Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies changed the world of cinema, superheroes, and comic books forever. Not only did he bring to life a popular comic book character, but also paved the way for comic-based movies to flight at a time when people hardly believed in live-action movies of their favorite superheroes. His vision inspired future franchises and played a crucial role in shaping the modern landscape of cinema.
Even though he is widely credited to be the ‘originator’ and ‘facilitator’ of the superhero genre, Raimi wasn’t the first choice of Sony to direct a superhero movie. But his wild ‘pitching’ idea made Sony choose the Evil Dead director even when they had 18 credible directors to choose from.
How Sam Raimi Ended Up Directing The First Spider-Man Franchise
Sam Raimi‘s 2002 movie Spider-Man was an unexpected success for all. A director who is usually associated with movies like Evil Dead directs a superhero movie and makes it a commercial success and later a hit franchise was an impossible feat. But what seemed more impossible was Raimi being selected to direct the movie out of 18 other directors including Tim Burton.
“My agent, Josh Donen, said, ‘They want to be honest with you. There’s about 18 directors they’d rather have than you on a list.’ And I said, ‘OK, well, tell them I’m number 19.'”
He finally ended up in a meeting room for an hour in front of a big crowd, which included people like Amy Pascal and Avi Arad. And as Pascal states, Raimi’s vision was the reason he ended up helming the franchise.
“He [Raimi] came in and said it’s a soap opera about a boy who loves a girl, and that’ssam what I want to focus on. John Calley and I just looked at each other and said, “Well, that’s the movie we want to make too.”
Furthermore, it was Sam Raimi’s passion for the character and not the ‘money’ that made everyone choose Raimi for the project and ultimately changed the world of superheroes forever.
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Changed Cinema Forever
Live-action movie and TV adaptations of superheroes have been a normal feat since the 1950s, but it was Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy that would change the world of superheroes forever. Not only would his movie bring comic-book adaptations to the mainstream, but it also laid the groundwork for future projects. It was because of the Spider-Man franchise that made it possible for franchises like MCU and DC to take over the box office and become part of popular culture.
Spider-Man starring Tobey Maguire was the first movie to achieve as high a success as it did. It made the audience realize the depth and influence of superhero movies and how they could be enjoyed by people of all ages. Not only did it change people’s perception of cinema, but it also demonstrated cinema is not limited to traditional storytelling boundaries but could transcend genres and create a broader creative narrative.
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy can be streamed on Disney+.
Source: Variety
