World Spider-Man: The Live Action Series (not coming to TV screens soon)

[Tempest19]

Hey, Tempest19 here, formerly Triligors.

I am currently working myself up towards a possibility of bringing Spider-Man to the small screen. The series, similar to Smallville, will be focused on a young Peter Parker. In the Stan Lee comics, Peter was bitten by the radioactive spider when he was 15 years old. Making him a Freshman in high school about to face four years of becoming a man, made more complicated with the duty of having to constantly save the city or those closest to him.

This series will deal heavily with Peter starting off as Spider-Man at the end of the PILOT episode and slowly and surely becoming the man we all know behind the mask.

First I just have to say, for those curious, my SM4, SM5 and SM6 (coming soon) screenplays do not represent the tone of the series. Also the portrayls of some of the villains, such as Electro and Mysterio, are not in the same form they will appear as in the series... these were different representations for those screenplays to represent the tone of those particular stories and to not let any of the information regarding this project out into the open.

As per the tone of the series, think 'Heroes' meets 'Smallville' meets the SM films.

I know how to bring the effects to the screen in a realistic costly manner, using various tricks of the trade. After all, we had never seen a man fly until George Reeves donned the classic red and blues and now it's Spider-Man's turn to face the same challenges and obstacles.

Out of all the superheroes in the comic universe, in my opinion Superman and Spider-Man are the two heroes destined to become huge stars on both the silver screen and the small screen. Why is this? Characters, humanity and the complicated relationships in their day to day lives. All aspects that make up for a great drama and great television show.

This will also allow me to bring lesser known villains, such as Swarm, Big Man, Basilisk and even W.H.O. to the small screen among many others. As well as the possibility of some hero cameos along the way, most notably the Human Torch and the Man without Fear.

What about the wisecracks? Definitely count on it.... similar to Peter Parker, I crack jokes all the time as a way of relieving the tension as well. Thus, I understand where those wise cracks come from and the importance of them.

I also know that there was a short lived series a while ago that didn't work. 1) Focused too heavily on Peter Parker working at the Bugle. 2) Hardly any supervillains to fight. 3) The effects have just become available within the past four years. And keep in mind when that series premiered, during the 70s or 80s- I believe... So, suffice to say, I will not make the same mistakes due to a wider aray of possibilities. I am going back to the heart of the story and the Stan Lee days of the character with a modern update- you could say it's a mixture of my own ideas, the ideas from the classics and the ideas from Ultimate, in a sense.

I have been putting the pieces together for a long time now and already have a basic premise for each season planned which will go through many of the classic and famous arcs in Peter Parker's journey towards becoming the man behind the mask and learning that with great power there must always come great responsibility. I don't want to say anything about the plot, the characters, etc. because that's where I believe I have struck a gold mine. I will tell you to expect many of the key supporting cast, though.

If I was casting the series now, the only actor who is a guaranteed at this point- and if I'm, hopefully, able to get this project off sooner than later a hopeful dream possibility to play J. J. Jameson.... Hugh Laurie of 'House' fame. J. J. needs to be a lovable bastard, and although Hugh doesn't quite have the look he does strike gold with the classic J.J. Jameson personality. It's very hard to find an actor that can pull off the Jameson personality and still be a likable character and the only other guy who can pull that off is definitely Hugh. Below is a montage of clips from 'House' that may see a possible Jameson through.

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As for a possible theme song, it would be none other than 'Crawling in the Dark' by Hoobastank. This song not only parallels Peter's journey, but also represents the tone of New York City along with a high school type atmosphere:

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So, why come here and tell you guys all this? Simple:

I want the fans to have as much participation as humanly possible, so I have a couple of questions:

1. What villain/s would you like to see? (Feel free to use some of the very lesser known villains in this list, from the whole MARVEL rogue gallery- not just Spider-Man's.)
2. What possible hero cameos might you like to see?
3. What possible Spider-Man comics, old and new, do you think might make for a good TV show episode? (For example, I can already guarantee you guys that 'The Kid who Collected Spider-Man' is guaranteed an episode already)
4. What attracts you the most to Spider-Man? His world? His villains? Friends and family? His 'psychology'?

