Raimi Confronts Spidey Issues

By Azad on 2001-01-05 11:13:10

Sam Raimi, director of the upcoming Spider-Man flick, gave a public talk for the first time about the look of Spidey's movie costume, the controversy over the film's organic webshooters, and the various rewrites of the film's script, according to a report from Sci Fi Wire.

Raimi spoke to reporters on Jan. 4 on the Los Angeles set of the movie, which begins shooting Jan. 8. Raimi was joined by cast members Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe and James Franco and other filmmakers as well.

To relieve the controversy about changes in the look of Spider-Man's famous red-and-blue costume, Raimi stated, "We've decided to get back to the classical look of the red-and-blue Spider-Man. But [costume designer] Jim [Acheson] has decided to update it, just to bring it into the year 2002, when the picture opens, to add some dimensionality to it, to take a ... slightly more subtle approach to the coloration of the outfit, [and] to increase the flexibility. ... What we were really after was to give Tobey an outfit where he could display maximum flexibility, really display his physical prowess. He's really been working out for this thing. And I think that's what the audience loves about Spider-Man. Not the Schwarzenegger look, but rather the fact that he's this graceful dancer. So a lot of Jim's work was in making him look like the classic Spider-Man, updated, but still making it a very functional outfit for a dancer to perform in."

Raimi is also in defense of the controversial choice to give the movie Spider-Man organic webshooters, instead of the mechanical ones in the comic book. This choice stirred ire and outrage amongst the many loyal comic fans. "But what we're trying to do in this Spider-Man picture is not just stick to the letter of the comic book," Raimi said. "We're trying to capture the spirit of the [comic]."

Raimi said that if his Peter Parker could invent the steely web fluid featured in the comics, it would undermine the audience's ability to identify with him as a regular kid. "When he can develop a material that even 3M ... can't seem to develop, it starts to distance him from a real human being," Raimi said. Providing Peter with a physical transformation also serves a character purpose, the director added. "It's another device to create alienation, because Peter Parker has always been an outcast, and Spider-Man a misunderstood hero," Raimi said. "I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. ... It's a great choice, and it was inspired by James Cameron's treatment."

As for rumors that the film's script remains troubled, Raimi responded, "The script is not in trouble. It's one of the best scripts I've had the chance to work on actually. ... It started with a James Cameron treatment, ... really a fine piece of work. Then David Koepp [Jurassic Park] came aboard and did the lion's share of work, turning it into a screenplay and working on it for many years. And that's basically what we're working with, although Scott Rosenberg [Gone in Sixty Seconds] did some work for us. ... and so did Alvin Sargent [Ordinary People. Sargent is married to Spider-Man producer Laura Ziskin.] And everybody's contributed a great deal. I'd say David Koepp is really the main writer."

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