Spider-Man as a character has had many interpretations over the years now. From Animation to video games to films, every rendition of Spidey has had something unique to offer. What started the modern Spider-Man craze though were the Sam Raimi films that started back in 2002. Sam Raimi came in and delivered a movie so faithful to the source material that people instantly fell in love with our friendly neighbourhood superhero. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4 Throwback: From Cast to Plot, How The Shelved Superhero Film Would Have Turned Out If It Was Greenlighted.
Spider-Man was a cultural landmark for comic book films. It helped establish the genre that is at the top of its game right now in Hollywood. Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi created something so special that many fans still prefer those versions of the characters even though we have had so many portrayals since then. But what would have happened had Raimi not made Spider-Man. Well before him James Cameron was attached to the project.
After filming on True Lies ended, Cameron had reportedly written a screenplay for a long unrealized Spider-Man project. The project itself had been in development hell since 1983. The movie again started getting some momentum once Carloco Pictures got the movie rights for the webhead and started developing it again. With Cameron on board the project was in full swing as he had already written a script.
Next step would be casting, and Cameron would first approach his frequent collaborator Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold would play the role of Doctor Octopus, quite the unconventional casting seeing as to how it would be weird on screen for the Terminator to be fighting Spider-Man. Cameron would find his Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Leonardo DiCaprio, ‘90s hottest upcoming rising star. DiCaprio as Spider-Man would have been amazing to see.
The film would also feature characters like Sandman and Electro, although there would be a spin on them. Instead of being named Flint Marko, Sandman’s name would have just been Boyd, but the character's origins would be somewhat intact. Electro would also not be named Max Dillon but rather would be called Carlton Strand, with this version of the character being a far cry of what we know from the comics. The script also featured Peter’s love interest Mary Jane who would be portrayed by Robyn Lively. Side characters like Aunt May, Uncle Ben and J Jonah Jameson would also show up.
On the story side of things, the film would have been more mature in nature. The story would tell the origins of Spider-Man which would have been the same, but the larger plot would revolve around Spider-Man fighting Carlton Strand (Electro). The film would feature Strand going after Spidey so he could join him in crime. The film would end with a huge battle at the top of the World Trade Centre. If interested in reading the script for the film, you can do so by clicking here.
The film was extremely mature in nature. It would have been a rated R film and would feature a ton of profanity. Spidey himself would be dropping a couple of F Bombs throughout the film. The movie would have also feature a sex scene between Peter Parker and Mary Jane on top of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The film of course didn’t get made now due to the studio going bankrupt. Honestly while all this sounds interesting, I am kind of glad the project wasn’t made. While yeah the character is named Spider-Man, he himself feels like a far cry of what we know and love from the comics. Every character is open to a more mature interpretation, but not at the cost of losing the core aspects of the character itself. Spider-Man: No Way Home: Spidey Fans Go Bonkers On Twitter After Ticket-Selling Websites For The Marvel Film Crash.
Many of the elements of Cameron’s script would be borrowed into Same Raimi’s version of Spider-Man. Like the organic web shooters, most of the first act, Goblin trying to get Spider-Man on his side. While the elements were borrowed, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man is still the gold standard of what the character should be in live action.
While we didn’t get Cameron’s story I would love to see it be made into a comic or maybe an animated film, but we aren’t sure if that will ever happen. Until then, let’s get excited about Spider-Man: No Way Home that comes out on December 16,2021.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 09, 2021 02:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).