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Sam Raimi to Direct Spiderman Film
livewirevoodoo submitted a story that I read yesterday but didn't initially think of posting here. On second thought, I think that Sam Raimi is directing Spiderman in a feature movie. The Evil Dead series is pretty dang awesome, and since I'm a junkie about seeing comic super heros on the big screen (I loved Burton's Batman, and am watching out for the upcoming X-Men flick). There is also about a Bruce Campbell Peter Parker. Not sure about that one.. I always thought Parker was well, more geeky then the uber macho Campbell. But anyway, not the standard Slashdot-fare, but I thought a lot of you might like it anyway.
Sorry, the X Movie is already in shooting and it's not Glenn Danzig as Wolverine. Hugh Jackman (I've never heard of him either) is playing Logan.
We actually have X-Men movie posters in the movie theater by my house, I believe the big release date is July 16th 2000.
The point of AICN is to post rumors. Nobody ever said anything different. He might not post his list of sources for stories to your liking but he does get a lot of scoops that turn out to be true because he has "inside sources." I think Harry (the guy who runs AICN for those who don't know) would probably be the first to tell you that he doesn't pretend to be a news source, he's a fanboy like the rest of us and posts stories that fanboys in higher places send him.
Look at Jurassic Park. Before JP, Michael Cricton was a practical nobody; maybe among geek circles, books like Andromeida Strain were popular, but nowhere near the popularity today. Spielberg saw JP as a movie, and it happened, and suddenly Cricton is HUGE. Bigger than big. We suddenly have remakes of his old books and books that are written for what seems like screenplay. I'd be hard pressed to say that this may have happened earlier than 1985 for any book (but this is my impression, it may not be fact). Generally, pre 1980 adaptions of books were merely taking something that was well written and adapting to the screen; the original author if alive rarely got an ego boost, and sequels were not important. At least, some movies today can still keep that (Contact, for example).
Another interesting example: The Man in the Iron Mask. I rented this during Christmas, and it was ok; then later that week, browsing the classic movie channels, I happened upon "The Fifth Musketeer", the same story but made in the 50s or 60s (forget the date). You had the same people die, the same resolution and all that, but there was something fundamentally better about the 50s version than the 90s one. The 90s version was flashier, and played down some of the interactions to make the movie more watchable for today's short attention span audience. The 50s version, on the other hand, keep me watching as some of the plot elements weren't fully explained. Sure, some of the sets looked poor, and it didn't have glitz, but it was a better movie overall, IMO.
Maybe this lack or originallity extends from filmmakers wanted to redo a story with *just* a bit of tweak here or there to fit how their idea of a film should be. This can make movies great, as in Contact, or terrible, as in Johnny Mnemonic. Let's hope that future book-based films like Ender's Game or Neuromancer or Hitchhiker's Guide don't fall into these problems.
"Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
"I can see my house from here!" - ST:
#1) IMO, AICN is the worst bunch of geeky-ass fanboys ever to try to run a web site. Their feedbacks are a disgrace, nothing but insults and "my director is better than your director" oneupmanship.
#2) Having said that, here's an idea: Remember Ralph Bakshi's Spiderman cartoons of the 60's and 70's? Dig this: have Actor#1 play Peter and Spidey, but like the cartoon, have Bruce overdub the internal monologue that Spidey always had running (it was a different voice than Peter).
That would by cool.
I still love the old Spidey cartoons, despite their low-budget cheesiness. It's a damn sight better than Marvel's foray into CGI backgrounds. Ugh!
Pope
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
Actually, I rather thought it was Bruce's more recent involvement in the Hercules/Xena series that would have put him in association with Sam Raimi for this flick, not *just* his Evil Dead involvement. Bruce's been playing a somewhat geeky (and not really all that hunky-looking) King of Thieves, Autolyclus on both series. And given that Sam Raimi produces (or is is executive produces) and his brother Ted (I assume at least) plays Joxter in the series, these factors have kept Bruce in touch with Sam Ramimi recently enough for him to be considered seriously for Peter Parker.
