The
Spider-Man film series consists of three
superhero films based on the
fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, portrayed by
Tobey Maguire. The rights to a motion picture based on Spider-Man were purchased in 1985 and moved through various production companies and studios, at one point having
James Cameron to direct, before being secured by
Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Sony hired comic book fan
Sam Raimi to direct the films, and the series began with
Spider-Man in
2002, continued with
Spider-Man 2 in
2004, and became a
trilogy with the release of
Spider-Man 3 in
2007. Throughout the films, Spider-Man developed a relationship with his school crush
Mary Jane Watson (
Kirsten Dunst). To date, he has battled the villains
Green Goblin (
Willem Dafoe),
Doctor Octopus (
Alfred Molina),
New Goblin (
James Franco),
Venom (
Topher Grace), and
Sandman (
Thomas Haden Church) throughout the series. While the films' central storylines have been concluded, the studio plans to develop more films, continuing Spider-Man's adventures.