American television writer, television producer and screenwriter.
Career
Erik Sommers began his career working on the production staff of '' Stark Raving Mad''.
During his time as a writer on '' American Dad'', he met Chris M ...
.
Holland, Tomei, and Downey reprise their roles as Peter Parker, May Parker, and Stark, respectively,
and are joined by
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...
as
Adrian Toomes / Vulture,
Zendaya
Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. List of awards and nominations received by Zendaya, Her accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award. I ...
as
MJ,
Jacob Batalon as
Ned Leeds
Edward "Ned" Leeds is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A supporting character in stories featuring the superhero Spider-Man, he has been a reporter for the ''Daily Bugle'', and husband of Betty B ...
,
Laura Harrier
Laura Ruth Harrier (born March 28, 1990) is an American actress and model. She began modeling at the age of 17 after she was discovered by a Location scouting, location scout. She moved to New York City where she continued modeling and was rep ...
as
Liz,
Tony Revolori as
Flash Thompson
Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962).
Flash ...
, and
Bokeem Woodbine
Bokeem Woodbine (born April 13, 1973) is an American actor. In 1994, he portrayed Joshua, the main character's troubled brother, in ''Jason's Lyric''. He won a Black Reel Award and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Critics' Choice T ...
as
Herman Schultz / Shocker, who appears as a minor villain.
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia Favreau ( ; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), ''PCU (film), PCU'' (1994), ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996), ''Very ...
also appears as
Happy Hogan, reprising his role from the ''Iron Man'' films.
Production began in June 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia and ended in October.
Set two months after the events of ''Civil War'', Parker anxiously awaits his next assignment from Stark while simultaneously balancing his life at Midtown High with his vigilante life as Spider-Man. His investigation of a series of highly weaponized robberies leads him to mysterious weapons trafficker Adrian Toomes and despite Stark's warnings not to be involved attempts to stop him.
''Avengers: Infinity War'' (2018)
In October 2016, Holland said the possibility of him appearing in ''Avengers: Infinity War'' was "all up in the air", but that "some sort of deal is in the mix" with Sony for him to appear. Holland was eventually confirmed to appear in the film, directed by the Russo brothers, as part of the
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to the po ...
in February 2017.
Parker joins Iron Man,
Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
, and the
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Comic book teams 1969 team
The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...
in battling
Thanos
Thanos () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Devia ...
in the ruins of his home planet,
Titan
Titan most often refers to:
* Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn
* Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology
Titan or Titans may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Fictional entities
Fictional locations
* Titan in fiction, fictiona ...
. However, Parker is among the many heroes who perish after Thanos snaps his fingers with a completed Infinity Gauntlet, which wipes out half of all life in the universe.
''Avengers: Endgame'' (2019)
Holland was confirmed to be a part of ''Avengers: Endgame'', directed by the Russo brothers, in April 2017.
After dying at the end of ''Infinity War'', Parker and the other victims of Thanos are resurrected by
Bruce Banner
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
five years later and join the Avengers and their allies in a clash against Thanos and his army in upstate New York. At the battle's conclusion, Parker mourns Stark's death and attends his funeral with May before returning to high school to reunite with his best friend Ned.
''Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019)
In December 2016, Sony Pictures announced a sequel to ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'', for release on July 5, 2019. In June 2017, Feige stated that the film would be titled in a similar fashion to ''Homecoming'', using a subtitle, and would not have a number in the title. A year later, Holland revealed the film's title as ''Spider-Man: Far From Home''.
Watts returned to direct, and Holland, Zendaya, Favreau, Batalon, Tomei, and Revolori reprise their roles from ''Homecoming'', with
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal ( , ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor who has worked on screen and stage for over thirty years. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi ...
joining as
Quentin Beck / Mysterio. As in ''Homecoming'', other characters from MCU installments reprise their roles, with
Samuel L. Jackson and
Cobie Smulders
Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS series ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in th ...
appearing as
Nick Fury
Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
and
Maria Hill
Commander Maria Christina Hill is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch (comics), David Finch, the character first appeared in ''The New Avengers (comics), The Ne ...
