History WhatCouldHaveBeen / SpiderMan

* The first plan to get a ''Spider-Man'' film off the ground was in 1985, when Creator/TobeHooper (of ''[[Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre]]'' fame) was set to direct a film for Creator/TheCannonGroup. Due to Cannon chiefs Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus not understanding the concept, the original script treatment had Dr. Octopus experimenting on Peter Parker and turning him into a BodyHorror-fusion between a spider and a human, who was also suicidal. Creator/StanLee immediately [[ExecutiveVeto vetoed]] the concept on the grounds that [[InNameOnly it perverted the entire concept of the character]].

** Cameron also rewrote a draft in 1993 that would have featured Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger as Doc Octopus. His catchphrase would have been "Okey dokey then", and he would've insisted his tentacles be called "weldos". He would have also had a lab assistant named Weiner that he constantly insulted throughout the movie. Say what you want about it, but that is some epic shit right there.

This series took many many years to get out of development limbo, and so the number of canceled and scrapped projects and/or elements related to the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'', ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'', and/or The MarvelCinematicUniverse series are '''staggering''':

''MarvelCinematicUniverse''

** Charlie Plummer, Judah Lewis, and Matthew Lintz were also shortlisted for the role of Peter Parker as well.

''The Amazing Spider-Man Series''

''The Sam Raimi Trilogy''

** The idea of giving Spider-Man organic webs was considered similar to the Film/SpiderManTrilogy. But the idea was scrapped in order to give him web-shooters.

This series took many many years to get out of development limbo, and so the number of canceled and scrapped projects and/or elements related to the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' and/or ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'' are '''staggering''':

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[[folder:Pre-Raimi Trilogy]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sam Raimi Trilogy]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Amazing Spider-Man Series]]

[[/folder]]

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[[folder:Marvel Cinematic Universe]

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** Miles Teller, who would go on to play Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in the ''Film/{{Fantastic Four|2015}}'' reboot, was another possible candidate for the Spider-Man role.

** Mary Jane was originally going to appear in the film, portrayed by Creator/ShaileneWoodley, but her scenes all ended up on the cutting room floor. Rumors circulating online claim that [[spoiler: since Gwen Stacy died in the second film, the producers felt that introducing a ReplacementLoveInterest in the same one would feel inappropriate. Woodley herself approves of the decision and reportedly thinks her character's exclusion is better for the story.]].

*** Dr. Ratha from the first film appears as a minor antagonist.

* Creator/DavidFincher's [[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/David-Fincher-Talks-About-What-His-Spider-Man-Movie-Would-Have-Been-Like-28457.html Spider-Man,]] which would have dealt with Peter's origins in an WesternAnimation/{{Up}} style montage during the first ten minutes, then start proper with Peter meeting Gwen after "[settling] into being a freak."

* The first plan to get a ''Spider-Man'' film off the ground was in 1985, when Creator/TobeHooper (of ''[[Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre]] fame'') was set to direct a film for Creator/TheCannonGroup. Due to Cannon chiefs Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus not understanding the concept, the original script treatment had Dr. Octopus experimenting on Peter Parker and turning him into a BodyHorror-fusion between a spider and a human, who was also suicidal. Creator/StanLee immediately [[ExecutiveVeto vetoed]] the concept on the grounds that [[InNameOnly it perverted the entire concept of the character]].

This series took many many years to get out of development limbo, and so the number of canceled and scrapped projects and/or elements related to the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' and/or ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManFilmSeries'' are '''staggering''':

This series took many many years to get out of development limbo, and so the number of canceled and scrapped projects and/or elements related to the ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' are '''staggering''':

** [[http://www.starkindustries.ru/Scripts/Spider-M4N-Treatment-.pdf This unused script treatment]] (reportedly Sam Raimi's script notes to screenwriter David Linday Abaire) was leaked online by [[http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=464583 an insider on the SuperHeroHype forums who was proven to be reliable]], and goes in-depth into the proposed outline for the eventually-scrapped film. In it, Peter cheats on MJ with Felicia Hardy (the Black Cat, played by Creator/AnneHathaway) while working to stop The Vulture (to be played by Creator/JohnMalkovich) and Electro. At the end, MJ abandons him and goes to Los Angeles, while Peter decides to once again give up being Spider-Man. Notably, this treatment shares some elements that would eventually be included in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' (including the character of Max Dillon and his transformation into Electro).
** Some of the early treatments [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqMGa4QoqCI reportedly]] had Peter and MJ having a child, Peter killing the Vulture and [[http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Deadshot/news/?a=21197 beginning a relationship with Vulture's daughter, the "Vulturess"]], which eventually causes MJ to abandon Peter and take their son. Like the other script treatments, the film would have ended with Peter abandoning his superhero career, in part because his new fiancée [[WhatTheHellHero is less than pleased with Peter killing the Vulture]].

