Spider-Man
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Spider-Man (2002)
Production
Budget
$139 000 000
Revenue
$821 708 551
Director
Scenario
Composer
Producer
Actors
Tobey Maguire
Spider-Man / Peter Parker
Willem Dafoe
Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Kirsten Dunst
Mary Jane Watson
James Franco
Harry Osborn
Cliff Robertson
Ben Parker
Rosemary Harris
May Parker
J.K. Simmons
J. Jonah Jameson
Joe Manganiello
Flash Thompson
Short description
Peter Parker is a shy high school student in New York who lives with his aunt and uncle. A bite from a genetically altered spider leaves him with extraordinary strength, agility and other spider-like abilities. He is drawn to Mary Jane Watson, a girl he has known since childhood. Rather than keep his powers for himself, he takes on the identity of Spider-Man, but his new life is complicated by Norman Osborn, a scientist whose experiments on his own body turn him into the Green Goblin and put the city at risk.
Sam Raimi directed the film from a screenplay by David Koepp, with Laura Ziskin and Ian Bryce producing. It was the tenth of the seventeen features Raimi has directed, following The Gift and preceding Spider-Man 2, and it came early in a career that already included horror and fantasy work. Tobey Maguire plays Peter Parker, with Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane, and James Franco, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris among a large credited cast and crew.
Made for 139 million US dollars, it took 822 million worldwide, a strong return that showed the scale of audience interest. It holds a rating of 7.4 out of 10 on IMDb from about 961,000 votes and the same score on TMDB from more than 21,000 votes, while critics gave it 7.7 out of 10 across 278 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- The role of the Green Goblin was offered to Nicolas Cage and John Malkovich.
- James Franco auditioned for the role of Peter Parker, but ultimately played Harry Osborn.
- Freddy Prinze Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio, and Heath Ledger were considered for the role of Peter Parker. The latter's candidacy was personally insisted upon by director Sam Raimi.
- During the Thanksgiving scene, the color of Peter Parker's clothing is the same as the color of the Green Goblin's costume. Norman Osborn, conversely, wears clothing that repeats the colors of Spider-Man's costume. Harry Osborn's clothing features colors from both the Spider-Man and Green Goblin costumes: a green shirt, a red tie, and a blue jacket.
- At various times, Jan de Bont, James Cameron, Ang Lee, and David Fincher were considered as directors.
- Alicia Witt, Mena Suvari, and Elisha Cuthbert were considered for the role of Mary Jane Watson.
- Development of the project began as early as 1986 at Cannon Films. It later sold the rights to the adaptation to Carolco Pictures. After the latter went bankrupt, the rights were sold to Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., which, together with Marvel, financed the project.
- Alvin Sargent and Scott Rosenberg "polished" the script, but their names are not listed in the credits.
- To prepare for the role, Tobey Maguire followed a special diet and underwent a course of special training for five months.
- Zac Hudson, Tobey Maguire's stunt double, broke his leg while performing one of the stunts.
- Several Spider-Man costumes were created for the film, each costing $100,000. Four of them were stolen during filming in April 2001. Columbia Pictures announced a reward of $25,000 for their return. The costumes were found eighteen months later, and one of the former studio security guards was arrested on suspicion of the theft.
- The genetically modified spider that bit Peter Parker is a steatoda, not a black widow.
- In the original trailer for the film, Spider-Man caught a helicopter with bank robbers in a giant web spun between the buildings of the World Trade Center. However, after the events of September 11, 2001, the trailer was changed. The original trailer is available for download online.
- In some scenes, the Twin Towers can be seen in the background. The filmmakers decided not to digitally remove them from the film. However, a scene "featuring" the Twin Towers was cut from the film to avoid excessive focus on them.
- The owners of billboards on Times Square attempted to sue Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and Marvel Enterprises for replacing their billboards with advertisements from other companies in the film. However, the case never went to court.
- Originally, the song “Somebody Else” was written as the theme song for the television series “Smallville” (2001).
- According to Tobey Maguire, he didn't read a single comic book about Spider-Man, but he agreed to star in the film because he liked the script.
