Official Site

Release Date: June 30th, 2004 (wide)

Release Date Note: (3/27/03) Originally scheduled for May 7th, 2004, which was closely patterned after the May 3rd, 2002 release of the first movie, the delay in filming from January to April has led to Sony pushing this film back two months to the (equally choice) date of July 2nd, 2004. Currently, the other movie scheduled for that date is the Will Smith sci-fi adventure, I, Robot (which I expect might move). (5/5/03) Indeed, I, Robot has been bumped back two weeks, so Spidey has the 2nd all to himself now. (3/25/04) Sony has bumped the release up two days to June 30th, 2004, to give it a six day weekend (counting th Monday that most Americans will take off, since the 4th is on a Sunday).

Title Note: (7/16/02) According to promotional art that Columbia Pictures is disseminating at license trade shows, the title of this sequel is not "Spider-Man 2", but with a roman numeral, as "Spider-Man II" (source: Corona). (9/17/02) Or not! Sony has announced, via ERC, that the title of this sequel will be the same as the first comic book series entirely devoted to the character (ie, not counting that one appearance in "Amazing Fantasy" #15), "The Amazing Spider-Man." (2/21/03) Well, Sony apparently has, or is at least considering, dumped the 'Amazing Spider-Man' title, with their site now just this as "The Sequel to Spider-Man". It will probably not end up being called just "Spider-Man 2" (I suspect Raimi and crew want to be more original than that), but for now... that's the easiest thing to list it as.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for stylized action violence)

MPAA Rating Notes: (7/16/02) Nothing's official until the MPAA sees the final cut, but it's extremely likely (nay, pretty much guaranteed) that this film is aiming for a PG-13 (last time, the MPAA cited "stylized violence and action"). (4/26/04) It sounds like the MPAA just looked at their previous notes and reworded it this time around as "stylized action violence."

Distributor: Columbia Pictures (Sony)

Production Company: Marvel Entertainment (Daredevil, The Hulk, Iron Man), Laura Ziskin Productions (Spider-Man), Sony Pictures Imageworks (Astro Boy, The Polar Express)

Cast: Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man), Kirsten Dunst (Mary "MJ" Jane Watson), James Franco (Harry Osborne), Alfred Molina (Dr. Otto Octavius, AKA Doctor Octopus), Brooke Adams (Felicia Hardy), Dylan Baker (Dr. Curt Connors), Elizabeth Banks (Betty Brant), Bruce Campbell (Snooty Usher), Vanessa Ferlito, Daniel Gillies (John Jameson), Stan Lee (cameo), Rosemary Harris (Aunt May Parker), Joel McHale (Mr. Jacks), Donna Murphy (Rosalie Octavius), Jason Ortiz (Henry), Ted Raimi (Hoffman), Bonnie Somerville

Cast Notes: (2/15/03) For a movie so relatively close to production, it's surprising there hasn't been more news or rumors about possible new cast members... but AICN got the ball rolling last week with an unconfirmed rumor that the top contender for the role of "Doctor Octopus" might be Alfred Molina (Boogie Nights, Frida). (2/19/03) "Variety" confirms (via a press release from Sony which you can read at SuperHeroHype.com) the signing of Molina as Doctor Octopus (though the press release lists him as just "Doc Ock", I think that's just because that's what Sony bigwig Amy Pascal called him in his quote. Just like this movie isn't called 'The Amazing Spidey', it's very likely 'Doc Ock' isn't the only name they're using.

(3/18/03) Both of the major trades report today that Tobey Maguire may have to drop out of this project due to back pains presumably suffered during filming of Seabiscuit (although there were no specific injuries reported during it) which may prevent him from showing up on April 12th able to do this movie's many strenuous stunts. Luckily, Jake Gyllenhaal, who was one of the actors who nearly got the role in the first film anyway, is available to step in to replace Tobey if he doesn't get better. In addition to being a lot cheaper than Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal is also Kirsten Dunst's boyfriend, which if he takes the role, could lead to some very juicy gossip headlines from the set.

(3/27/03) Tobey Maguire is confirmed as being all healed up and ready to web-swing starting in two weeks. (4/9/03) New Zealand actor Daniel Gillies has landed the unexpected role of John Jameson, the astronaut son of Peter's boss, J. Jonah Jameson, who will also be portrayed as Mary Jane's newest romantic interest. (6/18/03) Spider-Man Hype reports that Bruce Campbell's role this time around is as a "snooty usher" who doesn't allow Peter Parker entry to see Mary Jane's first big play. Fans of the first movie will know that this usher also has/had a gig as a wrestling announcer. : )

Director: Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, A Simple Plan, Army of Darkness, The Gift, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn)

Screenwriter: Michael Chabon (feature debut of the author of Wonder Boys; he's also working on the script of the movie version of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay"; preview page coming soon)

Screenwriter Note: (9/24/02) This film's screenwriter situation to date has been a little strange. First, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the writing team of Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights were hired to work on the script. Then, the writer of the first film, David Koepp (Panic Room, Stir of Echoes) was hired to come up with his own script, which the original writers would then rewrite. Now, all three have been dropped from the project, with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon being the sole writer. If you're a comic book fan, you'd be advised to read his amazing novel, "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay." (9/27/02) Michael Chabon will be starting over from scratch, based on his own ideas. (2/17/03) Gough and Millar have moved on to adapting another of Marvel's classic characters... Iron Man.

Based Upon: This is the sequel to the 2002 blockbuster hit, and current (7/16/02) #1 movie of the year, Spider-Man, which set the record for a three-day opening weekend at $114.844 million, and has taken in over $400 million, just in the U.S. alone. Both movies are, of course, based upon the character created by Steve Ditko (art) and Stan Lee (writing), as first published in "Amazing Fantasy #15" in 1962 by Marvel Comics. This movie will be followed by Spider-Man 3, which is likely to be aiming for a summer, 2006 release.