** The film would've [[http://io9.gizmodo.com/spider-man-4-storyboards-reveal-iconic-villains-and-hug-1779949984 opened up with a montage of Spider-Man taking out various "B-listers"]] from his RoguesGallery. Creator/BruceCampbell was in talks to make a cameo as Mysterio during this scene.

* The following year (1986), director Albert Pyun was then hired to direct the film for Cannon. Scott Leva was hired to play Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and filming was set to take place at De Laurentiis' studio in Wilmington, North Carolina. With a $6 million budget, the Brooklyn sets were built for the film on the Wilmington stages, a teaser trailer was released and publicity photos of Leva as the character were taken. Pyun had originally planned to film two weeks worth of scenes for "Spider-Man" before Leva's nerdy Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, then Leva would undergo a supervised eight-week workout regimen to build muscle mass while director Pyun would film "Masters of the Universe Part 2", and filming for "Spider-Man" would resume for the scenes after Peter gets his spider powers. However, both projects were scrapped. Albert Pyun was then given the task to make a movie out of the 2 million-worth of costumes and sets already built for both projects, came up with a script on a single weekend, and 24 days of rushed filming and editing later, cult-classic Van Damme's ''Film/{{Cyborg}}'' was released. The head honchos at Cannon had a major case of ComicallyMissingThePoint when their revised script centered around Peter Parker getting roped into a villainous plot by Octavius to find the secret of anti-gravity. Various rewrites went nowhere, and despite another attempt by Cannon to finance another script in 1989 (in actuality, it was just the 1985 script with a revised date), nothing ever occurred and the production rights were eventually licensed to Creator/CarolcoPictures, which led to...

* The first plan to get a ''Spider-Man'' film off the ground was in 1985, when Tobe Hooper (''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre'') was set to direct a film for Creator/TheCannonGroup. Due to Cannon chiefs Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus not understanding the concept, the original script treatment had Dr. Octopus experimenting on Peter Parker and turning him into a BodyHorror-fusion between a spider and a human, who was also suicidal. Creator/StanLee immediately [[ExecutiveVeto vetoed]] the concept on the grounds that [[InNameOnly it perverted the entire concept of the character]].

* The first plan to get a ''Spider-Man'' film off the ground was in 1985, when Tobe Hooper (''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre'') was set to direct a film for Creator/TheCannonGroup. Due to Cannon chiefs Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus not understanding the concept, the original script treatment had Dr. Octopus experimenting on Peter Parker and turning him into a BodyHorror-fusion between a spider and a human, who was also suicidal. Creator/StanLee immediately [[ExecutiveVeto vetoed]] the concept on the grounds that it perverted the entire concept of the character.

** Screenwriter Michael Chabon's [[http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-proposed-screenplay-for-spider-man-2 proposed]] [[http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2008/04/michael-chabons/ script]] for ''Film/SpiderMan2'' had several major changes from the final product which would have better explained certain plot points. Peter is still living with Harry, and doesn't move into his own place until halfway through the film, while Doc Ock is roughly the same age as Peter, and wants to go on a date with Mary Jane. Meanwhile, Peter losing his powers is not caused by a lack of confidence, but by Ock giving him an inhibitor chip that slowly drains his powers out.
** According to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_v2Q0-ai8 this]] interview, there were originally plans to include ''five'' villains in the sequel, with the resulting story treatments being an absolute mess. Chabon was able to convince the production to scrap planned appearances by Black Cat and a transformed Lizard before he was fired.
** Creator/TobeyMaguire was actually fired from the movie for allegedly thinking the crew would rearrange the filming schedule to work around his back problems. Different sources have different explanations for his termination (such as tensions on-set or drama behind the scenes), but Maguire would later admit that his attitude going into the movie was "inappropriate." Creator/JakeGyllenhaal was almost cast as a replacement, but Maguire was able to smooth things over and get rehired.

** According to ''The Spider-Man Chronicles'' (a making-of book about ''Film/SpiderMan3''), the original plot for the film was going to revolve around The Vulture (who, based on the comments in the book, was to have been played by Ben Kingsley) and Sandman. There was no Comicbook/{{Venom}} nor Gwen Stacy in early drafts either (ExecutiveMeddling meant both characters were shoehorned into the film taking the place of Vulture and a random woman against Sam Raimi's wishes).

** The union between Venom and Sandman also made alot more sense in production, with Venom just offering the cash Sandman needs to save his daughter in exchange for helping him kill Spidey, but during the battle, Sandman's daughter would come and tell her father that she could ''not'' be cured and was going to die, and wanted to die with her daddy being a good man, not a criminal. All of this is arguably much more satisfying than what made it in to the actual film.

* With Sony and Marvel now sharing Spider-Man and a movie reboot set in the MCU for 2017, the Sinister Six movie and ''Amazing 3'' are now this.

