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

with another actor - look at what the casting of Leo [DiCaprio] with Kate [Winslet] did for Titanic - is beyond anything we

can think of at present," Legato explains. "We have no idea of the magic mix that makes a memorable performance.

You'd have to be a drop-dead brilliant animator to make one composite character, let alone a whole cast."
Given this fact, combined with the revelation that Spider-Man will ALSO feature a CGI creation in one of the main roles

(the Insider had heard for a loooonnnnng time that Spider-Man himself may be created as a synthetic character), one has

to conclude that Cameron is much closer to pulling the trigger on the project once the legal entanglements surrounding

the Marvel character's rights are resolved. Yours truly has contacted a source at Lightstorm to see if additional

information can be gleaned from inside the production company and will pass along any discoveries.
July 14, 1998

As the Insider reported last week, Variety confirmed that Marvel is moving closer to resolution of their bankruptcy

problems and a new court ruling will impact several projects including Iron Man and Spider-Man. Variety speculates that

if James Cameron is finally allowed to proceed with the project it could end up at Fox.

No news yet, but expect a decision to be handed down soon in Marvel's effort to peel away the film rights to its

Spider-Man franchise from the gang of studios claiming to own a piece of the web-slinger. The Insider hears that Marvel

is eager to begin bidding for the theatrical rights to their comic-book property but has no real preference at this point

regarding who ultimately gets to make the film -- they want the revenue that a sale would bring and the guarantee that it

would be done professionally -- unlike other recent Marvel movie adaptations.

In an effort to keep Insider readers up-to-date with the latest court rulings that could impact the appearance of

Spider-Man and other long-awaited super-hero flicks from the Marvel library, yours truly has dug up info that reveals that

the planned reorganization of Marvel can now get under way. Various news sources report that the publisher will merge

with sister-company Toy Biz beginning next week. The move is being undertaken to ensure the stability of Marvel and

help facilitate a new direction for the company.

Titanic director James Cameron revealed at a news conference in Toronto yesterday that he will likely wait about a year

before starting his next feature film, but will continue development of a television project in the interim. "I haven't really

made a decision. I'm developing a few things. I'm sort of not eager to jump back into it," Cameron told the assembled

reporters. Cameron also revealed that his next project may not be Planet of the Apes, True Lies 2, Spider-Man or any

of the other projects that have often been attached to the Oscar-winning director. It may not even be a big-budget action

flick like so many fans are expecting but instead may be what published reports call "a smaller drama."
June 1, 1998

This week's Entertainment Weekly had a short update on the continuing legal struggles of everyone's favorite James

Cameron non-movie, Spider-Man. Attorneys for Marvel Comics, who are seeking the return of all film and ancillary rights

to the character from a variety of Hollywood players including Sony, Viacom and MGM/UA, want the case moved from

Los Angeles to Delaware where the super-hero house is going through its bankruptcy proceedings. The defendants,

meanwhile, are pushing for mediation in Los Angeles, but Marvel can't seem to agree on who should oversee the

proceedings. As previously reported by yours truly, if a mediator is brought in, you can bet the rights will be divided or

co-financing will be raised by some or all of the parties named in Marvel's suit. Such a move could impair Cameron's

ability to make his dream project; Sony might turn the project over to Centropolis if it obtains the rights.
April 10, 1998

Though it remains unclear whether FOX will emerge with the rights to make the Spider-Man movie, word comes from the

latest issue of Zentertainment e-zine that James Cameron is still entertaining casting options for his planned big-screen

version of the Marvel Comics hero. While the director has indicated that Leonardo DiCaprio would be his ideal choice for

the role of the geeky teenaged Peter Parker, word from our sources is that one grueling Cameron shoot was enough for

Leo. Zen now reports that their insiders say Good Will Hunting screenwriter and heartthrob Ben Affleck may be in the

running to suit up in the red and blue Spider-tights. Regardless of who Cameron wants to play the wallcrawler, as

mentioned earlier in the week (see April 6, 1998 entry), the whole property is tied in more legal tangles than a full

cartridge of web fluid. The way things are going, by the time the legal mess is cleared away, Jake Lloyd might old enough

to play the part.

Marvel Comics, still hoping to fight its way out of bankruptcy, is looking to put the theatrical rights to Spider-Man back in

its own pocket, according to a release from a company trustee. John Gibbons, representing Marvel in the matter, sued

Viacom, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia TriStar Home Video, MGM, Tangled Web Productions and

Webspinner, Inc.
"Marvel is the sole holder of all rights to produce and distribute in all primary and ancillary media a live-action feature

motion picture based on the Spider-Man character," Gibbons said in court papers filed in U.S. District Court in

Delaware.
The list of defendants in the filing provide some new insight into ownership claims being made by third-parties. A review

of the legal filing shows that Paramount parent Viacom, a name seldom associated with the web of lawsuits surrounding

the character, is claiming television broadcast rights, while Columbia TriStar Home Video contends that it owns the

home video rights, which, if true, would undercut the value of the movie license.

and therefore the rights have been rescinded and should revert back to their original owner. "The crown jewel of its

intellectual property (needed to be) intact, free and clear of claims and liens," Gibbons said in the court papers, "so that

the trustee may produce the greatest return possible to Marvel's creditors and equity security holders."

