Wednesay, March 27, 2002

STAN LEE CHAT

Stan Lee said his cameo in the Spider-Man film has been cut, but he will still appear in the film.

"I had this great cameo, and the movie ran long and they had to cut the cameo because they didn't have time," Lee said. "But, if you look closely and don't blink, you'll see my face in a crowd scene somewhere in the movie. And if you buy the movie or rent it, hopefully you'll see the scene where I have some dialogue with Peter Parker."

Lee's comments were made an online chat on Tuesday.

Some of Lee's other comments during the chat:

* Did he enjoy seeing Spider-Man as much as was reported? Absolutely. And remember, I only saw a rough cut. If the rough cut was that good, I can only imagine how (the finished film) would be.

* On his reaction to the casting of Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man: I was surprised because I didn't really know him that well. When I went, about a month ago, to the set, I saw Tobey. Then I saw a rough cut of the movie. It convince me that Sam Raimi is a genius at casting. When you see Tobey as Peter Parker, it takes only 30 seconds before you absolutely believe that Tobey Maguire is Peter Parker.

* On the use of Mary Jane, and not Gwen Stacey, in the film: Well, when you do a movie based on a comic book, you have to make changes in order to make it fit on film. There was such a large story to tell, the producers felt it would be easier to focus on one girl. I think it was probably a wise choice.

* On the use of organic web-shooters in the movie: There again, I suppose, for the sake of the movie, they felt it worked better. They didn't think it seemed believable that a fellow could make something mechanical and put it on his wrists. I wasn't happy with the decision, but when I saw the movie, I was happy with it. It look beautiful.

* On villains he would like to see in Spider-Man sequels: I like all our villains. The first name that comes to mind is Doc Ock. I love the Sandman, Mysterio, I could go on and on. And the Kingpin! I love the Kingpin!

* Who does he envision as Doc Ock? There is an actor that younger readers wouldn't know, but I always thought Rod Steiger would be perfect in that role. He played Marlon Brando's brother in On the Waterfront. Today, I think maybe Kevin Spacey could do a great job.

* On the casting of Michael Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin in the Daredevil movie: It was a daring move because he's a black man and the Kingpin is white in the book. But I also think it was a sensation choice because he is a great actor. Nobody could look more like Kingpin than he does.

* On Spider-Man's popularity: I think his popularity is due to many, many things. I think People liked the artwork, the stories, the characters and the tough luck in their lives.

* On his input on Marvel movies: Very, very little. I've already done my job over the years and now it's time for the movie makers to do their job. I can sit back and enjoy the movies just like any fan.

* On the new Spider-Man animated series for MTV: I love cartoons and I've only seen a little. What I've seen has looked great to me. But I'm not doing anything specific for it.

* On writing comics for Marvel after the Spider-Man movie adaptation: Only if they ask me. I'm so busy that I'm not really hoping they ask me right away. I would always like to be doing something for Marvel because to me, they are the greatest company and I love the fact that I have always been and will always be doing something with Marvel.

* On his Just Imagine… series with DC Comics: It was a lot of fun. I was amazed that they asked me to do it. I really enjoyed it because it was something totally different. It isn't often you get to do something as different as that.

* On his StanLee.net characters returning: StanLee.net is finished, a thing of the past. But, from out of the ashes, like the phoenix, I have started a new company, POW! Entertainment. POW!, as you probably figured out, stands for Purveyors of Wonder. We are associated with MGM, the movie company, and are working on three new movies right now and developing a couple of TV shows. So, I'm not doing Internet work.

* On what Marvel characters would he like to see developed into films: All of them! And the way things are going, it looks as though I may. As far as how excited I am, it is impossible to describe how it feels to see characters that you wrote decades ago come to life in big-budget movies today. There is no way to describe what a thrill it is.