** There were various ideas for which villains would be featured in the film, as well as who would play them. One email reveals that Scorpia was going to be part of the team, and that Drew Goddard had wanted Creator/EmilyBlunt or Creator/RoseByrne to play her, while Amy Pascale suggested Creator/EmiliaClarke and Creator/ElizabethOlsen (who would go on to play Comicbook/ScarletWitch in ''Age of Ultron''). Goddard also wanted Creator/TomHardy to play the Sandman. Comicbook/DoctorOctopus (with casting suggestions ranging from Creator/SeanPenn to Creator/DenzelWashington) would have been the team's leader, and would have been given some personality quirks in order to avoid seeming boring.

* The following year (1986), director Albert Pyun was then hired to direct the film for Cannon. Scott Leva was hired to play Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and filming was set to take place at De Laurentiis' studio in Wilmington, North Carolina. With a $6 million budget, the Brooklyn sets were built for the film on the Wilmington stages, a teaser trailer was released and publicity photos of Leva as the character were taken. Pyun had originally planned to film two weeks worth of scenes for "Spider-Man" before Leva's nerdy Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, then Leva would undergo a supervised eight-week workout regimen to build muscle mass while director Pyun would film "Masters of the Universe Part 2", and filming for "Spider-Man" would resume for the scenes after Peter gets his spider powers. However, both projects were scrapped. Albert Pyun was then given the task to make a movie out of the 2 million-worth of costumes and sets already built for both projects, came up with a script on a single weekend, and 24 days of rushed filming and editing later, cult-classic Van Damme's ''Film/{{Cyborg}}'' was released. The head honchos at Cannon had a major case of ComicallyMissingThePoint when their revised script centered around Peter Parker getting roped into a villainous plot by Octavius to find the secret of anti-gravity. Various rewrites went nowhere, and despite another attempt by Cannon to finance another script in 1989 (in actuality, it was just the 1985 script with a revised date), nothing ever occurred and the production rights were eventually licensed to Carolco, which led to...

** It would have followed the web-slinger as he establishes his powers in high school. In the treatment, the main villain is Carlton Strand (a.k.a. Electro), a former thief who was electrocuted and given very strong powers, which he has used to rise to the top of a large corporation. Peter Parker's origin follows the comic book closely (bitten by spider at university lecture), but goes off on a tangent once he starts falling for Mary Jane Osborn. After he finds out that her flashy image is a front and that she comes from a broken home, he sees Flash Thompson hit her, then proceeds to knock him out and destroy his car. Uncle Ben still dies, and his killer is captured by the police. Then, Parker seduces MJ by kidnapping her, taking her to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, and ''doing a Spider mating dance for her''. Strand teams up with a man named Boyd (Sandman) and kidnaps MJ, taking her to the top of the World Trade Center. The climax of the film is a pitched two-on-one battle with Spider-Man rescuing MJ and taking on both Strand and Boyd at the same time. He eventually wins by using one of the WTC's generators to fuse Sandman into molten glass, and ends up throwing Strand off the building. Creator/CarolcoPictures was to have produced this, but financial and contractual problems prevented it from happening.

** Eddie Brock was originally going to show up in the 2002 ''Film/SpiderMan1'' film in a cameo role discussing his photograph assignments with J. Jonah Jameson (an "Eddie" is still mentioned in dialogue). Peter was also originally going to have mechanical web shooters (just like the comic books). Both these scenes were shot (Peter testing out his mechanical shooters appeared in a 2001 E3 trailer, and an actor did an interview talking about playing Brock in the first film), but were never released on DVD.

** [[http://www.starkindustries.ru/Scripts/Spider-M4N-Treatment-.pdf This unused script treatment]] (reportedly Sam Raimi's script notes to screenwriter David Linday Abaire]]) was leaked online by [[http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=464583 an insider on the SuperHeroHype forums who was proven to be reliable]], and goes in-depth into the proposed outline for the eventually-scrapped film. In it, Peter cheats on MJ with Felicia Hardy (the Black Cat) while working to stop The Vulture (to be played by Creator/JohnMalkovich) and Electro. At the end, MJ abandons him and goes to Los Angeles, while Peter decides to once again give up being Spider-Man. Notably, this treatment shares some elements that would eventually be included in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' (including the character of Max Dillon and his transformation into Electro).
** Some of the early treatments [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqMGa4QoqCI reportedy]] had Peter and MJ having a child, Peter killing the Vulture and [[[[http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Deadshot/news/?a=21197 beginning a relationship with Vulture's daughter, the "Vulturess"]], which eventually causes MJ to abandon Peter and take their son. Like the other script treatments, the film would have ended with Peter abandoning his superhero career.
** Creator/AnneHathaway would've appeared as Felicia Hardy, only instead of being the Black Cat, she would've been the Vulturess. Though her playing a character who WAS the Black Cat in the comics is HilariousInHindsight seeing as she ended up playing Comicbook/{{Catwoman}} in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.

** Due to how cluttered the story was getting, it was considered at one point to split the movie into two films. This did not happen because the producers couldn't think of a good climax for the first part.