After being bitten by a radioactive spider, a nerdy teenage genius named Peter Parker

star opposite the webslinger in Sony's recently announced feature film. Among the choices: Kingpin, The Insider's fav The

Green Goblin, Venom, Dr. Octopus and The Lizard. Click here to jump over to their site and participate. There's no word

on whether your vote will actually make a difference in the movie's development process. If Sony decides to use their

newly purchased James Cameron Spider-Man treatment, the Insider hears that the villains will likely be Electro and

Sand Man, neither of which are options in the poll. Hmm ... could that mean something? Nahh ...
In other Spidey news, Mania reports that Marvel has announced an April 9th start date for the trial with Viacom to

determine who owns the Spider-Man TV rights.

What are the chances of James Cameron filming the Spider-Man movie? We all know that the director recently cast

some doubt on his willingness to do the project, suggesting he would rather do projects he himself has developed. But

wouldn’t you think that he might still have a tiny bit of interest in the webslinger? Meanwhile, word has it that Sony wants

him… but they could live without him.
Well, the chances of Cameron directing Spider-Man seem to be getting almost as tangled as the legal web that once

was wrapped around the property. According to an "insider" speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, while the film would

seem to be a strong possibility as a split-rights production (along the lines of the teaming of Fox with Paramount to make

Cameron’s Titanic) the word is that Sony is of a mind to go it alone. Furthermore, while the studio does plan on

approaching Cameron about the project, they are also, obviously, going to approach a number of other filmmakers. And

even if Cameron should come on, Sony is said to be intent on not sharing the potential big box office profits with any

other studio.
March 4, 1999

In what is likely to become common in the weeks ahead, columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith are tossing out

names of actors who want to take on the role of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
First off, they suggest that the previous Jim Carrey casting stories weren’t just idle gossip. According to the columnists

Carrey has "already made his interest clear." Personally, I think he’s too old for the part.

Summer) regarding the film. They report that Prinze is very excited about the film saying, "The moment we hang up, I'm

making phone calls. I read comic books to this day. Spider-Man was one of my favorites when I was growing up. I used to

think I could walk up walls when I was just a little kid." Prinze at least looks the right age.

Insider thinks Gloria Stuart (Titanic) and Charlton Heston would be great in those parts.

Whether James Cameron is still interested in making a movie based on his favorite comic-book character, Spider-Man,

is unclear, but Sony seems to be opening the door for him to do so. As part of the settlement of its Spider-Man legal

dispute with MGM, Sony acquired James Cameron's treatment for a possible webslinger film, according to the trades.

However, Sony officials have not yet read the treatment.
"We've heard that (the Cameron treatment) is exciting, and he is certainly exciting," Sony CEO John Calley said. "He is

the premier choice. He's generated this treatment, so we're looking forward to reading it. Anyone who puts together a list

of filmmakers for this project would have to look to Jim Cameron, assuming he's still interested."
However, talks between Sony and Cameron have not begun on Spider-Man. The Insider was told yesterday by a

Lightstorm rep that Cameron is not involved with the project in any way at this stage.

While Calley said that "the progress to production could start immediately," he also reportedly pointed out that it will take

time "[t]o get a script, a package, a cast and a filmmaker."
March 1, 1999

It seems that Stan Lee's promise that the Spider-Man movie project would get rolling within a year of last summer's San

Diego Comic Con has been made good. Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Enterprises have signed an

agreement that sets the stage for launching the long anticipated Spider-Man filmed entertainment franchise. Based on

this agreement, Sony will also have the rights to produce a television series featuring the webslinger.
Sony's John Calley and Marvel's Avi Arad announced the deal today, also declaring that all disputes surrounding the

property have been resolved. "This is a great day for the studio," said Calley. "I am delighted that we will be able to bring

this long sought after comic book hero to the world of Sony film and television entertainment."
Arad added, "In Sony we have a partner who completely understands the unlimited potential of Spider-Man. I couldn't be

more pleased with the enthusiasm and direction of Sony's creative team." Arad will serve as an executive producer of the

Spidey film, with Stan Lee and Eric Ellenbogen also filling that role. There's no word yet as to who will write or direct the

film.
James Cameron had been courting the project for sometime, but the acclaimed director seemed to have cooled to the

idea of making a movie based on the webslinger in a recent interview with Premiere magazine. The Insider contacted

James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment for comment on this legal breakthrough, and it was indicated to me that the