- Willem Dafoe's candidacy was never considered for the role of the Green Goblin. However, after Willem read the script, he actively sought to obtain the role. To prove he was suitable, Willem filmed several scenes in his hotel room, performing the Green Goblin's lines. After being approved, Dafoe asked for permission to perform all his stunts himself, without a stunt double. In the finished film, he performed approximately 95% of his stunts. After filming was completed, he asked Sam Raimi to somehow incorporate his character into a sequel. Sam agreed.
- Ivan Raimi "polished" the script.
- Small roles in the film were played by Sam Raimi's regular actors – Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi.
- The creator of the Spider-Man comics, Stan Lee, can be spotted in the scene where the Green Goblin attacks people on a balcony.
- The film contains numerous references to future Spider-Man villains: Dr. Curtis Connors (The Lizard), Eddie Brock (Venom), Harry Osborn (Green Goblin #2), Mendel Stromm (Robot Master).
- The scene in which Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) addresses the board members begins exactly as a similar scene in "The Hudsucker Proxy" (1994), which Sam Raimi co-wrote and served as second unit director on.
- Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom, played one of the members of Norman Osborn’s Oscorp board of directors.
- The main theme from the Spider-Man animated television series plays during the end credits.
- One of Parker’s costume sketches is identical to the Stingray costume.
- One of Parker’s costume sketches is almost identical to the black and white suit worn by Spider-Man in the comics in the early 1980s (later adopted by Venom), except the spider emblem is red instead of white.
- “Spider-Man” became the fourth film in David Koepp’s career to reach the top of the box office during its opening weekend. The other three films are: “Jurassic Park” (1993), “Mission: Impossible” (1996), and “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”.
- In the mid-1980s, Scott Leve was considered for the role of Peter Parker.
- Marion Ross was considered for the role of Aunt May.
- During filming, Kirsten Dunst wore a red wig.
- Peter Parker’s camera is a Canon New F-1 SLR. This camera was released in 1981.
- In the scene of Norman Osborn's transformation, the smoke in the laboratory was initially white. It was then adjusted to green using special effects. Sam Raimi originally wanted to use green smoke, but after it was discovered that it was impossible to create the required smoke without it being toxic, he preferred to use computer technology.
- When Uncle Ben drops Peter off near the library, a bus with an advertisement for Mel Brooks' musical “Springtime for Hitler” (1968) can be seen in the background. Brooks sued Sony Pictures Entertainment for advertising his film without his knowledge.
- Upon its release, the film set an absolute record for reaching the $100 million mark in domestic box office, achieving such an impressive result in just three days. However, this record has since been broken.
- In the initial version of the script, Doctor Octopus was supposed to be the second villain. However, the filmmakers decided to focus on one villain, saving the Octopus for the second installment.
- According to the Spider-Man comics, the newspaper where Peter Parker works is located at the corner of 38th East Street and Second Avenue.
- Eliza Dushku auditioned for the role of Mary Jane Watson. During Tobey Maguire's auditions for the role of Spider-Man, which can be seen on DVD, Eliza reads the part of Mary Jane.
- “Spider-Man” was the first film to showcase the new logo of “Marvel” – a flipping of comic book pages.
- During a conversation near the library, Uncle Ben tells Peter: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This phrase is a quote from Isaac Asimov's short story “The Bicentennial Man.”
- The film entered the “Guinness Book of World Records” as the film with the highest box office revenue for a single day of release. On the second day of release, “Spider-Man” earned $43.6 million.
- The wrestler Spider-Man fights was played by real wrestler Randy Savage, performing under the name Macho Man. At the dawn of his career, Randy performed under the name Spider.
- Sam Raimi wanted Bill Pope to be the film's cinematographer, but he was unable to participate in the project as he was busy with “The Matrix Reloaded” (2003) and “The Matrix Revolutions” (2003). Sam’s second choice was Peter Deming, but he also couldn’t participate in filming as he was working on “Austin Powers in Goldmember” (2002).