Cameron's production company has, to the Insider's knowledge, never made a claim of ownership to the property) and

20th Century Fox. Fox has been very public in its desire to land the film rights to Spider-Man as a vehicle for Cameron.
For the complete text of the release click here.
To read Marvel's 22-page legal filing for yourself, click here. BEWARE! These scans are very large in size and could

take awhile to load.

While genre fans await word on what movie James Cameron will select as his next project, Spider-Man, Planet of the

Apes, True Lies 2, Terminator 3 or something else, one has to assume that no project is too formidable in the wake of

Titanic's success. He is now discussing some movies that he had pushed aside and vowed publicly not to pursue (such

as Avatar and Terminator 3).
"Planet of the Apes is definitely somewhere in my future," he recently told the Calgary Sun, referring to the upcoming

project he is expected to write and produce. "I have a better idea for a second True Lies than I do for a third

Terminator, but there are also other projects I have been nurturing for a while now."
Why the talk about a third Terminator if we're to believe earlier comments that there's no way the movie will be shown in

theaters with his name attached? Why all the new rumors surfacing about additional progress being made on the

almost-mythical CGI-extravaganza Avatar? The man who proclaimed that he's "King of the World" as he capped the

Oscars with Best Director and Best Picture awards has apparently realized that his newfound royalty gives him options

that other directors don't enjoy.
March 27, 1998

The feature rights to the Marvel Comics web-slinger will be decided in June if the California courts have their way.

Representatives from the defunct Carolco and 21st Century Film Corporation, as well as MGM and 20th Century Fox, are

expected to have a direct interest in the proceedings since each has asserted some type of claim to the Spider-Man

feature-film rights. One legal insider told Cinescape Online that the parties will likely attempt to resolve the issue amongst

themselves, which could result in a tangled web of participants all working together. A possible scenario? 21st Century

and Carolco are given walk-away money while MGM enters into a joint-venture with Fox to allow white-hot James

Cameron to direct his dream project.

Amidst all the legal wrangling that has surrounded the film rights to Spider-Man in recent days comes word that license

holder Marvel has reached an agreement to settle many of its outstanding issues with stockholders and creditors and will

accept a proposal made last week with affiliate Toy Biz.

Michael Flemming of Variety delivers the inside line on the battle for control of the Spider-Man feature rights and the

steps various studios are taking to ensure that the comic book hero becomes the next mega-event franchise. Long

believed to be headed to 20th Century Fox as the next film of choice for James Cameron, who has written a 60-page

Spidey treatment, the web-slinging crime fighter is now being pursued by Sony, Universal and MGM .
MGM once was believed to have firm control over the legal battle surrounding Spider-Man when it negotiated feature

rights to the franchise as part of a settlement with original option holder Carolco. The action was contested by a variety of

participants, including licensor Marvel Comics, which has attempted to push the film into Cameron's camp for years (at

one point the production even minted commemorative silver coins heralding a 1993 release date for a James

Cameron-directed Spider-Man movie).
MGM's legal wrangling followed another motion by the 21st Century Film Corporation, which claimed ownership of the

Spider-Man rights in 1993. 21st Century had made arrangements to sell its rights to Carolco shortly after they were

acquired from MGM in 1990. Last year MGM was in talks with Carolco to assign the film rights to MGM as an alternative

form of payment against a $12 million debt that the former ministudio owed to MGM, but creditors for Carolco instead

opted to sell the rights in an effort to generate a larger sum of money.
Flemming now reports that Fox is the leading candidate with (surprise, surprise) Cameron the only director in mind. The

Variety article indicates that both Jim Carrey and Leonardo DiCaprio are rumored to headline as Peter Parker/Spidey. If

Sony were to acquire the rights it is believed that Spider-Man would become the next feature for the dynamic duo of

Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, who have recently signed a production agreement with Sony Pictures.

James Cameron has let it be known that he would like to have Leonardo Dicaprio play the title character in any upcoming

Spider-Man feature film, according to a chat on the UK Titanic site. "I think he would be amazing in the role," Cameron

enthused, adding "[Leonardo's] much more physical than people think." Of course there have been reports that DiCaprio

was so turned off by the grueling Titanic shoot that he's vowed never to work with the director again, although crafting the

most popular movie of all time can do wonders for mending bad feelings. Cameron, who has been interested in helming

Spider-Man for years, indicated that he has talked with DiCaprio about the part and would like to do a film on the

web-slinger "because Spider-Man rules!"

In the Chat to push Titanic's release in England, Cameron offered some insight into his plans for a Spider-Man feature

and the reasons why the project, originally planned for a 1993 release, has yet to begin: "I don't own the rights, but I'd like

to do it if I can get the script." This comment is in marked contrast to other reports claiming that the director had already

started development on the film. Long-standing problems surrounding exactly who owns the film rights to Spider-Man

have dogged the project for years. "[My] next project is not decided," Cameron concludes in the Chat.