Tobey Maguire stars as the lead in Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN
© Sony Pictures
McFarlane sounds off on SPIDER-MAN
By: Christopher Allan SmithDate: Wednesday, May 08, 2002
Source: EW
With SPIDER-MAN still breaking records even after it's huge weekend, big artists and writers who have worked wonders on the webslinger in the past are being tracked down by reporters for their reactions to Peter Parker's big screen debut.
While most of these little interviews are tiresome, one popped out: Image Comics founder and onetime AMAZING SPIDER-MAN artist Todd McFarlane.
Here's part of what McFarlane had to say when tracked down by ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:
So, how does SPIDER-MAN hold up on the big screen?
"I was pleasantly surprised, and I feel they got way more right than wrong. I was thinking, 'Here we go again. It's gonna be over-the-top and overly theatrical and silly.' But I was actually impressed with how serious they stayed within the confines of, essentially, a guy who can flip between buildings."
Do you think it was faithful to the comic book?
"They didn't make it as comic book-y as they could have. I was surprised at the seriousness at times. I found myself saying, 'They're not saying the obvious goof line that they could say here or there.'"
Would you have done it darker?
"I would have made him creepier. But when you sit down with marketing people, is creepier the best way to sell this to the masses? My guess is that it was a question of, 'How do we not scare the crap out of people every time this guy shows up?'"
Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/SPIDER-MAN?
"You needed -- and I don't mean this personally -- a sort of bland guy because he was going to be a nerd. If you use Brad Pitt or one of the new hot kids and they're saying, 'Oh, I can't find a date. Look at my great build and look at my great looks. Nobody takes me seriously and I'm just a geek' -- we don't buy into it. They needed the guy next door. The vanilla actor. Maguire is very melancholy, so in this case I think he works."
Are you disappointed that you didn't get to work on it?
"Well, there's going to be a SPIDER-MAN 2 or 3. There's always a way through the back door. [SPIDER-MAN] was released by Columbia and they have the screenplay that I just handed in for SPAWN 2. So I say, 'I hear you're making another Spidey movie and if you like what you're seeing here on 'Spawn,' let me see if I can squeeze in here some place.'"
