Next week, Sam Raimi will make his long-awaited return to the superhero genre with Marvel’s blockbuster “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” The film marks his first time in the director’s chair after a nine-year hiatus after “Oz the Great and the Powerful” in 2013, as well as his first superhero film since the end of his beloved “Spider-Man” trilogy. in 2007. .
in a extensive interview With Rolling Stone, Raimi discussed taking a step back from superhero movies and his memories of the original “Spider-Man” trilogy, which is considered a turning point for superhero movies today. The series, however, ended on a less triumphant note with “Spider-Man 3,” which received mixed reviews. Although a fourth film was planned, it was ultimately canceled in favor of a reboot of the series.
During the interview, Raimi revealed that “Spider-Man 4” was canceled due to issues with the script, which was not up to the standard he had for the film.
“It was a very painful experience for me,” Raimi told Rolling Stone writer Brian Hiatt. “I wanted to do a Spider-Man movie to redeem myself for that. [The aborted] ‘Spider-Man 4’: That’s what it was really about. He wanted to go out on a high note. He didn’t want to just make another one that worked pretty well. I had a very high standard in my mind. And I didn’t think I could take that script to the level that I was expecting for that start date.”
During the interview, Raimi discussed the ideas he had for his fourth “Spider-Man” movie, including the possibility of “Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell playing Mysterio, and the inclusion of soon-to-be Kraven the Hunter. played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. in an independent spin-off, as the main villain.
Raimi also discussed the possibility of reuniting with his “Spider-Man” star Tobey Maguire for a belated sequel to the trilogy. Maguire recently reprized his role in the hit “Spider-Man” crossover movie “No Way Home.” Raimi said there would be many challenges associated with making the film, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of it happening.
“My love for the characters hasn’t diminished one iota,” Raimi told Rolling Stone. “It would be the same things that would stop me now that stopped me then: ‘Does Tobey want to do it? Is there an emotional arc for him? Is there a big conflict for this character? And is there a worthy villain that fits the theme of the piece? There are many questions that would have to be answered. If that could be answered, then I would love to.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Raimi shared many details of his long career, including his attempt to make a Thor movie in the early ’90s with Stan Lee and his friendships with Joel and Ethan Coen. Raimi also discussed some of the challenges and complications of making a movie with Marvel Studios. Although he said he had “complete creative freedom” in making the second “Doctor Strange,” he also touched on how the existence of other MCU projects involving his characters affected the “Multiverse of Madness” screenwriting process.
“I’m not really sure what the ‘WandaVision’ schedule was or how it changed,” Raimi said of the show, which was initially meant to come out after his movie. “I just know that half, or maybe three-quarters of our writing process, I first heard about this show that they were doing and that we would have to go with it. So we had to really study what ‘WandaVision’ was doing, so we could have a proper line and character growth dynamic. I didn’t even see all of ‘WandaVision’; I just saw key moments from some episodes that I was told directly impact our story.”
Read the full interview with Raimi here.
Reference-variety.com