I'm currently a film student at Hofstra University, Avi Arad is one of our alumni! Thus, I might be able to work my way into establishing a connection there.... and that about wraps it up. Also feel free to post any questions, comments, or concerns and- if possible, without giving too much away- I'll be happy to answer them.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

I would love to see Venom, SandMan, Doc Ock, Electro, Vulture, all of Spideys most challenging Villians! I think Daredevil should make a cameo. I think the Symbiote Storyline would be really good. I would also love to see the Death of Captain Stacy, Amazing Spider-man Annual #1 (Sinister Six), the death of Gwen Stacey, and alot more. What attracts Me about Spider-man is everything. He is such an interesting Character that us Fans can relate to.

 

[Spidey Snooch]

I've been thinking about a prime-time Spidey TV show for quite some time. I wanted to focus on Pete and MJ in their married years. Pete's teaching high school, MJ's acting or modeling and we get to see them more grown-up. I think the "teen years" thing has been done. I always thought Peter David's short story, "Five Minutes" would make a fantastic pilot.

 

[Green Goblin 1964]

WOW! This sounds Great!

 

[Tempest19]

REASON FOR TEENAGED/ HIGH SCHOOL SETTING:

College has been done, while the classic Stan Lee is only just appearing actually. In the classics he was a fifteen year old teenager in high school- not college- that got bit by the radioactive spider. One of the reasons why I can't wait for the new animated show because it will be the FIRST time Spidey 'classics' are done right- or close to right, I still have yet to see. But, both the films and the 90s series focused on a college aged Peter Parker rather the Stan Lee classic Peter Parker- just an average teenager going through high school. So, if I get this off the ground this will actually be the FIRST time we have seen this live action- it's never been done before.

I've been through high school and I'm going through college now and all I can say is- high school was a heck of a lot harder. Why? Because those are the years that a man discovers who he is going to be for the rest of his life and has to be careful who he turns into. College, alot of those questions have already been answered- whereas in High School those questions begin to emerge.

The original Stan Lee's comics, as I saw them, were more than just about a hero it was about a boy's journey towards becoming a man. Becoming the man behind the mask.

That idea is very central to the focus of the show... Peter will have the mask at the end of the Pilot episode. He has made a promise to Uncle Ben, but the question of concern is- did he realize what he was getting himself into when he made that promise? I doubt it. There's a lot of complications bound to arise, challenges to overcome and questioning one's identity- such as "Spider-Man no more?" and does the world need a hero? So he's going to face alot of complications as a rising vigilante and I won't lie- sometimes he will stray from that path maybe even far from that path. All of this ontop of girl problems, school work, doing chores around the house, you name it- it's there. High School years are a challenge already, throwing being a superhero ontop of that- a nightmare. And that is originally what Stan Lee did and set out to do.

So, with great power comes great responsibility. These are going to be the years that he becomes the man behind the mask. Think 'Smallville' meets 'Heroes'. Smalllville in the sense that this will be a show about a teenager becoming a superhero while balancing the struggles of growing up through high school and into college. Heroes in the sense that it's a much broader world and is alot more city driven and complex.

That's the questions that I want to answer throughout the series. Yes, he will have the costume- but, Spider-Man is more than just a costume. It's a road of trials during which he is faced with multiple obstacles

While, the Amazing Spider-Man current run is great and interesting; I'd like to see the film series evolve into that and I am currently writing a screenplay from that part in his life. I am more concerned with a heroe's journey rather than the hero already being. I find the journey to be often more exciting than the conclusion. And in a way SM2 and SM3 are alot like the current run of Amazing Spider-Man, only placed in the classics universe. It's all about Peter and Mary Jane and their relationship, even though they aren't married.

Peter's love life wasn't just always Mary Jane though, you've got Gwen, Betty, Liz, etc. Mary Jane was the girl he wound up with, it takes a while before you meet the girl you're destined to be with for the rest of your life. He had many girls before MJ came knocking at his door with that to die for smile and knock out line "Face it tiger, you just hit the jack pot."