Trilogy Note: (7/16/02) Sony made sure to sign both Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst for *two* sequels, although Sam Raimi is not likewise signed for the third film (yet). Presuming that this sequel doesn't bomb, the third movie is pretty much a certainty, though we probably won't see it in theaters any earlier than 2006 or 2007.

Villains Note: (7/16/02) The early development of this sequel was a bit odd, because Sony first hired Shanghai Knights writing team Alfred Gough and Miles Millar to work on it in April, 2002, before announcing two months later that David Koepp was going to write his own script, from which Gough and Millar would then do a rewrite.

This screenwriter note is important to state at this point, because most of what is online about the new characters in this sequel comes from actress Kirsten Dunst, and it all predates the Koepp news in early June. In other words... if Koepp is doing his own thing separate from what Millar and Gough started on, it's possible that anything Dunst said before June 11th, 2002 is no longer true. Koepp's story idea may have completely different villains (at one point, the villains of the first film were supposed to be the Sandman and Elektro, for example).

Specifically, Dunst first told ComingSoon.net back in April, 2002 that the villains were to be Doctor Octopus and the Lizard. Dunst then told "Wizard" magazine in early June that Felicia Hardy, aka the Black Cat, may be brought in as a romantic interest for Peter in this second film (this was also before Koepp came aboard). Since both of her revelations predate Koepp's new story idea, however... they may both be completely irrelevant at this point. I do have a hunch, though, that even if the Lizard and the Black Cat are dropped, Doctor Octopus probably does remain a shoo-in to be one of the villains in this movie.

(9/27/02) With Michael Chabon starting over on the script from scratch, I'd say all previous statements about who might be in this movie have to be seriously reconsidered as being possibly outdated.

(2/19/03) Avi Arad of Marvel confirmed this week that there is only one villain in this movie, and the casting of Alfred Molina tells us which one that is. The Lizard will have to wait.

(4/9/03) I'm not sure if we'll actually see the change in *this* movie (or in any movie, for that matter), but one of Spidey's villains has effectively joined the cast as of this movie: The Man-Wolf (which is what astronaut John Jameson becomes after finding a strange stone during a trip to the moon). Although the Man-Wolf has never seemed particularly popular to me, as a character, he (or more specifically, John Jameson) is fairly integral to Peter's story, as Peter's boss always held his son's shining example of heroism as an astronaut against the more flamboyant example that Spider-Man sets as a "super" hero. John's change into becoming a "super villain" (albeit unintentionally) was one of J. Jonah's most heart-wrenching storylines in the history of the character (there have been others).

All recent reports to date indicate that the Lizard is no longer a villain in this second movie, but his human alter-ego, Dr. Curt Connors, has still been cast (by Dylan Baker, who played the creepy dad in Happiness) regardless, which sets him up for possibly being the villain in a future film.

(5/9/03) Young model/actress Brooke Adams, who will become the youngest "Maxim" cover girl ever this fall, has landed the role of Felicia Hardy, who in the comics is also known as the Black Cat. It's possible that she may be introduced in this movie so that she can become the Black Cat in 'Spidey 3'?

Premise: Picking up several months later, the story of mild-mannered science student, part-time photojournalist and occasional web-crawling superhero Peter Parker continues as he is now attending college at New York City's (fictional) Empire State University, after having graduated from high school in the first movie... and his adventures throw him into conflict with egghead scientist Dr. Otto Octavius (Molina), who becomes grafted to a set of four mechanical arms which he can use to amazing effect... as a "mad scientist" villain some call "Doctor Octopus". Can our webbed hero avoid getting clobbered by two of Doc Ock's metallic arms while dodging the other two? Meanwhile, we're also introduced in this second movie to John Jameson (Gillies), the astronaut son of Peter's mean boss, J. Jonah Jameson (Simmons), who is also Mary Jane's new boyfriend, as she continues to pursue her career as a model, with her face on ads for "Emma Rose" perfume all over New York City. Central to the story are Peter's struggles with choosing between being a normal young man and a superhero, and Harry Osborne's growing interest in seeking vengeance against the man he thinks is responsible for the death of his father (the Green Goblin): Spider-Man.

Filming: Production started on April 12th, 2003 at locations throughout New York City and the surrounding area (with Columbia University doubling for the fictional Empire University, for example), with much of the later production also taking place at Sony's soundstages in Los Angeles. Filming had been scheduled to start in January, but was pushed back to give Tobey Maguire a little more time to finish up filming of Seabiscuit, and for the various preproduction things that need to be done, like casting and set building. Back in November, 2002, Sam Raimi and crew were in Chicago to film some sequences involving the city's El trains that wouldn't have been possible in New York City. (5/17/03) Production in New York City wrapped up on May 13th, 2003, with the rest of the filming now moving to the sets in Los Angeles. (10/26/03) The budget of this movie is reportedly in the $210 million range, making it one of the most expensive productions of all time.

Genre: Action, Eye Candy, Sequel, Science Fiction, Superhero, Teen

Encyclopedia Entries (Man-Wolf): Amazing Spider-Man Info, Lycanthropes and Furries, MarvelDirectory.com, SpiderFan.org, Unofficial Handbook to the MU

Photo Galleries: WireImage.com (this site will be posting galleries from the locations regularly; as of 4/23/03, there are three such galleries: Tobey on the phone; Tobey's double on a moped; and lots of shots of the Spidey suit, sometimes with Tobey in it, sometimes a stuntman)

Official Comic Book Character Site: Marvel.com

Unofficial Preview Sites: SuperHeroHype.com, Comics2Film.com