As for how good a Peter Parker he'd be - I think he'd play it well, but somehow I don't see Peter Parker using the kind of sardonic humor Bruce Campbell seems known for. However, it *does* seem rather Spiderman-ish! But the voice... I don't know if I could get used to his voice as Spiderman *or* Peter Parker. (I used to watch Spiderfriends when I was a geeky kid, and I *adored* Peter Parker, partly because of his dreamy-nerdy voice!)
I wouldn't hold much hope out for the X-Men movie either. The comic itself has gone way downhill in the past year or so, both writing wise and art wise. I can't imagine the feature length film, beig advised by the same clowns, could be anything more than WildWildWest shlock for public consumption.
Peter Parker is the geek hero. A brainy kid endowed with super powers. How many of us have dreamed about that ? I used to love reading Spider Man comics, until my gf told me it wasn't cool :(
Hates people who have stupid little sigs
With a subject line like this, I'm surprised no one has linked to Bruce Campbell's website - it's quite entertaining, lots of content written by Bruce himself, not a hollow celeb.com site. I particularly like his Babblings from the Brink essays.
If you are looking for someone to *ahem* pull off the geek, I must again suggest John Cusack. Whether as John Kelso, Himself, Narrator, Martin Q. Blank, Himself, or Scary Man, Cusack cannot be said to fail to pull off the geek.
Alternatively, might I suggest another fine Narrator/Himself, Edward Norton.
-=Best Viewed Using [INLINE]=-
Evil dead I-III (Army of Darkness aka Evil dead III) are my absolute all time favorite movies. Way back in the 70's when Raimi made the first one, (recently re-released btw), It was amazing how scary it was with the limitation of the medium at the time (Effects-wise)... Now that he's been given this script in an age where effects make up most of the movies out there I am REALLY looking forward to seeing what he can do with such a deeply rooted pop-idol as spidey. To the comment of Bruce Campbell not being that nerdy? You probably haven't caught him on Xena as the 'king of thieves' or on the x-files when he played a demon who wanted a human baby. I can definitely see Mr. Campbell as Peter Parker... Oh, on a side note, if you don't know what Raimi looks like, rent Evil Dead I... He's one of the fishermen guys on the side of the road that they honk at after the truck... Oh well, back to work.
--Ks9
I'm going to keep waiting, but I won't be surprised if this turns out to be a dead end for the film industry. Buton did a helluva job on Batman, but the ones that followed sucked! My hope is that this Spiderman, and hopefully the upcoming X-Men will give a renewed vigor to the comics-to-big screen drive that we once knew. Personally, I think that the Hulk should make a silver-screen debut.
One more word on The X-Men: they did a damn good job of choosing Professor X! I couldn't think of anyone better than Patrick Stewart!
Brad Johnson
Webmaster
http://mrpenguin.org
johnsonb@ryobi.com
Brad Johnson
Anyway, I'm glad to finally see Spidey on the big screen. I watched the old and new cartoons, and the short-lived live series (in the 70's?) when it was running on SciFi. Although I'll admit the comic took a dive after McFarlane left, Spidey is second to none in my book.
BTW-Danzig is not playing Wolverine, I saw that mentioned somewhere awhile back...that's too bad though.
_______
I just wish I could c:\format Internet
sam raimi's kind of a nerdy guy (i mean that as a compliment), and spiderman is dear to the heart of nerds everywhere. i don't see what this *doesn't* have to do with slashdot! huzzah!
Got Rhinos?
Raimi started out with the Evil Dead series who had, while not being a great cinematographic success, a hardcore cult following, and frankly, nobody did those quirky horror flicks better than he did.
Some people might think that Spiderman might be up another alley entirely, and that such a project would require a better established director, used to big-budget action flicks, à la Cameron or De Bont.
On the contrary. Raimi showed us he has a myriad of talents, and a true gift with the camera. Just watch "A Simple Plan" again (if you haven't checked that movie out, what's wrong with you? A great flick). Genius filmwork, showing a wealth of talent, and some great acting (Paxton and Thornton primarely). I think he would be a great choice, and give us another look at the superhero genre. (Remember the effect Burton had with his first Batman. I expect the same thing with Raimi).
Jack Nicholson as Wolverine
Rent a copy of Wolf(I know it sucked) and watch the feral side of Jack come alive.
