Raimi Was Sony 19th Choice For Tobey Maguire Spider-Man Director
Director Sam Raimi recalls that when he was asked to pitch for Spider-Man, Sony had "about 18 directors they’d rather have" than himself. Sam Raimi has revealed that prior to landing the coveted gig directing 2002’s Spider-Man he was Sony’s 19th choice for the job. The first film to earn over $100 million in a single weekend, the original Spider-Man film was applauded for its casting and set the bar for all the superhero films which would follow it. Starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, Kirsten Dunst as Mary-Jane Watson, and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn (AKA the Green Goblin), the film is still highly regarded as one of the best Marvel films ever made. Raimi, who is perhaps best known as the creator of The Evil Dead franchise, also has several successful television projects under his belt including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spinoff series Xena: Warrior Princess. Prior to his being selected to helm Sony’s first live-action Spider-Man adaptation, plans for a S