In fact, Raimi started to develop a fourth movie starring Tobey Maguire, but in 2010, Sony Pictures and producer Avi Arad decided to start from scratch with a new actor playing Peter Parker in a reboot directed by relative newcomer Marc Webb. Last year’s The Amazing Spider-Man was a big hit for Sony, grossing $757 million worldwide, which was actually less than the lowest-grossing Raimi movie.
While talking to Mike Ryan of The Huffington Post for his upcoming fantasy epic Oz The Great and Powerful over the weekend, Raimi was asked the burning question whether he ever got around to seeing the reboot of Marvel Comics’ popular character, to which he responded:
“Well, I’m a big Marc Webb fan and a GIANT fan of Emma Stone. And of Andrew Garfield. I saw him on Broadway in ‘Death of a Salesman’ — it’s just brilliant. And I love the producers of that movie because they are dear friends, and the writer. But I haven’t had the guts to go see the movie yet, because I don’t want to go to my girlfriend’s wedding. I just can’t bring myself to do it–I don’t have the guts.”
He went on to tell them that it hasn’t stopped him from hearing other opinions on the movie, including some from a person very close to him:
“But I hear it’s great. My wife even loved the picture and said it was a wonderful, excellently produced, beautifully acted, brilliantly written Spider-Man picture. She’d tell me the truth and that’s what she said.”
When asked whether he felt that Webb’s reboot was going up against tough odds to succeed due to the success of his movies, Raimi was rather gracious. He told them:
“I don’t feel he was in my shadow at all. I think I handed the torch to Marc and I hear that he ran with it and succeeded and made a brilliant picture. I’m happy for him and all the team, and I only wish him the best and I salute them because it’s a tough job, too, and obviously he’s pleased the fans so I’m proud for him and I’m happy for my friends on the picture.”
Maybe it’s not surprising that Raimi wouldn’t want to see the movie considering that the director spent nearly ten years of his life making Spider-Man movies, but one would think he might be just a little bit curious what they did differently. Who knows? Raimi may even want to return to Spider-Man someday like Bryan Singer is returning to the X-Men movie franchise.
(Photo Credit: Ai-Wire/WENN.com)