, respectively. In April 2019, Sony moved the release date to July 2, 2019.
Set after the events of ''Endgame'', the film features Parker and his friends going to Europe on summer vacation, where Parker, intending to take a break from superheroics, is drawn back to it when he is forced to team up with Fury and Mysterio in battling the
Elementals.
The Multiverse Saga
''Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021)
In September 2019, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures announced to produce a third film, after an impasse between the two companies during negotiations.
Watts returned to direct,
from a script by McKenna and Sommers.
Holland, Zendaya, Favreau, Batalon, Tomei, and Revolori reprise their roles, and are joined by
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch, various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurenc ...
and
Benedict Wong
Benedict Wong (born 3 July 1971) is an English actor. He began his career on stage before starring in the film '' Dirty Pretty Things'' (2002), which earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination, and the BBC sitcom '' 15 Storeys High ...
in their MCU roles as Stephen Strange and
Wong
Wong or Mr Wong may refer to:
Name
* Wong (surname), a Chinese surname, listing people and fictional characters with the surname
* Wong (Marvel Comics), manservant/mentor to Doctor Strange Sr./Jr. in Marvel Comics
** Wong (Marvel Cinematic Univer ...
, respectively.
The film links the pre-MCU ''Spider-Man'' films via the
multiverse
The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...
and features Maguire and Garfield reprising their respective roles as their versions of Spider-Man, while
Willem Dafoe
William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...
,
Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British and American actor. He is known for his leading roles and character actor roles on the stage and screen. In a career spanning over five decades he has received a Drama Desk Award ...
and
Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom '' Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in ''Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...
reprise their roles as
Norman Osborn / Green Goblin,
Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus and
Flint Marko / Sandman respectively from Raimi's ''Spider-Man'' trilogy, along with
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...
and
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Owain Evans (; born 22 July 1967), known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He has portrayed roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), '' Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000), and '' Enduring Love'' (2004), in addition to Xenophilius Lovegood in ''Harry ...
as
Max Dillon / Electro and
Curt Connors / Lizard respectively from
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy '' (500) Days of Summer.'' He then directed ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012 ...
's ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' films.
Charlie Cox
Charlie Thomas Cox (born 15 December 1982) is an English-American actor. He is best-known for portraying Matt Murdock / Daredevil in seven projects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leading the television series '' Daredevil'' (2015–2018) a ...
reprises his role as
Matt Murdock
Daredevil is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with some input from Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Daredevil'' #1 (April 1964).
...
from
Marvel Television
Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. Marvel Television was formed as a division of Marvel En ...
's
Netflix series and
Tom Hardy appears, uncredited, as
Eddie Brock
Edward Charles Allan "Eddie" Brock is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, making a cameo appearance in ''Web of Spider-Man'' #18 (September 1 ...
, reprising the role from
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the fil ...
.
After Mysterio exposes Parker's identity as Spider-Man to the world in ''Far From Home'' in addition to incriminating him for his demise, ruining Parker's and his close ones' life in the process, Parker asks Strange to make it a secret again with magic, but this inadvertently breaks open the multiverse and allows visitors from alternate realities to enter Parker's universe.
''Spider-Man: Brand New Day'' (2026)
Pascal confirmed plans for a sequel to ''No Way Home'' and a second trilogy of films set in the MCU in November 2021 ahead of the film's release, with Feige confirming the active development of a fourth MCU ''Spider-Man'' film in addition to his next supporting appearance in the franchise the following month. Marvel Studios returns to co-produce the film with Sony Pictures and Pascal Pictures. Holland was expected to reprise his role, with his character undergoing a soft-reset as a result of his "momentous decision" during ''No Way Home''
's climax, describing public knowledge of the character's civilian persona being erased by Doctor Strange's spell.
On October 23, 2024, a fourth MCU ''Spider-Man'' film was officially confirmed with Holland set to reprise his role and filming scheduled to begin in 2025.
Two days later,
Destin Daniel Cretton
Destin Yori Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the drama films ''Short Term 12'' (2013), ''The Glass Castle (2017 film), The Glass Castle'' (2017), ''Just Mercy'' (2019) as well as the Marvel Studios film ''S ...
was announced as the director.
