“Spider-Man” was the highest-grossing film of 2002 and is still considered to be one of the best comic book to big screen adaptations of all-time. “Spider-Man 2” (2004) won critics and audiences over and took home the Visual Effects Oscar. Director Sam Raimi’s third and final chapter, 2007’s “Spider-Man 3”, was part of that year’s blockbuster May, but wasn’t a critical success.
Many questioned why Sony would reboot the franchise a mere five years later, with a completely new cast, led by “The Social Network”‘s Andrew Garfield as Spidey. Most liked 2012’s “The Amazing Spider-Man”, though I thought it didn’t live up to that title. The exact opposite can be said for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”: Most diehard fans found it underwhelming, while I really enjoyed the villain-heavy, emotional sequel, which featured much more convincing performances from Garfield and Emma Stone.
But those two “Spideys” grossed far less than their predecessors – one of the main reasons Sony cancelled plans for two more “Amazing Spider-Man” films they were planning. And yet, Spidey is now becoming part of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, with an untitled 2017 live-action film in pre-production. This is another reboot, with Hollywood currently on the lookout for a younger actor to revise the role of Peter Parker.
AND, if that wasn’t enough, it’s been announced that “The LEGO Movie” and “22 Jump Street” directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have signed-on to produce an “Animated Spider-Man” (that’d actually be a cool title) for Sony. It’s a standalone film (for now) and will hit theaters in July 2018.
Here’s the Multi-Million Dollar question: Is the demand really that strong for this character and his well-told story that we need two, new versions of this franchise? The domestic box office results have gone down for each and every installment since the 2002 original. The animated film must have a compelling and unique script or the talented Lord and Miller will be wasting their time. Clearly, Spider-Man, as a cinematic superhero, has received more of a mixed to negative reaction from fans worldwide than any of his peers. And yet he keeps coming back for more.
He can take the heat, I’ll give him that. I’m just not sure I want to watch it happen too many more times.