Spidey deal is news to them and that they are not involved with the project in any way at this stage.
A similar response was given to me by a representative for Centropolis Entertainment, the production company for

Sony's event movie super-duo Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. Previously, rumors had suggested that, if Sony won

the rights to Spider-Man, Devlin and Emmerich would be atop the list of potential candidates to make the film.
February 22, 1999

Monday saw yet another move in the right direction to pulling away the legal web entanglements surrounding the

Spider-Man movie property. Recently, MGM was told that they had no rights to the property, but they made legal

maneuverings claiming they still did. Now, according to the Hollywood Reporter, on Monday Superior Court Judge

Aurelio Munoz told the studio that MGM’s last claim on the property had expired in 1996. The trade reports that MGM

traced its claims on Spider-Man to agreements previously held by the now-defunct Carolco Pictures. But the judge

contended that the studio’s lack of action on the project voided any such rights before they could be passed on. "The ...

agreement between Marvel and Carolco required Carolco to make a Spider-Man movie by 1996 or lose its rights,"

wrote the judge.
Sources at MGM reveal that they are currently exploring their options in the matter at this point, which sounds to be nearly

nil.
Meanwhile, attorneys at Marvel are happy about the recent events. Attorney Carol Handler says, "I'm thrilled at the judge's

ruling. We've always had confidence in Marvel's position that it owns all the rights to produce and distribute a

Spider-Man motion picture, and we believe this decision augurs well for the disposition of our claims against Sony and

Viacom." Marvel intends to take on each claimant one by one with Viacom next on the list before Judge Munoz on March

1st. Sony, who claims to have video rights to an eventual Spider-Man movie, will appear before Munoz on March 2nd.

The Spider-Man movie project may be one small step closer to happening, which isn’t saying that it will happen anytime

soon.
According to Variety columnist, Michael Fleming, a summary judgement was issued on Wednesday that dismissed

MGM’s claims that they had the proprietary rights to bring the webslinger to the big screen. MGM intends to appeal, and

Fleming points out that they still have "several other claims of ownership" on the potential franchise. Meanwhile, Marvel is

still intent on regaining control of their trademark character though a number of legal obstacles stand in their way to

achieving the task. Even if they do, it sounds like James Cameron is no longer interested in doing it, anyway. Can you

blame him?

After reading the Premiere magazine quotes in which James Cameron implied that he may no longer be interested in

doing the Spider-Man movie, Insider operative ‘Vick Halen’ felt compelled to pass along a review of what he suggests is

the story outline the Titantic director created for the Spidey project years ago. In a nutshell, Vick’s review is very positive,

but it does have potential SPOILERS both in aspects of the story comic-readers would already know and aspects that

Cameron allegedly created for the project himself. So if you would rather not know anything about what may be

Cameron's Spider-Man vision, go to the next story. Otherwise, click here.
January 15, 1999

"What is James Cameron going to do next?" That's one of the questions my readers ask most. With Planet of the Apes

and Avatar now in the trash bin, Terminator 3, True Lies 2 and, most of all, Spider-Man seem to be the projects

sci-fi/action movie fans want the acclaimed director to pursue most. But Cameron also has other interests. He's begun

pursuing television projects such as Dark Angel and The Mars Trilogy, and has also occasionally mused on the

possibility of doing a small drama.

left Apes and jumped aboard T3) and got the King of the World to talk about his post-Titanic possibilities:

"True Lies 2 is circling out there. I love the characters that those three actors created -- Arnold [Schwarzenegger] and

Jamie [Lee Curtis] and Tom [Arnold]. We can imagine another situation for them, as opposed to most films, Titanic

being the most obvious."

"Here's where I am philosophically. I'm 44, I make a movie every two or three years -- it should be something that I

create. I've always done that, with the exception of Aliens. The Terminator was my creation, so were Titanic and The

Abyss. With the amount of time and energy that I put into a film, it shouldn't be somebody else's superhero. I don't

want to labor in somebody else's house.
Cameron On The Mars Trilogy:

"I've been fascinated by real space travel -- exploration and colonization -- for a long time. I haven't had a chance to

deal with it other than in Aliens, which takes place in a hypothetical distant future, and the technology is very different

and not extrapolative of today's."

