Spider-Man is unique among cinematic superheroes in that he's owned by two completely separate movie studios: Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures. While the former has the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe, the latter has been attempting to create its own shared universe filled with Spider-Man and his amazing side characters. This has had somewhat mixed results, but an unused idea for a Spider-Man flick could turn things around.
Blockbuster director James Cameron was once set to direct a Spider-Man film, though it would have been somewhat different from what fans might have expected. The still amorphous Sony Spider-Man Universe still lacks a concrete Wall-Crawler of its own, especially if one former Webslinger doesn't return. Though Cameron might be somewhat curmudgeon concerning superhero movies today, he and his ideas for Spider-Man could cement Sony's universe as a cinematic force to be reckoned with.
James Cameron's Unmade Spider-Man Movie Was Familiar Yet Wildly Different
The leaked script for James Cameron's unmade 1990s Spider-Man movie followed the hero's origin story and rise to prominence as Spidey, somewhat echoing the eventual Spider-Man movies from Sam Raimi. There's even a foreshadowing of organic webbing, with Spider-Man using "web-shooters" to hide his natural spinnerets. Changes include J. Jonah Jameson being a TV executive instead of a newspaper man, the spider getting its irradiated blood by eating an irradiated fly, and entirely new civilian identities for foes Sandman and Electro. In the case of the latter, he was turned from an everyday criminal mook into a tycoon who had more in common with Norman Osborn.
Perhaps the biggest change was that the movie was a lot darker than the Spider-Man comic books, featuring copious amounts of strong language and sexuality. At the time, James Cameron was years away from the landmark Avatar movie series, which reached more general and younger audiences than movies such as the first two Terminator films or Cameron's Aliens. The movie eventually fell through, with Spider-Man not receiving a live-action movie adaptation until the early 2000s. While the movie and its script might have been thrown away, the idea of Cameron making a film featuring the biggest superhero is one that Sony would be foolish to pass up.
Resurrecting James Cameron's Spider-Man Could Benefit Sony and Cameron
As mentioned, the Sony Spider-Man Universe is still in the developmental stage. None of the films have garnered immensely positive reception, with 2022's Morbius being something of a punchline for its dubious quality. At the same time, the two Venom flicks were at least wildly financially successful, though that series is apparently ending with Venom 3. Thus, Sony's Spider-Man Universe, more than ever, needs a Spider-Man swinging around and cementing himself as its central figure.
There has long been suspicion that the universe took place on the same Earth as the two Amazing Spider-Man movies, and there actually is some evidence to back this up. At the same time, Sony seems reluctant to confirm this, thus requiring an all-new Webslinger to appear besides Andrew Garfield's version. The best way to make this character stand out from Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland's Spider-Men is with a much different movie, something that James Cameron would definitely be able to provide.
James Cameron's script for Spider-Man should probably be avoided due to its more adult nature and the fact that it's another telling of the origin story. At the same time, this older tone can be refined and used to make such a movie far different from the Spider-Man films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Those films notably had a somewhat more lighthearted tone, with Spidey more "teenybopper" and happy-go-lucky than ever. A Spider-Man movie with a tone closer to the Avatar films would still draw crowds, all the while eschewing the more saccharine nature of the MCU. The different takes on Sandman and Electro might be interesting to draw from, as this would separate said iterations from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb movies.
Having Cameron himself direct would draw the interest and box office revenue needed to make the movie a success, not to mention provide Sony with a true success story in their shared universe. From there, the Sony Spider-Man Universe would have something to hang its hat on, allowing future sequels and spinoffs to be made from this successful foundation. It would also be fairly ironic, given Cameron's feelings on modern superhero movies (and Marvel Studios in particular), with the Avatar director essentially guaranteeing that Marvel had a superhero movie rival with one of its own characters. Given his business with the ensuing Avatar sequels, it's unlikely that he would have the time to spin such a cinematic web, but he'd certainly deliver a Spider-Man film and cinematic universe unlike any other.