Bryan Singer pioneered the modern comic-book film when he brought X-Men to cinemas back in 2000. However, it was Sam Raimi and his work on 2002's Spider-Man that solidified the superhero's place at the box office.
While his final work on Spider-Man 3 left quite a bit to be desired, his first two tales about the iconic wall crawler laid the groundwork and as set the standard for how Hollywood handles comic book characters. Now it seems, Raimi wouldn't mind having another go at the franchise as it becomes a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
According to The Week, while promoting the upcoming Starz series Ash vs. Evil Dead, Raimi opened up regarding his thoughts on the history of the Spider-Man franchise. Despite some lamentation over how Spider-Man 3 turned out, saying "I messed up on the third one," he complimented Marvel on how the studio has handled their ever-expanding universe and expressed his thoughts on working within that realm:
"I think they're so complete now, Marvel. They probably don't need me anymore. But if they needed me? I'd love to. It's great to be wanted."
Raimi guided the Spider-Man franchise from 2002 - 2007 with Tobey Maguire as the titular superhero. The series was then handed to Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield for the decidedly less popular Amazing Spider-Man films, which were released in 2012 and 2014. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe in full swing, Sony and Marvel Studios have finally struck a deal to get the character back on screen, and this time joining the likes of Captain America, Iron Man, and the rest of The Avengers. Having Raimi return to direct newcomer Tom Holland would show the franchise coming full circle, in a way.
At this stage it's difficult to determine whether or not Marvel would bring Raimi back into the web-head's world. He and Tobey Maguire created a world for Peter Parker with a decidedly different tone and feel than the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and as such his vision may potentially not mesh with that of Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige. Marvel has also generally kept their directors away from the limelight on their projects, using them to fufill the studio's greater vision.
That being said, some of Marvel's most memorable films did come from relatively well-known filmmakers, like Jon Favreau (Iron Man), Joss Whedon (The Avengers), and James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), so it remains entirely possible that Raimi and his signature style would be welcomed into the fold. Although if this materialized, the director would certainly have to wait his turn, as Peter Parker will make his debut in the MCU in Captain America: Civil War directed by the Russo Brothers, and his first solo film will be helmed by Jon Watts the following year.
Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.
Source: The Week