The film is currently scheduled to be released on July 31, 2026 after being delayed a week in February 2025. The film's title was revealed as ''Spider-Man: Brand New Day'' in March 2025.
''Avengers: Doomsday'' (2026)
In October 2024, Holland was reported to be reprising his role as Spider-Man in ''Avengers: Doomsday'', set to release on December 18, 2026. ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' broke that principal photography for the standalone ''Spider-Man: Brand New Day'' was delayed to mid-2025 as a means of accommodating his simultaneous commitment to ''Doomsday'', as well as his starring role as
Telemachus
In Greek mythology, Telemachus ( ; ) is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who are central characters in Homer's ''Odyssey''. When Telemachus reached manhood, he visited Pylos and Sparta in search of his wandering father. On his return to Ithaca, ...
in the
Christopher Nolan
Sir Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmma ...
film
''The Odyssey'', scheduled to premiere two weeks before ''Brand New Day''. In an interview, Holland additionally revealed that he was aware of Downey's casting as the film's lead antagonist
Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom ahead of its reveal at
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
in July 2024, as the pair remained in contact after working together in the MCU.
Animated ''Spider-Verse''
''Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2018)

In April 2015, Sony announced that
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Philip Anderson Lord (born July 12, 1975) and Christopher Robert Miller (born September 23, 1975) are an American filmmaking and acting duo. Their films are known for subversion of genre and detailed visual sensation, spanning various styles of ...
were writing and producing a Spider-Man animated comedy in development at
Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation Inc. (also referred to as Sony Animation Studios and abbreviated to SPA) is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and found ...
. As revealed by the e-mail leak one year before, the duo had been previously courted by Sony to take over the studio's animation division. Originally scheduled to be released on December 21, 2018, Sony changed the date a week earlier on December 14. Sony Pictures Animation president
Kristine Belson
Kristine Belson is a film producer and the president of Sony Pictures Animation.
Belson's mother was a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and her father, Jerry Belson, was a comedy writer for television and film. Belson graduat ...
unveiled the film's logo, with the
working title
A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in film and TV, gaming, music and publishing. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative ...
''Animated Spider-Man'', at
CinemaCon
Cinema United, formerly known as the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), is an American trade organization whose members are the owners of movie theaters. Most of the operators of worldwide major theater chains are members, as are ...
2016, and declared that "conceptually and visually,
he film
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads
* He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English
* He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana)
* Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
will break new ground for the superhero genre." Bob Persichetti would direct the animated film, with
Peter Ramsey
Peter A. Ramsey (born December 23, 1962) is an American illustrator, storyboard artist, and filmmaker. He is best known for directing DreamWorks Animation's '' Rise of the Guardians'' (2012), becoming the first African American to direct a comput ...
and
Rodney Rothman
Rodney Rothman is an American filmmaker and author. He is known for his work on '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2019) (which served as his feature directorial debut), '' Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping'' (2016), ''22 Jump Street'' (201 ...
serving as co-directors and
Miles Morales
Spider-Man (Miles Gonzalo MoralesAhmed, Saladin (w), Garrón, Javier (a). ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' #1 (2018) Marvel Comics (New York). ) is a superhero and the third predominant Spider-Man to appear in American comic books published by M ...
serving as the protagonist of the film.
''Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham'' (2019)
Lord and Miller expressed interest in developing animated shorts starring
Spider-Ham
Spider-Ham (Peter Porker) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is an anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic pig and is a cartoon animal parody version of Spider-Man. He was created by Larry Hama, T ...
, who was introduced in ''Into the Spider-Verse''.
The short film ''Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham'' was released on February 26, 2019, along with the digital release of ''Into the Spider-Verse''.
John Mulaney
John Edmund Mulaney (born August 26, 1982) is an American Stand up comedian, stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mulaney first rose to prominence for his work as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy ...
reprises his role as the titular character from ''Into the Spider-Verse''.
''Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' (2023)
In November 2018, it was revealed that ''Into the Spider-Verse'' had entered into sequel development.
The sequel, which continues Morales' story and features a romance with
Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman,
was directed by
Joaquim Dos Santos and written by
David Callaham
David Elias Callaham (born October 24, 1977) is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for co-writing the screenplays for the films ''Doom (film), Doom'' (2005), ''The Expendables (2010 film), The Expendables'' (2010), ''Zombi ...
. In February 2021, Miller revealed that both he and Lord were co-writing the screenplay with Callaham, and that Peter Ramsey would serve as an executive producer, after co-directing the first film. By April,
Kemp Powers
Kemp Powers is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for his play ''One Night in Miami'' and the 2020 film adaptation of the same name, as well as for co-directing the animated films ''Soul'' (2020) and '' Spider ...
and
Justin K. Thompson (the latter of which had previously served as production designer on the first film) were announced to co-direct the film alongside Dos Santos. In April 2022, it was announced that the film had been retitled, with the ''(Part One)'' moniker removed in favor of separating the film and its sequel.
It was released on June 2, 2023 after being delayed from its initial April 8, 2022 release date.
''The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story'' (2023)
''The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story'' is a short film that debuted at
Annecy International Animation Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...
on June 12, 2023. It was later released on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
on March 27, 2024.
It was directed by Jarelle Dampier and written by Khaila Amazan through
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. (simply known as Imageworks) is a visual effects and computer animation studio headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia and Montreal, Quebec, with an additional office on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver C ...
' LENS program and is set between ''Into the Spider-Verse'' and ''Across the Spider-Verse''. It focuses on Miles' life as he, overwhelmed by school work, exams and relationships, as well as his secret identity as Spider-Man, "starts to feel the pressure
.. which results in a scary, trippy little jaunt through his subconscious."
''Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse'' (2027)
In December 2021, Lord and Miller revealed that ''Across the Spider-Verse'' was being split into two parts after they had written down the story they wanted to tell for the sequel and realized that it was too much for a single film. Work on both parts was taking place simultaneously. In April 2022, it was announced that the film had been retitled from ''Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part Two)'' to ''Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse''.
The film was originally set to be released on March 29, 2024 after being delayed from its initial release window of 2022 and 2023, but due to the
2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Pro ...
, was removed from Sony's release schedule in late July 2023 , with ''
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' taking over its original release date.
Sony later confirmed a release date of June 4, 2027 during
CinemaCon
Cinema United, formerly known as the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), is an American trade organization whose members are the owners of movie theaters. Most of the operators of worldwide major theater chains are members, as are ...
2025.
''Spider-Women''
Along with the announcement of a sequel, a spin-off focused on female Spider-characters was revealed to be in development, with
Lauren Montgomery
Lauren Eve Montgomery (born May 4, 1980) is an American storyboard artist, director, character designer, producer, and writer. She is known for storyboarding the DC Comics animated series and movies.
Early life
Lauren Montgomery became intereste ...
in talks to direct the film, while Bek Smith was set to write.
The spin-off will star Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman, and is set to feature the characters
Cindy Moon / Silk and
Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman.
Pascal felt that "it's great that we're going to be able to tell movies about female superheroes in this realm" as she believes "there are going to be characters that really resonate for people".
On how the spin-off film will be connected to ''Across the Spider-Verse'', Pascal said that it will act as a "launching pad" for the spin-off.
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She had her breakthrough with the western film ''True Grit (2010 film), True Grit'' (2010), which earned her List of awards and nominations received by H ...
expressed interest in reprising her role as Gwen in the film.
Potential projects
Mulaney expressed interest in a spin-off film starring Spider-Ham, with the potential plot being a "
Watergate
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, in August of that year. It revol ...
-like story" which could focus on the character's career as a reporter.
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Work on an expanded universe using supporting characters from the ''Spider-Man'' films began by December 2013. After the relative critical failure of ''
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (internationally titled ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro'') is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel En ...