- Following the events of September 11, 2001, Sony recalled all teaser posters placed in theaters that featured a close-up of Spider-Man's face with the Twin Towers reflected in his eyes. However, not all posters were returned to the studio, and they are now a highly valuable acquisition for collectors.
- The diner where Mary Jane works is the same diner (at least externally) where Monica worked in the early seasons of the television series “Friends” (1994).
- At the beginning of the film, when we first see Mary Jane, the colors of her clothing are identical to the shades of the Green Goblin's costume (as he is depicted in the comics).
- While preparing to film, Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe practiced Ashtanga yoga. "Ashtanga" means "eight-limbed".
- Jameson's secretary (the one who writes the check) is Betty Brant, one of Peter Parker's girlfriends in the comics.
- The man playing Jameson's assistant (dressed in black and wearing glasses) is the director Sam Raimi's own brother, Ted Raimi.
- Lucy Lawless appears in the film in a tiny cameo – as a punk girl with red hair. In the scene where New York residents discuss Spider-Man, she says, "Does he have eight arms? That's cool." This is quite funny considering the film's director, Sam Raimi, was the producer of the series "Xena: Warrior Princess," in which Lawless played the main role.
- When Spider-Man fights his uncle's killer, he breaks several window panes over the robber's head. In another film by Sam Raimi, "Darkman" (1990), bandits similarly attacked Liam Neeson's character in a laboratory.
- When Jameson's subordinates tell him about Spider-Man, one of them says: "Eddie has been trying to photograph him for several weeks." This is a reference to Eddie Brock, who, according to the comics, works with Parker at the same newspaper and will eventually become Venom.
- In the scene where Spider-Man and Mary Jane first kissed, it was raining. The rain was specifically made with water and milk to make it look more visually striking.
- No computer special effects were used in the scene where Peter Parker catches the contents of Mary Jane's tray. The tray was attached to Tobey Maguire's hand, and after numerous takes, he finally performed the stunt exactly as shown in the film.
- At the 7th minute of the film, while Norman Osborn is talking to Peter, a Volvo car stands behind Norman on the left side of the frame. After one of the scene changes during the dialogue, a man appears near the car, talking to the Volvo driver through the open passenger window. In the next camera angle change, the man disappears again.
- At the 21st minute of the film, Peter is standing on the sidewalk and preparing to talk to Mary Jane. In this scene, only a yellow school bus is driving down the road behind him. However, in the next shot, Mary Jane is picked up by her friends, who pull up to her in a convertible from the direction of the bus.
- At the 22nd minute of the film, a Jeep is parked behind Peter in the distance. However, in the next shot, Peter runs onto the road to catch the bus, from behind the rear bumper of the SUV.
- At the 24th minute of the film, Peter webs a tray carrying plates of salad and spaghetti. When Peter throws the tray at Flash, who is sitting behind him in the next shot, corn falls onto Flash's back instead.
- When Peter stands up and leaves the cafeteria at the 24th minute of the film, a puddle from spilled juice disappears from the floor, on which Mary Jane had previously slipped.
- At the 24th minute of the film, the blister from the spider bite on Peter's right hand is missing, but at the 26th minute, Peter examines his hand in an alley, and the blister reappears.
- At the 26th minute of the film, when Peter throws Flash, a guy in glasses is standing behind Mary Jane. The guy's reaction to Peter's actions and his position change between shots.
- At the 28th minute of the film, when Peter jumps between buildings, the same house is shown twice.
- At the 29th minute of the film, as Peter makes his first web-swinging flight, you can notice a stunt double replacing Tobey Maguire in that scene.
- At the 29th minute of the film, Peter flies onto the roof of a building and begins to brake with his feet, but in the next frame, he crashes into the wall a couple of meters above the roof.
- At the 34th minute of the film, when Peter is contemplating possible designs for his suit, he writes and draws with both his right and left hands.
- At the 35th minute of the film, Peter places a can of soda next to a switched-off lamp-shaped fixture. When he manages to snag the can with webbing on the third try, the lamp is already turned on.