In addition to the T3 revelation, Michael Fleming’s report also mentions Spider-Man might still come together. The

Variety columnist indicates that, as had been widely rumored in the past, James Cameron has a 70-page story outline

prepared for the movie in case the legal webs surrounding the project untangle.

of Spider-Man and his alter-ego Peter Parker. However, when speaking at the San Diego Comic Con this summer

Marvel honcho Stan Lee, who will likely serve as an exec producer of any Spider-Man movie, indicated that Spider-Man

would likely be played by an relatively unknown actor (though "big and exciting stars" were expected to fill villain and

supporting parts). Of course, Lee did say "that decision will be made by Jim Cameron when he does the movie."
October 1, 1998

Rumors about what James Cameron is up to and what his next project might be fly fast and furious through the Internet ether and are

rarely ever based in reality. As the result of several Cameron stories that popped up this week, I felt it was time to call the folks at

Lightstorm hoping they might set the record straight. I was fortunate enough to talk to Lightstorm President Rae Sanchini who took the

time to answer a few questions about some of alleged projects Cameron is rumored to be attached to. In particular, we spoke about:

Terminator 3, Spider-Man and Planet of the Apes. Here’s what she had to say on the following:

The Montreal Gazette is reporting that James Cameron will direct Terminator 3. Furthermore, the paper is suggesting that

Arnold Schwarzenegger had been dropped from the production because his acting fee of $20M (plus a percentage of the

profit) was too high, thus leaving Cameron alone. Meanwhile, BBC Online is reporting that Arnold chose to skip T3 in favor

of Planet of the Apes, saying that the latter production "will not start shooting until next year."
Officially, Lightstorm isn’t quite sure who exactly owns the rights to the Terminator franchise, and at this time James

Cameron is not involved or interested. Sanchini told the Insider that "neither Lightstorm or Jim Cameron have [any]

knowledge of this production or a sequel." Furthermore, Cameron would not do T3 without Arnold Schwarzenegger. The

two are great friends, and the idea of one doing a Terminator film without the other is "patently absurd."

Previous rumors have had Lightstorm edging towards Planet of the Apes (and dropping Spider-Man as the result).

Another rumor suggests that Cameron has already written a script for the film.
The official word from Sanchini is that there is no script. In fact, she says that Jim Cameron "would like to be involved" in the

Apes project. Sanchini adds, "Planet of the Apes is something that Jim [Cameron] wants to produce and write." Sanchini

also revealed that Fox would really like to get this project rolling as soon as possible.
Spider-Man?

Contrary to rumors reported earlier this week by columnist Marilyn Beck, Lightstorm is not backing away from the

Spider-Man project. It is still something Cameron wants to do, but until the legal web can be ripped away, Cameron and

Lightstorm with be "sitting on the sidelines."

Sanchini reveals, "Jim is taking a year off from directing and is involved in a number of projects. He just doesn’t want to be

behind a camera for a year." One project may well end up being a Planet of the Apes script, but nothing, as yet, has been

worked out.

Yeah, I know we’ve all heard these Apes stories before, but… Columnist Marilyn Beck is reporting that James Cameron and his

Lightstorm production company is moving towards his Planet of the Apes project rather than Spider-Man. Beck reports that while

nothing is confirmed for actor Arnold Schwarzenegger beyond End of Days (and I would add Total Recall 2), Lightstorm is, in fact,

planning on Arnold for the lead. Lending credence to Beck's story are previous quotes by Fox personnel revealing that Cameron was

working on the script. Furthermore, she suggests that the ongoing legal quagmire surrounding Spider-Man might prompt Cameron and

company to just give up on that project.
August 29, 1998

The most comprehensive record of events surrounding the legal mess that is Spider-Man can be found in today’s Los Angeles Times.

The massive article contains a few new facts that include:
The legal morass fills five dozen boxes in the office of one legal participant.

The movie was originally budgeted at $15 million but is now predicted to top $200 million.

The key event that caused most of the mess reportedly involved a crashed computer (which led to a contract possibly being created

from memory) and early rights-holder Menahem Golan’s insistence that he obtain a producer credit regardless of whether or not he

actually worked on the final Spider-Man film.

Another legal mistake (although an appropriate move in the Insider’s opinion) resulted in the previously promised screen-credit to

Golan being omitted from James Cameron’s final agreement (which itself was a modified version of the Terminator 2 production

agreement). Cameron subsequently wouldn't grant Golan’s request for a producer credit.

to raise the cash needed to actually make the film. When those efforts went awry, all Hell broke loose between the combatants:

Viacom claims it bought the television broadcast rights from Golan.

Sony Pictures Entertainment says it purchased the video rights from Golan.

Fox intends to get into the Spider-Man game by using its exclusive deal with James Cameron, who signed a $3 million deal to

write and direct a feature version of the comic book super hero in 1991 (before his Fox deal).

