‘Spider-man’ spins web of toys, trading cards, T-shirts
Last week while walking along Market Street in Philadelphia, I heard a vendor say in a loud, distinctive voice: “He’s here – Spider-Man! Take him home with you!” The street seller had an assortment of inflatable Spider-Man dolls mounted on sticks to allow them to be swept through the air, and people seemed very interested in either getting them for their children or just having some for themselves.
In addition to generating plenty of heat in theaters, “Spider-Man” has fans searching for toys, T-shirts, posters, trading cards, cell phones, sneakers, towels, pajamas and every other conceivable item (including Spider-Man on a stick) that they hope will one day become valuable collectibles.”There’s a lot of stuff that I worked on with Sam Raimi for the character. I wouldn’t use the word ‘innocence’ necessarily – I guess you could, actually, but it’s not something that I focused on too much.”
Some other facts the magazine reveals about “Spider-Man” include:
– The studio originally wanted Doctor Octopus and Sandman to be the main villains in the first film. Raimi, however, insisted on the Green Goblin, since the villain’s son, Harry (played by James Franco), is Peter Parker’s best friend and could seamlessly blend into a follow-up.
nVeteran British costume designer James Acheson started his career working on BBC shows and caused a stir when he designed the title character’s multicolored scarf on “Doctor Who.” Raimi, a fantasy fan most famous for creating “The Evil Dead” series, allowed Acheson freedom in creating Spidey’s costume, which is made entirely out of stretch fabric and Spandex with 68 printed screens on top of it. Acheson collaborated with a team of artists to create a fully sculpted, vacuum-formed helmet underneath the mask so that the head shape and profile of Spider-Man is maintained whether Maguire or a stuntman is in the costume.
– Production costs would have been much less expensive if “Spider-Man” unfolded in an unspecified city, but Raimi devoted much of the $120 million budget to recreating the Big Apple on Los Angeles soundstages. He also shot some sequences on the streets of Manhattan, because he wanted the picture to have a New York City vibe.
Maguire will soon be suiting up again in “Spider-Man II,” which Raimi will direct and is scheduled to open on May 7, 2004. The producers, of course, are anxious to start counting the cash all over again.