Bruce Campbell *is* uber macho. He is the coolest person in the entire world. I can't believe you sniveling bastards are whining about a post concerning the GOD OF DIRECTORS Sam Raimi creating a Spiderman movie. I used to dress as Spiderman when I was a little kid (it didn't even have to be Halloween), and I still think he's cooler than most real people (except Bruce). I LOVE Xena/Hercules, Evil Dead/Army of Darkness!
EOL
Although I cannot claim originality for the concept, it is worth noting that there was a definite progression of "Ashes" in the Evil Dead saga.
... err... undead/possessed].
In the first movie, E.D.1, "Ashley" is clearly (as someone else stated) a whipping boy. He is a far cry from "Ash, Housewares" of Army of Darkness fame. He does significantly less ass-kicking, and is clearly more on the receiving end of the abuse [the exception to this being the "Full-body-bitchslap" that he delivers to Linda while she is
In the second movie, E.D.2, "Ash" has started to define his role as somewhat macho with the occasional one-liner, and the fact that he not only takes abuse, but really dishes it out as well [...Groovy...].
But clearly in Army of Darkness, in the regular theatrical release, "Ash, Housewares" is the "uber-macho" that was aforementioned as he shows "essentially" no fear [with notable exceptions]. There is no doubting that "Ash, Housewares" is the buccaneering hero that we are all used to seeing, and most of us generally think of. What is interesting though, is that the director's cut portrays Ash quite a bit more like "Ash" from ED2, showing a truly terrified side in several shots.
Patiently awaiting the arrival of my copy of the Limited edition Army of Darkness DVD (still available at www.cduniverse.com).
Jay (=
Sam Raimi also is one of the producers of "Hercules: the Legendary Journeys" (the Kevin Sorbo show) as well as the vastly more popular spinoff "Xena: Warrior Princess" (both of which, as any good Bruce Campbell fans know, regularly features Campbell as "Autolycus, the King of Thieves").
He's also exec-producing Campbell's new show Jack of All Trades. In Campbell's own words: "The show centers on my character, Jack Stiles, an American spy, adventurer, and rogue dispatched to an island in the East Indies by President Jefferson to thwart Napoleon's advances in the region. Jack isn't at all happy about the remote assignment, especially since he's supposed to serve as personal attaché to a wealthy British widow and secret agent for the Crown named Emilia Rothschild (Angela Dotchin). Disguised as the Daring Dragoon, Jack teams with Emilia on numerous covert missions to stop Napoleon's imperialism in the East Indies." Yeah, sounds cheesy, but that's never stopped me from watching Army of Darkness over and over again...
I think Raimi might be able to do a good Spider-Man film (though I have to wonder about the potential chesse factor) but Campbell should NOT, NOT, NOT be allowed to play Peter Parker! That would be a casting error on par with Nicholas Cage as Superman.
Let him play Flash Thompson (jock who harassed Peter in high school) as an adult, or maybe let him play Eddie Brock before he becomes Venom (or even as Venom -- Campbell can act pretty crazed when he wants to).
Jay (=
Let's hope Spider Man is more like A Simple Plan than Darkman.
I like camp as much as the next guy, but after a while it would be nice for comic books to be taken seriously. Look at what Burton did for Batman. A legitimate look at an interesting character. True to the source material, dignified, and novel. If Raimi goes camp witht his one, then why not just get Jim Carrey to talk with his ass cheeks while battling Billy Zane in a Doc Octopus costume.
I have been hearing about this upcoming Spiderman movie for years now, and I have had numerous debates with my friends about who would play what characters. We generally agreed that Peter must be played by someone who is somewhat small, yet very muscular. And someone who could conceivably been a geek in high school, although this is pretty easy since I think every movie star was a geek in high school. Anyways we thought long and hard about it and decided that Brandon Lee would have been perfect, if he were still alive today (so what if he's not white!).
/.ers: who would play the classic Spiderman characters, such as Peter, Mary Jane (Julia Roberts?), Flash, Gwen Stacy, Aunt May, etc., or the villians, such as Doc Oc, Vulture, Rhino, Electro, Mysterio?
