Who'd like to see a Spider-Man live action tv series?

[WC]

I think I remember once reading a rumour that a Smallville-type Spider-Man series was planned, called simply "Peter Parker", which would take us through his transformation from nerd to hero at a much slower pace.

I'd personally like to see something like that - it's been a long time since Spidey has been on tv, and this would be one way of not overlapping with the movies, by focussing on Peter Parker. The only thing I wonder is how a series like this could actually work, since a slow transformation would mean we'd essentially see a Peter Parker without powers for a few weeks at least.

What do others think about such a series, if this topic hasn't already been raised before?

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

[Frostbite]

That would be good, but unlikely.

NEXT!

[kvdp_blade]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Frostbite:
<B>That would be good, but unlikely.

NEXT!</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

LOL! I guess Frostbite is the final word.

[ModeMan]

He's supposed to have an animated series on MTV this summer. So it's very doubtful. Plus, why would you have a live action series while you're producing a live action movie trilogy? It's useless. So we'd have to get to know a different actor as Spider-man while watching Maguire, we'd have to accept a different origin story-line and disregard the movie one, and probably a bunch of other crap that would help mess up the movie experience. So I'm not for it.
We have a live-action Spider-man. It's Tobey Maguire.

[WC]

But it wouldn't be Spider-Man as such. I think the idea is not to have the costume, a la Smallville. So while we would see both Spidey and Peter Parker on the big screen in the form of Tobey Maguire, the tv series would focus on a different aspect of Parker or on a Peter Parker as he was before becoming Spidey officially. And there could be room for that without treading on the movies. After all, if a tv series and a movie about the same theme should never be running simultaneously, then why is there all this talk of a new Superman film if there is already a Superman tv series called Smallville?

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

[norrinraad]

I see where you're coming from, kind of like a Wonder Years only with Peter Parker, before he got the powers. It's a nifty idea but I don't know if the general public would care about the exploits of a pre-Spider-Man Peter Parker. Plus, how to differentiate it from the glut of coming-of-age shows we already have? And of course, if the show addressed a young PP after he got the powers, it would be directly competing with the movie trilogy because it too showed Peter right after the spider bite. It's a pretty good idea but it needs to be fleshed out a bit more.

[WC]

Well at least such a show might be able to focus more fully on characters like Gwen Stacey, Mary Jane, Harry Osborne and Flash Thompson, giving you more of an insight into their personalities. In the movie, we saw hardly anything of Flash, while there was nothing at all about Gwen. We might be able to see how Peter had to cope with loneliness and being bullied in more detail than the movie, which was really a whistle-stop tour of the comics.

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

[swingerbone]

Maybe... but according to comics lore, of the characters you mentioned, only Flash knew him pre-Spidey.... He was only Pre-Spidey PP in AF15 for a few pages anyway... but maybe more stories dealing with his powers in Highschool like in Ultimate Spider-Man could work. They bring in all the characters you mentioned.

But I agree that it would be awkward to the general public to have to differentiate between TV Peter Parker/Spider-Man and movie Peter Parker/Spider-man.

Part of why Smallville works is that it has been a while since Superman was in the media. The last Supes movie was in 1987 and aside from the cartoons, the last time a live Superman graced TV was Dean Cain in Lois & Clark. Maybe this is why they are having such a tough time getting a new Superman movie going. I agree with some fellow fans that they should wait until Smallville ends and then the series finale of Smallville would lead to a summer blockbuster Superman movie starring Tom Welling.... but I doubt WB would wait for that... they want the Superman cash cow like yesterday... I think they are afraid that the comics2film burst of energy is petering out (no pun intended).

Maybe this is why Ratner wanted out... WB has faltered too often with it's DC properties. Marvel is fairing a lot better by distributing their IP among multiple studios. I fear many people see Daredevil as evidence that this comics ship is sinking... but DD was never a frontrunner in comics anyway. Not trying to detract from him though... he has had more than his share of talent working on him... but DD isn't in the public's awareness to the extent of the big three: Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man.

I just hoop the Spidey franchise keeps doing things right.

[This message has been edited by swingerbone (edited 04-20-2003).]

[MarvelKid18]

Hey, I'm a Spidey fan like most people here, but am I alone in thinking this whole Spider-Man in High School bit is an awful idea? I mean, how boring would that be? I understand Smallville is working out, and I'm not going to bag the show cause it's not terrible, it's just not my thing. But not only is this idea just a bad rip-off of Smallville, but it would make for a very unentertaining show. Peter Parker isn't the most exciting guy in the world, that's why he makes a good balance for Spidey. Superman and Clark Kent are pretty much the same exact thing. They don't act too much different. But Spider-Man is a complete opposite. He's one person in the suit, and another without it. Without that balance, Parker is a pretty boring guy. Plus, I still expect Smallville to become another Dawson's Creek any day now, so we gotta factor that into this idea...

Anyway... MTV is to Spider-Man what WB is to Batman... they just need to leave the other ALONE...

[mallratX2]

hey everyone here know that i am a strong anti-mtv spider-man person, but Marvelkid, are you telling me that you didn't like batman the animated series??? that is my all time favorite animated show, i love it, the writing was incredible and i can't wait until mystery of the batwoman comes out.

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"Are you seriously telling me you don't recognize this traitor? It's..."
"Cyclops, baby. Don't wear it out."

[This message has been edited by mallratX2 (edited 04-22-2003).]

