*Spiderman, Spiderman / Does whatever a spider can / Spins a web, any size / Swings into London for the premiere of his third big-screen outing and causes the assembled masses to go completely crazy. *
Ok, so we haven’t quite nailed the whole rhyming thing, but who’s paying attention to such trivial matters when it's the UK premiere of Spider-Man 3 (well, apart from U2 who’re currently working on the new Spider-Man musical, 'Hold Me, Swing Me, Kiss Me, Sing Me' *). Yes, it’s been a long time coming, but Peter Parker and his web-slinging alter ego have finally arrived in Britain. And look, he’s brought some friends. The tongue-wagging Venom (Topher Grace), the gritty giant Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), the glider-wielding Green Goblin (James Franco) and the sharp-suited Director (Sam Raimi) are all set to follow the Costumed One (Tobey Maguire) down the red-carpet tonight, as Leicester Square gets its first proper taste of the alleged most expensive movie ever made. And, just in case the super(hero)levels of testosterone begin to overwhelm the comic-wielding crowds, Kirsten Dunst and Rosemary Harris are here to add some class to the proceedings.
First up, let’s get one thing straight – the Spider-Man 3 global press junket is humongous. Tokyo and L.A. have been conquered and tonight’s event in London is somewhere near the beginning of a trip that will take in a total of nine premieres in various cities across the planet over the next few weeks. Perhaps it’s somewhat unsurprising that the cast of the movie look like they’re about to keel over. As they hit the red carpet Tobey Maguire and Topher Grace are all polite handshakes and smiles, but Kirsten Dunst and James Franco – who tonight is sporting a truly bizarre pseudo-English accent – look like jetlag incarnate. Luckily for them, this is the sort of thing they’re used to powering through and by the time they hit the stage for a group photo all seems well.
“This is definitely the icing on the cake”, says the chirpy Topher Grace: “I totally understand this kind of fan reception because I’m a huge, huge fan of these movies myself. And I was a fan of the comic book when I was a kid – specifically the period in which my character was created – so when Sam asked me to do the movie, I felt like I had the inside track.”
The grinning Maguire is also on his most succinct red carpet form: “I’m really proud of this film. This is a big event and I’m very excited about it.” And for those of you who might be wondering where Spidey 3 takes the young man, Maguire explains: “He’s [Parker] getting a lot of attention from the public and he’s now basking in the glory of being Spider-Man. This then turns in to a certain level of arrogance and self-importance which starts a journey that leads to the darker side of himself. It’s really cool.”
Avi Arad – producer of Spider-Man 3 and general giant of Marvel movies everywhere – told Empire recently that Sam Raimi has the soul of Peter Parker: “He’s a very kind man”, says the director bashfully, “but I think – like so many others – when I look at Peter Parker I see a really good human being. He’s struggling to do the right thing, but he’s on the correct path. They are qualities that I try to find, and when I’m the best person I can be…I guess I can identify with him.” And how did Raimi feel about following up the mammoth successes of the first two movies? “There was more pressure this time because I realised that the studio was spending a lot more money to make my dream come true. At the same time, most of the pressure came from the fans. There are a lot of Spider-Man fans out there and I wanted to give them a motion picture that had everything they could possible want…and more.”
So is this the last we’ll see of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man? What lies in store for the webbed-wonder? Will Peter Parker hit the big screen for a fourth time? “If I could find a great story…if I could find a great avenue for Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson to go down…I’d love to do it.”
Spider-Man 3 leaps onto screens next Friday (May 4).
*Title unconfirmed...