So, while the current Amazing run is great. I'm much more of a "boy to man" type guy, I love shows and films that deal with a character going through that journey and that was actually one of the strong points of Stan Lee's classic comics. He had everyday problems, but he also faced everything a teenage guy does.

So, in short this is really going to focus on the first big arc in Peter's life, not going to say what arc that is exactly but many of you probably guessed it already. I'm just a kid, I know that it's not fair.

 

[Webhead2006]

Man i would love to see a live action spider-man series. I hope u can work on getting it to happen, I too am also a broadcasting/film major at college. I want to get into video editing and camera work(hey tempest please email me so we can talk more). But you know doing a live action show for a character like spidey would cost alot to do right u know have costumes, villains, powers, nyc looking locations, and having the character websling around and all that. Also if it did happen probably would have to be more less known villains were u wouldnt need to spend money on powers to much and then every few episodes do a main baddie were money could be saved up for episodes like that and all that. Also i agree with u if a show like this happened the highschool yrs would be the best so we can see the character grow and learn more things and all that. Also u need to have all the classic characters like ben, may, mj, gwen, liz, betty, flash and of course jj.

 

[Mr. Socko]

This would be a great idea. So many possibilities, we'd get to see tons of villains and all of the characters. One thing is for sure, and it's that an on-going tv show could bring a bit more than a 2 hour movie. Only thing is the cost of a show like this, I don't think it's feasible right now. Maybe a few years from now though, or if Sony could think of a way to keep the cost down without turning on the money hose. It'd also take a while to complete all of the special effects, but hey, like you said, it works for Smallville.

Btw, Temp, is this a fan idea or are you one day trying to pitch this idea to Sony/Marvel?

 

[Artistsean]

I can sort of see the live action show in the style of a Buffy type show.
Lots of action and special effects with a light hearted feel to the show.
I could be done, even with a budget like Smallville.
Think about it, it could be Marvel's answer to Smallville, only give him the costume.
and make sure he fights actual comic bad guys.
I would watch it.

I also had an idea for an X-Men live action show too, it was in the TV Shows you'd like to see thread a ways back.

 

[Tempest19]

1. One of my goals is actually to "educate" the viewers about the lesser known villains. I won't tell you the plot of the second episode, but I can say it's a sort of Prt. 2 to the Pilot and includes the villain Big Man. That's all I can say at this point. If you look up who the villain is, you might get sort of an idea...

But, first season to around forth season- ALOT of second and third run villains. There are A LOT of villains who may never get a chance to be in a film, and they are all really fascinating and interesting characters. The ones that come to mind right now are Annex, Swarm and Basilisk- all of which I have planned to appear in the first season arc. Hell, I even want to do an episode about W.H.O. because I think that has potential.

Ock, Goblin, the other main ones would come into play much much later. But, their characters would be around for a much longer period of time as well. Such as Dr. Connors serving as a supporting character and then maybe a season later becoming the Lizard. Eddie Brock as one of Peter's possible business rivals before his life turns to hell, etc.. The characters will be there, but not necessarily their villain counterparts- at least not at first.

It's all about the universe, the main ones will be there- but when they turn, expect season 4 and 5 most likely. Prior to that Peter is still training, in a sense, I want him to have fought crime for a while before he comes across the big bads of the MU.

2. The special effects are going to be a challenge, but I've already worked out the nuts and bolts of how to create alot of them. If you pay close attention to the various aspects used to create some of these special effects driven shows, you might notice that if you combine a couple of the shown effects- you have one of the Spider-Man villains. I've already seen Hydro-Man and Sandman, for instance. There are some things you can do and somethings you can't do. For the things you absolutely need- you wait. But, there are some things we do have that have already been done in other shows... mainly Smallville, which has villains very similar to those in the Spider-Man mythos.

As for Spider-Man the key issue is web slinging itself, that's going to be the toughest effect. However, there are ways of getting around this. All I can say is that the camera is going to move through a certain environment to get a sense and some shots will be upclose. So, it is possible following "magic" but it's also based around restraint and perception- much like the old George Reeves Superman show. It all depends on what you see, how you see it and how much you see it. It may not be seen in every episode, but it will present in alot to give a sense of how he gets from place to place. If that makes sense? It's more or less combining old special effects with the new and adding a twist to it's usage. Swinging above rooftops= "easy", swinging through the city itself= the challenge.