'' (2014), these plans were abandoned and in February 2015, Sony announced a deal to collaborate with
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
on future ''Spider-Man'' films and integrate the character into the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU). This relationship produced ''
Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017), ''
Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019), and ''
Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021), while Sony separately redeveloped ''
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
'' (2018) as a standalone film beginning a new franchise named
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the fil ...
(SSU). The franchise continued with ''
Venom: Let There Be Carnage'' (2021) and ''
Morbius
Morbius (born Michael Morbius, also known as Morgan Michaels, Morbius the Living Vampire and Nikos Michaels) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and originally designed by pen ...
'' (2022), both of which established that the MCU and SSU would be connected through the
multiverse
The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...
, a concept previously explored in ''No Way Home''.
The
mid-credits scene
A post-credits scene (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV show, or video game has run. It is usually i ...
of ''Let There Be Carnage'' sees
Eddie Brock
Edward Charles Allan "Eddie" Brock is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, making a cameo appearance in ''Web of Spider-Man'' #18 (September 1 ...
and
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
(both played by
Tom Hardy) transported from their hotel to an unfamiliar location and witnessing the MCU version of
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Jr., known as J. Jonah Jameson, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist St ...
(
J. K. Simmons
Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor. Considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation, he has amassed over 200 screen and stage credits since his 1986 debut. He won th ...
) talking about Spider-Man's identity as
Peter Parker
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of ...
(
Tom Holland
Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, he featured on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list of 2019. Some publications have called him one of the most ...
). This is continued in the mid-credits scene of ''No Way Home'', where Brock and Venom are transported back into their original universe, leaving a small piece of the Venom symbiote behind.
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...
reprises his ''Homecoming'' role as
Adrian Toomes / Vulture during the post-credits scenes in ''Morbius''. Following the casting of
Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
's second spell permanently erasing the world's knowledge of Parker's civilian identity, Toomes is accidentally transported from the MCU to the SSU, ending up in a vacated prison cell in the latter universe. Upon being released immediately due to lacking a criminal record in the new universe, Toomes begins to surmise Spider-Man's involvement in his displacement. He soon constructs a new Vulture suit and arranges to meet Dr.
Michael Morbius (
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in Jared Leto filmography, a variety of roles, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Jared Leto, numerous accolade ...
), to whom he proposes they form a team.
The birth of the SSU's Peter Parker is depicted in ''
Madame Web
Madame Web (Cassandra Webb) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' No. 210, published November 1980, and was created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist John ...
'' (2024), set in 2003. An uncredited infant actor portrays the character. The film also features this universe's versions of
Ben Parker (
Adam Scott) and
Mary Parker (
Emma Roberts
Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) Additional on October 9, 2016 is an American actress, singer and producer. Known for her performances spanning multiple genres of film and television, her work in the horror film, horror and thriller ...
), along with mentions of
May Parker
Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
and
Richard Parker.
Other films
''Marvel Super Heroes 4D'' (2010)
On May 31, 2010, an animated
4D film
4D film is a presentation system combining motion pictures with synchronized physical effects that occur in the theater. Effects simulated in 4D films include motion, vibration, Sense of smell, scent, rain, mist, bubbles, fog, smoke, wind, temperat ...
, titled ''Marvel Super Heroes 4D'', was launched at
Madame Tussauds London
Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in London in 1835 by the French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. One of the early main attractions was the Chamber of Horrors, which appeared in advertising in 1843.
In 1883, the restricted space of ...
, featuring Spider-Man and
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
leading the
Avengers
Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...
against
Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...
. On April 26, 2012, an updated version of the film with a different plot, featuring Spider-Man in a diminished capacity, was opened at
Madame Tussauds New York
Madame Tussauds New York (UK , US ; the family themselves pronounce it ) is a tourist attraction located on 42nd Street in the Times Square neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Madame Tussauds was founded by the wax sculptor, ...
. The film features
Tom Kenny
Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...
as the voice of Spider-Man.
''Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel'' (2013)
At
Comic-Con
A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events h ...
2013,
Dan Buckley
Dan Buckley is an American publishing executive, who is known for his work as Publisher, and then as President of Marvel Entertainment since January 2017.
