One of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year, Spider-Man, premiered in Los Angeles on Monday, with a celebrity-packed screening at the famed Chinese Mann Theatre heralding the start of the summer blockbuster derby.
Tobey Maguire, who plays student Peter Parker alias crime fighter Spider-Man, turned out alongside co-star Willem Dafoe for the showing of the $110 million movie. Twenty-six-year-old Tobey, who has previously appeared in The Cider House Rules and The Ice Storm, trained in yoga, martial arts, fight choreography and weightlifting for the role of a normal boy transformed into a superhero after being bitten by a genetically modified spider.
Willem plays Spider-Man’s arch-enemy, the Green Goblin. Director Sam Raimi said: “Tobey is a huge Spider-Man fan himself and I thought he would handle the 40 years of history of this pop icon with great responsibility. I just wanted to make a great film.” Kirsten Dunst, who plays Parker’s girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, broke into a smile when fans sang Happy Birthday to her as she walked the red carpet to the theatre.
Kirsten, who turns 20 on Tuesday, said: “I usually don’t like this kind of movie, but this one has a good heart, a good romance and a good superhero. I think people will get emotionally attached to Spider-Man.”
Also, there was Stan Lee, who created the comic-book hero for Marvel Comics 40 years ago and who has a cameo role in the film. Seventy-nine-year-old Stan, now the head of the Marvel Comics empire, said: “The film not only does the comic justice but it is better than the comic – and I don’t say that lightly.” Others who attended the premiere included Jennifer Love Hewitt, Bill Paxton, Will Smith, Matthew Perry and Cuba Gooding Jnr.
Spider-Man is released in the US on Friday and in Britain on June 14.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