The only key issue, really, is aerial battles... which, unfortunately I don't think we will ever get to. I'm not saying we'll be tied to the ground- I'm just saying don't look for any sky battles in the first couple of seasons. Which, by the way it's developing isn't really necessary to begin with. There will be some really cool set pieces though that will require for Spider-Man to use all of his powers.

3. I am a freshman in college who has worked and reworked on this idea for going on three to four years now. One of the alumni at the university I am at is Avi Arad, which hopefully by the time I graduate I will be able to get a connection to. Right now I'm working on firmly establishing myself in the industry, learning all of the tricks of the trade, learning the essentials that I will need to know and turning out the best quality projects I can- that in some way could be seen as a step to this much much larger project. As I said, it's going to take time- hopefully- 10 to 15 years, maybe a couple of years more than that. But, that's around where I'm shooting for.

Right now it's the preparation in every way imaginable and building up connections and skills that would look good on a resume of work to convince Marvel that there is a shot at getting this project off the ground and then working with Sony (if they still have the rights that many years in the future) to pitch the show around to the networks. With Spider-Man as the top film hero right now, I have a feeling that will show them the potential of ratings alone as long as the story is good, the characters have chemistry, etc.

That also will give the effects more time to develop, which looking at the history of how far we've came... I'm betting it may even allow for some aerial battles if ever needed in a first season. But, I'll know when I get there.

So yeah, I am going to pitch it- but, not this soon.

4. Never saw Buffy, but it's going to be somewhat darker than some might imagine. On balance with Smallville's third season. It's based around the city and this is the Marvel Universe city- meaning yes, the Kingpin is in control and elements of the city have been corrupted. This isn't Gotham, nor is it Metropolis per se- it's New York City being ran by a kingpin of crime. I won't say any more than that. Just, SV Season 3 and Heroes is going to be more of the tone. Dark, not overly dark and still focuses on the superhero and teenage elements.

 

[Webhead2006]

U have some great ideas man i and really hope a live action spidey show could happen in a few yrs or so. But marvel/sony/etc.... probably wont let that happen untill they are done with the movie series and they want to do 3 more so a live action show would probably be a good 6-9yrs or more from happening. Most likely that is. Unless marvel would want to cash in on the character more between films with having a live action series going.

 

[The Squirrel]

The Green Goblin should really come into play in the first season.

The first season ender...or mid-season cliff hanger on season two... should be Gwen's death.

 

[Tempest19]

1. Thanks and yeah that's probably the case- which also is a good thing in a way. That helps give me more time to work on my resume and putting the project together.

2. Can't say anything about Norman Osborn or Gwen other than this isn't the Ultimates "rush" take on it... things will happen over time and that part of the mythos will be developed over more than a couple of seasons. I can say, however, that both characters are present from the start without giving much away...

 

[Webhead2006]

Yes say if the show happened and was between 18-26episodes season length there should be a few A-list villains to put in once or two like have a big baddy for pilot, then another midseason and then another for season finale time.

 

[Tempest19]

22 episode length is the typical length of a live action series.

The A-listers are going to be used, but starting season 4 and 5... but, by A-listers I am not including the second run villains. A-listers would be Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Lizard, Venom, etc. Whereas Kraven, Chameleon, Hydro-Man, etc. would be considered second run villains. Not that much of a line difference, but I consider A-listers to be those who have more of a connection to Peter than the rest. Thus, those villains would be built up first as supporting characters and then later on become their villaneous counterparts. The first season arc I have planned includes Hydro-Man's and Chameleon's introduction. So, that should also give a sense of what villains will be there from the beginning and which villains will slowly come into the series.

The first season finale will include a main bad guy, not an A lister, but a villain who is very powerful and strongly represents the arc of the season. So, even though it's not an A lister the finale is going to be action packed.