Early life
Dan Buckley was raised in northern New York and later a New York city resident. ...
, president of
Marvel Worldwide, Inc announced the development of a
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Music
Albums
* ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue
* ''Crossover'', an album by ...
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...
of the animated series ''
Phineas and Ferb
''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated series, animated Musical film, musical-television comedy, comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series originally aired on t ...
'', that would feature characters from
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
.
The special aired between August 16–25, 2013 on
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
and
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
,
featuring
Drake Bell
Jared Drake Bell (born June 27, 1986) is an American actor and musician. Born in Newport Beach, California, he began his career as a child actor in the 1990s, appearing on ''Home Improvement (TV series), Home Improvement'' (1994) and in severa ...
reprising his role from ''
Ultimate Spider-Man
''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...
'' and ''
Avengers Assemble'' as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside
Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo (, ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. Known for his Danny Trejo filmography, large body of work as a character actor, films in which he has appeared in have grossed over $3.7 billion worldwide.
A native of Los Angeles, Tr ...
as
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
.
Live-action Miles Morales film
Producer
Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal (born March 25, 1958) is an American film producer and business executive. She served as the Chairwoman of the Motion Pictures Group of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and Co-Chairperson of SPE, including Sony Pictures Television, ...
revealed in May 2023 that a live-action film centered on
Miles Morales
Spider-Man (Miles Gonzalo MoralesAhmed, Saladin (w), Garrón, Javier (a). ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' #1 (2018) Marvel Comics (New York). ) is a superhero and the third predominant Spider-Man to appear in American comic books published by M ...
was in development after the character was featured in the animated ''Spider-Verse'' films.
Pascal and
Christopher Miller said the film would be made following the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
film ''
Spider-Man: Brand New Day'' (2026) and the animated ''Spider-Verse'' film ''
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse'' (2027).
Recurring cast and characters
Spider-Man co-creator
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
has made
cameo appearances
A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking one ...
in all films from ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' (2002) until ''
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2018) following his death in November that year.
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known best for his role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' horror series, beginning with the short movie '' Within the Woods'' (1978). He has also f ...
, a long-time colleague of
Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...
, has a cameo appearance in all films in the original trilogy: a wrestling ring announcer who gives Peter the name "Spider-Man" instead of the "Human Spider"; an usher to Mary Jane's play who refuses to let Peter enter after arriving late; and a French
maître d'
(spelled according to post-1990 spelling rules) is a commonly used honorific for lawyers, judicial officers and notaries in France, Belgium, Switzerland and French-speaking parts of Canada. It is often written in its abbreviated form ''Me'' o ...
who messes up Peter's proposal to Mary Jane. In the ultimately unmade ''Spider-Man 4'', Campbell's character would have been revealed as
Quentin Beck / Mysterio. Mysterio would be later portrayed by
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal ( , ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor who has worked on screen and stage for over thirty years. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi ...
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film ''
Spider-Man: Far From Home'' (2019).
Additional crew
Home media
Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...
's ''Spider-Man'' trilogy was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
, the first two being released exclusively as two-disc sets and on
VHS
VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ma ...
, with the third film being released in both single and two-disc editions. All three films were later packaged in a "Motion Picture DVD Trilogy" box set. ''Spider-Man 3'' (2007) was initially the only ''Spider-Man'' film to be released individually on the high-definition Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray format. The first two films were made available on Blu-ray, but only as part of a boxed set with the third film, called ''Spider-Man: The High-Definition Trilogy''. The first two films lacked the bonus features from the DVDs, although ''
Spider-Man 2
''Spider-Man 2'' is a 2004 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of Spider-Man. Directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story conceived by Michael Chabon and the writing team of Alfred Gough and Miles ...
'' (2004) did contain both cuts of the film. Sony re-released the three films on June 12, 2012. The DVDs of the first two films reinstated a selection of the bonus features missing from the earlier Blu-ray releases, although the ''Spider-Man 3'' reissue did not include the bonus disc of additional special features that appeared on earlier Blu-ray releases. All three films which comprise the Raimi-trilogy are available in the U.S. on iTunes.
