Sam Raimi interview

Film:
Spider-Man 2

Release: Nationally on June 30, 2004

Rated: Not yet classified

The man behind the spider

In 2002, Sam Raimi took Hollywood and the world by storm. At the helm of the much-anticipated Spider-Man, the director of such cult favorites as the Evil Dead trilogy and Darkman delivered a smash hit that surpassed all expectations, grossing over $US 820 million worldwide.

Now, with Spider-Man 2 about to take over the world starting June 30, there is one important question to be answered: How is Raimi going to top himself?

"I think we have a fine continuation to the story Spider-Man," explains the director during a rare break in his postproduction schedule. "I was thrilled and surprised at how well [the first film] did. But I wasn’t really setting out to make this one better than the last. I felt that my job was to find out what it was that was so interesting to me about the first picture, and develop that to a much greater and deeper degree in Part Two. I think the audience likes the character of Peter Parker. They like his personal struggle: that being responsibility versus self-fulfillment. They seem to like his love story with Mary Jane Watson. I wanted to deepen that. Enrich it. Make it more complex and mature.”

In Spider-Man 2, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst reprise their roles as Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. It’s been two years since the last adventure, and the couple deals with more intricate challenges. After their love story was put on hold by Peter’s concerns about putting Mary Jane in jeopardy, she has moved on to a new beau and a brand-new career as a working actress. Through his alter ego, Peter Parker is still helping people in the streets of New York City - but he’s also having an internal crisis.

Now Peter’s struggle presents another problem: a feud with his mentor, Doctor Octavius, who after a lab accident transforms himself into a lethal nemesis with four big mechanical tentacles sprouting out of his back.

In looking for a new foil, Raimi and producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad (the latter is also Chairman and CEO of Marvel Studios) reviewed all the villains from the Spider-Man comics. "Avi said to me, ‘Look, the most popular villain, after Green Goblin, is Doc Ock.’ I found it was a great idea, since visually Doc Ock is one of my favorites," explains the director. "He not only can climb walls, but he has a great look. And cinematically there were a lot of cool possibilities.

The choice to go with Doc Ock also had philosophical implications. “The story I was interested in with Peter Parker,” says the director, “was that to use this gift, he had to deny his own personal life. I felt the villain should be someone who could create a great obstacle for Peter, someone with an opposing philosophy, who values personal fulfillment over responsibility toward others. It was a good way to throw into relief the basic theme of this story.

To portray Doc Ock, Raimi chose British actor Alfred Molina. "I had to go through a casting process to realize that Alfred was the one," says Raimi. "But midway through that process my wife Gillian showed me his brilliant performance in Frida, he was remarkable. I thought about his theatrically trained experience. I needed his training, sense of timing … all that he had mastered to bring this character to life. His reactions, his energy and his sense of enthusiasm infused the puppets with great life."

In the last weeks prior to opening day, Raimi is still working day and night to finish his movie. On the day of this interview, he is working closely with CGI animators, making some changes in the movements of Doc Ock’s torso, and also discussing music cues with Academy Award®-nominated composer Danny Elfman. "During the first movie I was immobilized with fear. Now I’m just terrified.”

Besides directing Spider-Man 2, Raimi is also producing the horror flick The Grudge, a project directed by Japanese filmmaker Takashi Shimizu and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Asked about Spider-Man 3, which already has an opening date of May 4, 2007, Raimi smiles: "I’m hoping to direct a third one. I’m working on the story right now.” And so it continues…

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