However, not all finales will have a main bad guy cliffhanger. Similar to the films and Smallville, the focus of the series will be more character than action driven. Great and cool action sequences, but mixed into a very strong character drama of a coming of age story.

 

[Webhead2006]

Yea i know most shows are 22 episodes per season length but there are others with are only 13 episode, 18 episodes or some can be more then 22. Also it is a good idea to have a couple well known/semi known villains to appear in first season so u can get general/comic audiences to tune in all all that.

 

[Tempest19]

Villains that can/ might/ will appear prior to season 4:

- Hydro-Man
- Sandman
- Electro
- Chameleon
- Mysterio
- Kraven
- Shocker
- Rhino
- Scorpion

Those are the villains that I can recall at the moment, I am not saying when they will appear other than before the forth season and some of the above will be in the first.

So, although not top, there will be fan favorite villains in addition to others who are not as well known.

As I stated above Hydro-Man and Chameleon, among a couple more will be in the first season. So, to answer that concern- yes there will be known villains from first season on... just not the very top of the A list such as Goblin and Ock.

 

[Webhead2006]

ok man thanks for showing your ideas on guys possibly showing in the frist season of your show idea. Also you would need to worry about censorship on the show too what will be the target audience age would be young teens or young adults and all that. Also what network would it be aired on u know fox,cbs,abc,nbc,cw or a cable network channel. But that is far far away so something you dont have to fully worry about yet.

 

[Tempest19]

Demographic concern- same target audience as SV and Heroes. Not going to be kid friendly, not going to be overly dark that kids can't watch it either. So, similar to SV and Heroes this a show for everyone. For families to feel safe to sit together and watch it and for college students to sit and watch in their dorms with friends and same goes for beyond that age... everyone.

 

[Webhead2006]

yea that would be a good demo to go with cause their is alot more viewers in that area compared to doing a kids show. Also if it was a kids show say like power rangers it would get censored alot and all that.

 

[The Squirrel]

22 episode length is the typical length of a live action series.

The A-listers are going to be used, but starting season 4 and 5... but, by A-listers I am not including the second run villains. A-listers would be Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Lizard, Venom, etc. Whereas Kraven, Chameleon, Hydro-Man, etc. would be considered second run villains. Not that much of a line difference, but I consider A-listers to be those who have more of a connection to Peter than the rest. Thus, those villains would be built up first as supporting characters and then later on become their villaneous counterparts. The first season arc I have planned includes Hydro-Man's and Chameleon's introduction. So, that should also give a sense of what villains will be there from the beginning and which villains will slowly come into the series.

The first season finale will include a main bad guy, not an A lister, but a villain who is very powerful and strongly represents the arc of the season. So, even though it's not an A lister the finale is going to be action packed.

However, not all finales will have a main bad guy cliffhanger. Similar to the films and Smallville, the focus of the series will be more character than action driven. Great and cool action sequences, but mixed into a very strong character drama of a coming of age story.

That is too long to carry Gwen through.

You can't have her survive through 5 or 6 seasons and then only have Pete and MJ for the final season.

If you drag it out to long your going to have the whole Clark/Lana drama, which is one of the things that hurt Smallville.

And people aren't going to want to wait 4 years to see some A-List villains. Whether or not they're characters are there pre-villain or not.

But thats just my opinion.

 

[Tempest19]

1. Gwen is playing more of a central role in the series. This is the arc that got me interested in the project due to it's potentials and how to shape it as a Shakespearean tragedy. You could say that "Spider-Man: Blue" was one of the main inspirations.

So, similar to SV (Superman: All Seasons), BB (Long Holloween), etc. Jeph Loeb is actually one of the main inspirations behind this project as well as the classic Stan Lee comics and aspects of the current Ultimate run.

2. I can say that the series might last five seasons, because there is a main story I want to tell. And if it lasts more than that, I will seriously need to figure out a new game plan for further seasons. I can promise however, that it will never seem stretched and if it is to go past that point, I won't expand anything longer than needs be and a new background plot will be added into the mix, most likely the whole Goblin legacy arc. I won't say anything other than that, but if it's up to me I'd rather leave the finale open ended since everyone knows what happens due to the cartoon, films, etc.. Similar to SV ending on the shirt rip or flying off in the suit away from the Fortress of Solitude, I similarly want to end on an open ended beat.