I would like to put the question to
Personally I wouldn't mind Matt Damon as Peter Parker. He pulled off the geek in Good Will Hunting, and we all know he is TOUGH! Any other suggestions?
pdubroy AT yahoo DOT com
Maybe it's because baby boomers who lived on these shows want more of them, and since they have a good amount of control in Hollywood, they have the ability to get these movies produced. They might be trying to revitalize a show, but often than naught, they want a last hurrah for the show
At least there have been films that have realized that such revitalizations are out there and they saturize on them, "Galaxy Quest" and "Mystery Men" come to mind). But personally, I'd rather see uniqueness in the theater with new characters and situations then trying to adopt something meant for the small screen to the large screen and failing miserably.
Now, as to Spiderman, I'm not sure about this; Marvel's about to tank, and the Spiderman cartoon as shown on FOX is (from what others have told me) rather out of character for Spiderman in general. I'm sure that this will end up as a typical summer blockbuster with lots of action scenes and the like -- but what about a plot? What aspect of Spiderman can they focus on in 2hrs and produce a good movie? Tim Burton did this excellently with the first Batman movie, using Batman's long-time foe The Joker, but Spiderman really doesn't have an equivalent equal -- all his enemies like Green Goblin, Dr Oct, and Venom, are just foes, but not a constant one. I don't see how you can pick one foe and still have a good Spiderman movie.
(However, this at least beats the rumors than Leo DeCaprio was going to play Parker/Spider, and with James Cameron directing).
"Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
"I can see my house from here!" - ST:
I'm glad Rob posted this one. I imagine a good portion of us read comic books (the nice thing about the word 'read' is that its past- and present-tenses are spelled the same). Spiderman is well documented as a breakaway success because Parker was a average-joe, with girl problems, school problems, etc. He was someone comic book readers could connect with.
This is news for nerds, and I hope more stuff like this gets posted. The fact that this almost wasn't posted is yet another reason to clamor for a open and moderated submission queue.
--
Why can't I moderate something "Wrong" or at least "Grossly Misinformed"?
Harry Knowles' site declines on a weekly basis as he continues to focus on how he can make money off his notoriety. He only has one real scooper anymore, and the scoop was confirmed in Daily Variety today - with a huge disclaimer.
Raimi has been offered the Spiderman project. The problem is, he's all set to direct a Billy Bob Thornton script called The Gift with Keanu Reeves and Cate Blanchett. It's ready to roll. In order for Spiderman to happen, Paramount will have to let Raimi go as soon as photography wraps on the Gift to go shoot Spiderman, and then he'll edit them together - Sony has to have Spiderman out for summer 2001 for some arcane contractural reasons that have kept the project stalled for years. Read about it here.
Raimi is a perfect fit - imagine Darkman with a huge budget, and James Cameron worships the guy - and Cameron wrote the treatment for Spiderman that would be the greatest comic book adaptation ever made - and probably the best nerd movie ever made. Well Sony bought the Cameron treatment, and have since moved on to multiple drafts by different writers, but hopefully Raimi will stick to the Cameron one, which you can read here. And for anyone who hates Cameron vis a vis his success with Titanic, just read the damn thing. It's incredible.
I find this is Slashdot worthy news - news for Nerds. Raimi is a huge nerd, with a huge nerd audience, and why does every bowel movement George Lucas make get reported here, especially when he just seems obsessed with crapping on the heads of his loyal audience?
** http://www.nkhumanrights.or.kr/ ** Human rights in North Korea. 1 million estimated dead from starvation.
Taken straight off of www.bruce-campbell.com:
Q: IS IT TRUE YOU'RE CAST AS THE LEAD IN THE "DOOM" AND "SPIDERMAN" AND "QUAKE" AND "SUPERMAN" AND "BATMAN" MOVIES?
A: NO, BY GOLLY, I AM NOT "CAST AS THE LEAD" OR INVOLVED WITH EITHER THE "DOOM" OR "SPIDERMAN" OR "QUAKE" OR "SUPERMAN" OR "BATMAN" FLICKS. APPARENTLY, THE PRODUCERS CALLED ME, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE CALL WAITING...
Hope this clears things up a bit.... Bruce Campbell rules.
-- My neighbors dog has a four inch clit.