Actor Bruce Campbell and director Sam Raimi have been friends since childhood and it can be fare to say that each owe their success in the film industry in part to their relationship with the other. They made their first films together and Raimi still manages to find a small role for Campbell in his features whenever possible. It should come as no surprise then, that Campbell has Raimi’s back over the director’s departure this past spring from the Spider-Man franchise that he helped launch for Sony.
Speaking to a room full of fans at the Wizard World Philadelphia convention this past weekend, Campbell took a shot at the studio and its plan to reboot the successful super-hero series in response to a fan’s question.
“Did I think Sam Raimi made a mistake dropping out of the Spider-Man franchise? Not when they want it to be like Twilight,” Campbell quipped to a roar of approval from the audience. “Isn’t it just a little awkward that Spider-Man is going to be Spider-Man before he was bitten by a radioactive spider? Doesn’t that strike anybody as weird that now he’s just a guy? Where does he get his powers from if [the movie is set] in high school before he gets bitten?”
And of course, Campbell ruled out his participation in any future cinematic adventure of a certain wall-crawler.
“Will Sam Raimi be part of the Spider-Man reboot?” Campbell rhetorically asked to a chorus of “No’s!”. “Then I guess I’m not available. There’s no reason to do a man-in-tights movie unless Sam is involved.”
Campbell also defended his appearances in the Spider-Man films as something more than just cameos.
Technically, I had cameo roles in the Spider-Man movies. Technically! But as you’ll recall in the first Spider-Man, in my little “cameo role” as the ring announcer, I name Spider-Man! If I wasn’t in that movie, that billion-dollar franchise would be called The Human Spider. Part two, sure it’s an insignificant role as the Snooty Usher. Cameo, just a cameo. Quick question – Did Spider-Man ever get in that theater? Interesting, so technically, I’m the only character who has ever defeated Spider-Man! Part Three – Spider-Man comes to me, a French matre’d for advice. How many superheroes come to a lowly matre’d for advice? Not many buddy. Did it do him any good? Not really because Spider-Man was kind of a dick to me in the first two movies, so I wasn’t going to help him out in the third.
While Sam Raimi is currently thinking over what film he may do next, it’s probably safe to assume that Bruce Campbell will probably pop up in it.