''
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (internationally titled ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro'') is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel En ...
'' (2014) became the first Spider-Man film released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on March 1, 2016. Sony released the home video release of ''
Spider-Man: Homecoming'' (2017) on UHD and other home video formats on October 17, 2017, as well as sets featuring all of their other Spider-Man movies on UHD. This included ''Spider-Man'': Limited Edition Collection, which includes all three Raimi films, and ''The Amazing Spider-Man'': Limited Edition Collection, which includes both
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy '' (500) Days of Summer.'' He then directed ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012 ...
films.
In April 2021, Disney and Sony Pictures reached a multi-year deal to let Sony's titles (such as films from the ''Spider-Man'' franchise) stream on Hulu and Disney+. A significant number of Sony titles began streaming on Hulu starting in June 2021. It includes films from 2022 onwards. While the deal only concerns the United States, titles from Sony Pictures began to also be added to Disney+ in regions outside of the U.S., as early as June 2022, starting with the majority of the ''Spider-Man'' films.
Theatrical re-releases
In March 2024, Sony announced that all of their live-action Spider-Man films would be re-released in theaters as part of Columbia Pictures' 100th anniversary celebration.
The original trilogy films were re-released on April 15, 22, and 29, 2024, respectively. ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' films were re-released on May 6 and 13. The three
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
''Spider-Man'' films were re-released on May 20, May 27, and June 3.
Reception
Box office
All three films of the Raimi-trilogy set opening day records in North America. The ''Spider-Man'' films are among the top of North American rankings of :Films based on Marvel Comics, films based on Marvel Comics, with ''Spider-Man: No Way Home'' ranking 2nd, ''Spider-Man'' ranking 10th, ''Spider-Man: Far From Home'' ranking 11th, ''Spider-Man 2'' ranking 13th, ''Spider-Man 3'' ranking 15th, and ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'' ranking 16th. In North America, ''Spider-Man: No Way Home'', ''Spider-Man'', ''Spider-Man: Far From Home'', ''Spider-Man 2'', ''Spider-Man 3'' and ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'' are ranked 2nd, 14th, 15th, 17th, 19th, and 22nd for all superhero films. Worldwide, ''Spider-Man: No Way Home'', ''Spider-Man: Far From Home'', ''Spider-Man 3'', and ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'' are ranked 3rd, 11th, 16th, and 17th for List of highest-grossing superhero films#Top 50 Highest-grossing superhero films, all superhero films. The Raimi-trilogy and the MCU films (''Homecoming'', ''Far From Home'', and ''No Way Home'') are six of the seven most successful films produced by Sony/Columbia Pictures in North America, with ''No Way Home'' becoming Sony's highest-grossing film both in North America and worldwide.
Critical and public response
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 form, 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 the second film's Doc Ock as the "most engaging" villain, he applauded the third film's Sandman as "a triumph of CGI wizardry." Richard Corliss of ''Time (magazine), 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 Doctor Octopus from the second film, he found the third film – despite being "bigger, though not necessarily better" – to have a "satisfying conclusion."
Music
Film soundtracks
Although ''Spider-Man 3'' does have its own soundtrack, Spider-Man 3 (soundtrack), the album does not feature any of the film's score composed by Christopher Young. All songs included on the album, with the exceptions of Chubby Checker's cover of "The Twist (song), The Twist" and the Snow Patrol single "Signal Fire (song), Signal Fire", are not heard in the film.
Singles
See also
* List of accolades received by the 2002–2007 Spider-Man film series, List of accolades received by the 2002–2007 ''Spider-Man'' film series
* List of films based on Marvel Comics publications
* Spider-Man in television
* ''3 Dev Adam'' ("Three Giant Men"), 1973 Turkish film featuring an unauthorized depiction of Spider-Man
Notes
References
External links
Spider-Man film franchise overviewat Box Office Mojo
{{Portal bar, Speculative fiction, Film, United States
Spider-Man in film,
Film series introduced in 1977
Sony Pictures franchises
Columbia Pictures franchises
Marvel Entertainment franchises
Lists of films by franchise