Marvel claims that the deal with Golan that precipitated all the other claims of ownership to Spider-Man rights expired years ago.

about the ten different versions of the script (including the fact that several were penned by Golan under the name Joseph Goldman), and

Cameron’s draft which the paper claims sources close to the non-production have described as "brilliant". Click here to get the full scoop.
August 19, 1998

On the heels of Stan Lee's promise that the Spider-Man movie would go before cameras within the year with James Cameron helming,

Variety reports that the legal troubles that have kept the movie in limbo since 1993 may well be coming to an end. U.S. District Court

Judge Roderick McKelvie of Delaware has ruled that the battle over the rights to the Spider-Man feature can continue in California. The

judge, who understands that Spider-Man is the most important property to the money-troubled comic giant, also asserted that if

California did not settle the matter over who has the right to take Spidey to the silver screen in a timely fashion, he would put an end to the

issue himself.
Although Stan Lee, speaking at the San Diego Comicon International, seemed pretty sure that Jim Cameron (and thus Fox) would be

making Spider-Man, Sony remains adamant about maintaining its rights to the webslinger, based on a deal made with the now-defunct

Cannon Group. Meanwhile, MGM asserts their rights to Spider-Man based on deals with 21st Century Film Corp. and Carolco. MGM

lawyer Christopher Rudd announced that his studio "is confident that it has gathered the strands of the Spider-Man rights together such

that it now controls the right to produce and distribute Spider-Man." However, Marvel protests that MGM's rights to Spidey (gained

through 21st Century) have long since expired.

That being said, the Insider is left with the feeling that Stan Lee may have had some inkling that this development was on the verge of

breaking given his confident declarations on the matter last weekend.
August 15, 1998

Marvel honcho Stan Lee has promised that the oft-delayed Spider-Man movie will finally go before the cameras within a year and, he

hopes, be directed by James Cameron. "We think that within the next year, and I’m sorry it’s going to take that long…it will all be

straightened out," Lee says of the legal morass that has plagued the production (which at one point was believed to begin in 1993). "I

desparately hope that Jim Cameron has not decided to retire before then or do another movie, but I promise you within a year this movie

will start rolling." Given the vocal interest Cameron has displayed in the past towards helming a Spider-Man feature it's unlikely that such

an impediment would arise, but it was obviously a concern to the Marvel chief.
That point was underscored when Lee was asked about who might be in the running for the title role in Spider-Man. Forget Ben Affleck.

Forget Leonardo DiCaprio.

the star, Spider-Man himself, will NOT be a major star," Lee revealed. "First of all, you have to think that most major actors won’t want

to go through a large portion of the movie with their face fully covered up. They want to be seen. However, we have a number of villains

and some great roles for supporting actors so there will certainly be big and exciting stars."

Stan Lee has received the latest rewrite of The X-Men script from Chris McQuarrie and while he admits he hasn't read it

yet he does reveal that "the few people who have seen it say it's really great." Lee says director Bryan Singer is taking a

more adult tone with the characters and themes of The X-Men. "This guy Bryan Singer, who did The Usual Suspects,

he's not a comic-book director. He does very intelligent, character-oriented movies. Yet, he's a big fan of the X-Men. He

wants to do this and he wants to make it intelligent and believable," Lee tells the Comic Book Continuum. Lee also

confirms that Patrick Stewart would "be perfect" as Professor Xavier but claims that no casting has taken place yet. "You

have to have the script finished before doing the casting."

Tom Cruise's production partner Paula Wagner contacted Marvel about the actor's interest in playing Iron Man as was

reported some weeks back.
July 18, 1998

The Insider had this BLOCKBUSTER information about two of James Cameron's most eagerly awaited projects land in

my mailbox from sharp-eyed Cinescape contributor 'Agent X' that confirms the scope of work being done to prep both

Spider-Man and Avatar. According to this information BOTH Spider-Man and Avatar will boast entirely CGI characters

interacting with real actors (which blows a hole in the long-held belief that Avatar would be ENTIRELY CGI).
"James Cameron is planning Avatar, in which the main villain will be digitally created," reveals Rob Legato, Titanic's FX

supervisor, in a conversation with The Financial Post. Legato furthermore throws cold-water on the belief that a "100%

life-like normal character" can be effectively pulled off at this point. "To expect an animator to create the infinite nuances

of a particular person, with all the surprise choices a good actor makes on the fly, or the responses created by chemistry