[ModeMan]

WB's Batman animated show was fantastic. It struggled a little bit when it was on Fox. It was still a great show but the studio presence was annoying sometimes(forcing the shows creators to use the movie Penguin design, not allowing guns, not allowing child endangerment, not allowing a fist at one point. Goodness sakes!). When Batman moved to the WB network to join Superman, it was perfect. Basically because the studio stayed the hell out of the way and let Dini and Timm do their thing. It was fantastic. And I hope MTV does as well.
MTV isn't necessarily going to make a bad cartoon. As far as I can see, MTV has an impressive track record with cartoons. Beavis and Butthead, Daria, Undergrads, Cartoon Sushi, Clone High, Aeon Flux(I hate that show but it still has a cult following). These were pretty cool cartoons. Give Spidey on MTV a chance. If it ends up sucking I'll join you all in your hatred.

After all, if a tv series and a movie about the same theme should never be running simultaneously, then why is there all this talk of a new Superman film if there is already a Superman tv series called Smallville?

The talk of a new Superman film is that the execs at WB are so indecisive that the film wont be finished until 10 years after Smallville is cancelled anyway.

[This message has been edited by ModeMan (edited 04-25-2003).]

[MarvelKid18]

Actually, if you watch the earlier episodes on the Batman: Animated series, the suckage factor is there... but I'm not going to argue about it. That would be pointless, considering it did eventually get really good. Anyway, I was referring to the way WB handled the last Batman movie.

As for MTV's track record, they're cartoons stopped being good as soon as Daria hit it's 3rd season. After that, it just got lame and turned into another sappy drama. Beavis and Butthead and Aeon Flux are the only other shows that ever sold. Yeah, Undergrads was alright, but I REALLY disagree with you on Cartoon Sushi... not to mention that this 3South show is an insult to B&B fans everywhere. No, MTV's show rep is limited to stupid pop culture or goth recognition. I don't forsee a Peter Head(wow, that's a joke all on it's own) working out much less a dark Spider-Man series working at all. Just let the people who know what they're doing do it.

[This message has been edited by MarvelKid18 (edited 04-25-2003).]

[akira842]

mtv sucks ass,with there cheasy ass ways f them. batman the animated series is one of the most beutiful things ever done . the hand drawn episodes are sweet er than the computer ones done on bat and supes,but those are sick in there own right. But man you guys are young ,when i was a kid there was a live action spidey show . it sucked . I measn when iwas like seven yrs old when it came on , I was glued . A few years ago scifi had all the live action marvel stuff of old on in a marathon,and they played it ,oh jeez i wanted to die . If I was stan after spidey came out I had all the tv show actors paid to shut their mouths and burned the evidence.

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KANEDA!

[Stygian]

As far as MTV animation is concerned, I've always hated Bevis & Butthead. But most of the others had some redeeming qualities at one time or another. I recall MTV was the one who brought "The Maxx" to the small screen and it wasn't too bad for what it was. Also they had Liquid TV for a while before they ever started that Cartoon Sushi stuff and I liked those. They might do okay with the Spider man animated series.

As far as the 70's television show for Spidy, you have to remember that in that time, campy was what sold the networks on the superhero shows. You guys can't sit strait faced through the old 50's & 60's Batman shows with Adam West can you? And Lou Farigno as the Hulk was one of the better ones, but it was still very camp. Look at Wonderwoman, look at the old Superman shows, or Shazam, or The Mighty Isis. Camp camp camp. But the point is, for that time it was expected, and yes accepted. Those shows held their audience. I was one of them. We won't talk about my age here, but I will say that I look back on some of those programs with a nostalgic grin.

Before we bash the show, lets see where it takes us, give it one or two episodes and if its still not blowing your skirt up, don't watch it. You have this wonderful technology called a remote control on most TV's now days. Use it.

[akira842]

well when the hell does it start?

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KANEDA!

[Soccerdude]

i'd like an L/A series,just don't make it like Nicholas Hammond's.

PLEEEEZ DON'TR!!!!

[The_Vampire:Spider]

The MTV Spider-Man I m afraid to see after reading what they have planned for him, I think again think they said they were going to give him a hip hop twist thats just wrong. But Rob Zombie is going to do a guest voice deal so I ll give it a shot. As for the 70 tv show I ve seen it on sci fi man its horrible but it can make you laugh for hours with its cheesyness. Ok my two cents has been deposited so I ll go away.

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Landmine Has Taken My Sight, Taken My Speech,Taken My Hearing,Taken My Arms,Taken My Legs,Taken My Soul,Left Me with Life in Hell
Spider

[m3darkness]

I think that a TV show about Peter would be somewhat over-kill to the movie character. I'm thinking maybe something along the lines of a Mary Jane story or a story about another character in the Spider-Man world aside from spidey himself. Marvel is already doing a comic about Mary Jane, and I don't think that a live action show on her would be too much of a stretch.



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"When the darkness envelops you, I'll be waiting"

[WC]

Well hey, I'd be all for a Mary Jane tv series, but commercially, in terms of selling the series, it might be better off having a series about Spidey rather than a supporting character. After all, tv stations in the UK think viewers here are ignorant and call Smallville "Smallville: Superman the early years" just like they changed Lois & Clark to "The New Adventures of Superman". So I guess a Mary Jane series would be called "Mary Jane: Spider-Man the lovesick years" http://www.comics2film.com/UBB/smile.gif



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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

[Stygian]

I don't think a spin off TV show would be a bad idea, but it would need to fit into the movie story line instead of the other way around. However if you think about it, you could do it. There was quite a bit of time after the death of Peter's uncle Ben and before the graduation that they simply passed over. They could go back in there and ust that to expand on Peter's psycho drama loosing his father figure and dealing with the new powers and trying to hide them while also trying to figure out how to use "Responibility with great power" and still help his friends out. But I also think it would be in direct compitition with Smallville, and fans would think it a rip off show. I'm not sure if it would fly, or get stuck in its own web (sorry about the pun, I couldn't help myself).