3. It's not an off and on again relationship for five seasons straight, things get serious between them at a certain point.



But, to each his own... just trying to explain the angle I am coming from clearer in regards to how Gwen Stacy will be played up in the series if it gets off the ground.



4. There will be A-Listers, but not necessarily fighting. Norman is present since the pilot and he is a corporate villain type. And there are several B-listers such as Chameleon, Hydro-Man, etc. SV survived long without having Zod, Brainiac,etc. and just the Luthors. I'm pretty sure I can survive with just the Osborns along with other B-lister apperances.

It also depends on who you call A-list, to me the main A-list is Doc Ock, the Green Goblin, and the Lizard. Any villains past that, you will most likely see prior to the forth season.

And I can say already say that third season's arc will be based heavily around a fan favorite villain and character arc. And this is a villain that some would most likely consider to be an A-lister.

Similar to some of the comics, I don't want these villains to appear for an episode or two and then disappear. I want to lead up to their appearances to make it that more powerful. Such as getting to know the Osborns prior to Norman becoming the Green Goblin, and Dr. Connors being one of Peter's teachers and Eddie Brock being a business rival.

ALOT of the MAIN villains will be used prior to the forth season....

Villains I consider B-Lister that can and might appear before forth season:

- Chameleon
- Electro
- Mysterio
- Kraven
- Vulture
- Scorpion
- Rhino
- Shocker
- Hydro-Man
- Sandman
- Jackal
- Molten Man
- Morbius
- Shocker
- Spot
- Tombstone
- Venom

That is in addition to the rest.

Supporting characters/ villains from the first season on: Norman Osborn, The Kingpin, Justin Hammer.

So, as I said- the villains I consider to be A-Listers in the series are those that I want to set up because they play a huge part in various areas in the mythos: Doc Ock, Green Goblin, and the Lizard. Others- fan favorites- yeah, you can see them prior to the forth season.

 

[The Squirrel]

Well I don't think you will be able to use The Kingpin as his rights are tied up in another studio.

And I think that you are expecting a lot more control over the show then the studio might end up giving you.

But I still wish you luck as you have put a lot of thought into this.

 

[Tempest19]

I'll be able to make comprises with the studio if it happens. They may actually limit the number of classic villains the show will be able to use among other similar aspects. Might explain why SV primarily uses original villains and restrictions to using other characters such as being restricted from using Batman or naming the Flash, Flash. But, that will be carefully handled and analysed once and if I get that far.

I know compromises will need to be made and I'm more than ready to make them. That's part of the biz, lol, "suits." I've already come to accept that.Things get changed all the time and you have to be willing to go along with the changes and still remain with the original idea- happens all the time.

If restricted from some villains, there may be similar villains that just have a name change. For example if for whatever reason the Chameleon is not allowed to be on the show, there will be a shapeshifter who is similar to the Chameleon but won't be the Chameleon.

I think the Kingpin may be open- he was used in a recent Spider-Man animated series on MTV- after the Daredevil film. If those rights are held, there are always other kingpins to use than Wilson Fisk or I can just keep Wilson Fisk as a background "nameless" villain acting from behind the scenes for a while.

So, no- I'm not expecting alot more control than typical. I know things will change and I'm more than ready to make those changes since they will probably be compromises and restrictions from certain aspects of the MU.

 

[Webhead2006]

Yea there would probably be some restrictions on villains, human characters, and other stuff most likely. As u mentioned about smallville not being able to have batman, wonderwoman, and flash being called impluse for the league. Hopefully if show does happen they wont restrict some characters and all that. Cause it would suck if certain characters cant be used and all that. But yea it happens all the time and you will jsut need to work something out that will end up hopefully being just as good. Its how the biz world rolls u have to agree to disagree and comprise on things and all that.

 

[Doc_OCK_4MUGEN]

what about spider slayers? will they make an apperance?