- At the 35th minute, Peter uses webbing to pull a green lamp from a shelf and smashes it against the wall while trying to catch it with his hand. In the next scene, after a brief conversation with Aunt May, the lamp is back in its original place, intact.
- At the 38th minute of the film, while Peter is talking to Uncle Ben in the car, a hedge is visible behind the boy. When Peter gets out of the car in the next shot, the entrance to the New York Public Library appears behind him instead of the hedge.
- At the 43rd minute of the film, before the fight, the cage is lowered, and the announcer asks for it to be locked with chains and padlocks. When Peter wins, the organizers raise and dismantle the cage without unlocking the chains.
- At the 48th minute of the film, Peter jumps onto the roof of a car, punches through it, and tries to stop the bandit at the wheel. The bandit fires 7 shots, but when Peter jumps onto the adjacent truck, you can see from above that there are 9 bullet holes in the roof. And when, in the next scene, Peter jumps over the bridge, the roof of the departing car is completely intact.
- At the 49th minute of the film, during a fight with Spider-Man, the robber drops his pistol. Peter knocks a knife out of the criminal's hand and throws him towards the window. In the next shot, the robber hits the wall, and a pistol reappears in his hand, while his hat disappears.
- At the 53rd minute of the film, Norman is talking to Peter, and during a shot change, his hand is on Peter's shoulder.
- When a snippet of a newspaper article is shown at the 56th minute of the film, it can be noticed that part of the text from the left column is repeated in the right column.
- At the 62nd minute of the film, armed bandits rob an armored car. When Spider-Man engages them in the next scene, the weapons disappear from the hands of all the bandits.
- At the 64th minute of the film, the Oscorp building is shown, but the logos on the facade indicate that it belongs to the Dutch corporation ING Group.
- During the meeting at the 65th minute of the film, almost all the folders in front of the board members are open. After a shot change, when the chairman addresses Norman, all the folders are closed.
- At the 66th minute of the film, the microphone stand is behind the singer, but in the next shot, she is already holding onto it with her hand.
- At the 68th minute of the film, two witnesses turn to face Peter and begin to run away from the collapsing balcony. In the next shot, they are standing with their backs to Peter, and he pulls them in with his web to save them from the debris.
- At the 71st minute of the film, Mary Jane falls from the balcony, landing on her left side. In the next shot, she is flying face down, and in the subsequent one – again on her side.
- At the 82nd minute of the film, Peter knocks back two thugs with a blow, breaking two windows behind Mary Jane. When the shot refocuses on Mary Jane's face, the windows behind her are intact.
- At the 82nd minute of the film, after the kiss, Mary Jane raises Spider-Man's mask to the level of her mouth. In the next shot, the mask already completely covers Peter's face.
- In the 108th minute of the film, Spider-Man collapses a solid fragment of the wall onto the Green Goblin, but in the next frame, the collapsing wall turns into a pile of rubble.
- In the early 1990s, James Cameron was actively interested in this project. In 1993, he wrote a script. Michael Biehn was supposed to play Peter Parker. Cameron planned to invite Arnold Schwarzenegger for the role of Doctor Octopus. This project was not meant to be, as the film rights constantly changed hands between studios. Cameron was also unsatisfied with the quality of the special effects he intended to use in the film. Sam Raimi’s film retained none of James’s ideas.
- The scene at Columbia University was filmed out of season, on a warm spring day. According to the plot, the actors and extras were supposed to be dressed in warm winter clothing. In the background, you can see university students dressed in shirts and t-shirts.
- Parker's costume sketches were drawn by Phil Jimenez, a comic book artist known for “Wonder Woman.” Later, Phil also drew comics about Spider-Man, but much later—in 2008.
- The initial trailer for the Spider-Man film showed Spider-Man catching a helicopter with bank robbers in a giant web spun between the buildings of the World Trade Center. However, after the events of September 11, 2001, the trailer was changed.
- In some scenes, the Twin Towers can be seen in the background. The filmmakers decided not to digitally remove them from the film, but instead cut the shots containing them.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
