Comic Book Brain

Sam Raimi

He directed the Evil Dead films that drastically changed the horror movie milieu. He also directed the three original Spiderman movies that had a combined worldwide boxoffice of $2.5 billion.

  1. Spiderman 3 (2007 Sony) $890.9 Million
  2. Spiderman (2002 Sony) $821.7 Million
  3. Spiderman 2 (2004 Sony) $783.8 Million

He's said to be reporting for duty with Marvel/Disney to direct Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness which might release in 2021.



Sam Raimi says he messed up Spider-Man 3 - would like to do reboot

Nov 2015: Article at Master Herald

Raimi brought a Marvel Comics comic book style humor to the original Spider-Man movies that has been the template, whether acknowledged or not, throughout the whole Marvel cinematic universe, though, considering the craziness of Spider-Man 3, the subsequent films toned that humour down (for comparison, that humor is on display in Raimi's Evil Dead movies).

"In a recent interview with a UK publication, Sam Raimi admits that he messed up with “Spider-Man 3,” but he says that he would love to be given a shot at possible redemption, alluding perhaps with Marvel’s upcoming reboot of the web-slinging superhero, notes IGN.

Raimi also admits that it was just wishful thinking on his part when he added that he thinks that Marvel is so complete now and that the studio would probably not need him anymore.

...While having Sam Raimi directing the “Spider-Man” movie reboot is not a remote possibility given how he handled the first “Spider-Man” trilogy, his style may not mesh well with the vision of Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige for the franchise."


"How Superhero Movies Lost Their Humanity"

July 2017

Pining for the days of Sam Raimi, Sujay Kumar at Daily Beast analyzes why the current crop of superhero movies don't measure up to past cinema:

"Spider-Man 2 opens and closes with those blue eyes. They belong to Mary Jane Watson, the girl Peter Parker wants but can’t have, because superheroes don’t have time for that. Between these shots the camera spins from train tops to minivans to montages set to “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.” The movie is never about bombs or bluster or universe-building. It’s about a boy who loves a girl.

...For much of the movie Spider-Man isn’t even in costume—like when an unmasked Peter stops a runaway train with his back, the weight of the world pushing down on him. Spider-Man 2 isn’t without flaws—James Franco doesn’t have much to do but gel his hair—yet it’s arguably the best superhero film in the genre’s short history.

Eleven years later, what went wrong with the superhero movie?

“It’s become convoluted corporate destinies,” Miles Millar told me. He and Alfred Gough wrote Spider-Man 2’s story (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay author Michael Chabon is also credited, with a fraction of his draft making it to the film). “Instead of a compelling movie, something which is complete within itself, other agendas are at play, which makes these movies feel less like movies and more like TV shows or product placement for toys. They’ve literally become not about finding the dramatic core or the emotional stake for the characters.”


Vaguely related:

The Mouse Factory


The 2021 Superhero Movie Schedule

Superhero Movies

Delayed movies of 2021 list

The Dustbin of cancelled comic book films

The proposed 2020 superhero movie slate

Top Earning Comic Book Movies List


Marvel Comics

The Disney and Marvel future 2020 and beyond

Marvel summary of productions, November 2020

Marvel's plans mean expansion 2020

Alan Dean Foster vs. Disney

Disney Buys Marvel Comics for $4 billion - 2009 The House of Mouse buys the House of Ideas

Disney spends $71.3 billion to get 21st Century Fox - March 2019

Kirby Estate vs Marvel/Disney

Disney on the racks

Jack Kirby's Shorts 2010

Star Wars: The Rise O'Skywalker Log

Captain Marvel Review

Captain Marvel II - the Superman problem: the hero is an overpowered, unrelatable hero

Disney and Slave Labor

Marvel currently rules the cinematic world - May 2019

My Marvel Wish List - March 2019



Original Page 2013 | Updated Jan 2020