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Spider-Man: The Unaired Pilot
Updated
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2002
Original Running Time:
121 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
41 minutes
Time Cut:
80 minutes
Time Added:
1 minutes
Additional Links:
Synopsis:
In early 2000, Sam Raimi was approached by Columbia Pictures to direct and produce a TV Pilot for a new series based on the popular Marvel comic book character Spider-Man. After a series of script drafts, the pilot was cast with a few big names and filmed in late 2001. Ultimately, the pilot was passed on and locked away in Columbia's vaults, and was not released in any form officially, but a VHS tape was passed around after the production was complete, in the form of low-generation bootleg VHS tapes.
Presented here for the first time as a high quality VHS copy, it's the unaired pilot of Spider-Man: The Series!
Presented here for the first time as a high quality VHS copy, it's the unaired pilot of Spider-Man: The Series!
Intention:
I wanted to take the opening act of the first Raimi Spidey film and present it as a standalone early 2000s TV Pilot that was never picked up. A few of the cheesier moments are gone, along with all of Norman Osborne and the Green Goblin, to keep the focus on a teenager and the changes his body goes through as the becomes the hero we all know and love.
Just to clarify, this isn't a real lost pilot, but a fun mix of the 2002 film to be presented as a lost pilot.
Just to clarify, this isn't a real lost pilot, but a fun mix of the 2002 film to be presented as a lost pilot.
Additional Notes:
Both the DVD and VHS copies are avalible, although my preferred version is the VHS personally.
Other Sources:
Spider-Man (2002) Full Screen DVD - I chose the 4:3 DVD over the 1.85:1 Blu-Ray as I felt the DVD has more of a TV feel reminiscent of the era.
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
I edited the pilot together normally through the DVD, cutting things here and there until I ended up at a TV Episode length I was happy with. After that was over, I added the details, like a warning screen, title cards, credits over the first scene, and a new end credits sequence. I rendered a copy and had run it through my VCR, putting the edit onto a physical tape to give it that bootleg feeling, and then captured the tape again, doing some minor tweaks to alter the extreme colouring the tape ended up with.
Cuts and Additions:
- New studio logos (Screener warning, Columbia TV and Marvel)
- Opening credits are now over the bus scene instead of the web sequence
- Cut Harry and Norman's intro outside the science excursion
- Cut "Or his father will fire your father"
- Cut Peter moaning like a sex pest while taking MJ's photo
- Cut scene of Norman at Oscorp with the General telling him he has a deadline
- Cut scene of Norman giving himself the Goblin serum
- Cut Pete following MJ and talking to himself
- Cut scene of Norman waking up and discovering the scientist was killed
- Cut Pete's backflip during the Flash fight
- Cut MJ's "Help him Harry?"
- Cut Flash's croney's "He's all yours"
- Cut a shot of Pete jumping over an alleyway as the shot is repeated twice
- Cut scene of Norman looking at the Daily Bugle
- Cut the graduation scene
- Cut the talking heads in the Spider-Man montage
- Some new score in the montage
- Added "Spider-Man" title to the end of the pilot
- Custom credit sequence
- Opening credits are now over the bus scene instead of the web sequence
- Cut Harry and Norman's intro outside the science excursion
- Cut "Or his father will fire your father"
- Cut Peter moaning like a sex pest while taking MJ's photo
- Cut scene of Norman at Oscorp with the General telling him he has a deadline
- Cut scene of Norman giving himself the Goblin serum
- Cut Pete following MJ and talking to himself
- Cut scene of Norman waking up and discovering the scientist was killed
- Cut Pete's backflip during the Flash fight
- Cut MJ's "Help him Harry?"
- Cut Flash's croney's "He's all yours"
- Cut a shot of Pete jumping over an alleyway as the shot is repeated twice
- Cut scene of Norman looking at the Daily Bugle
- Cut the graduation scene
- Cut the talking heads in the Spider-Man montage
- Some new score in the montage
- Added "Spider-Man" title to the end of the pilot
- Custom credit sequence
Opening 2 Minutes
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie/Show Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2002
Original Running Time:
121 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
41 minutes
Time Cut:
80 minutes
Time Added:
1 minutes
Additional Links:
Synopsis:
In early 2000, Sam Raimi was approached by Columbia Pictures to direct and produce a TV Pilot for a new series based on the popular Marvel comic book character Spider-Man. After a series of script drafts, the pilot was cast with a few big names and filmed in late 2001. Ultimately, the pilot was passed on and locked away in Columbia's vaults, and was not released in any form officially, but a VHS tape was passed around after the production was complete, in the form of low-generation bootleg VHS tapes.
Presented here for the first time as a high quality VHS copy, it's the unaired pilot of Spider-Man: The Series!
Presented here for the first time as a high quality VHS copy, it's the unaired pilot of Spider-Man: The Series!
Intention:
I wanted to take the opening act of the first Raimi Spidey film and present it as a standalone early 2000s TV Pilot that was never picked up. A few of the cheesier moments are gone, along with all of Norman Osborne and the Green Goblin, to keep the focus on a teenager and the changes his body goes through as the becomes the hero we all know and love.
Just to clarify, this isn't a real lost pilot, but a fun mix of the 2002 film to be presented as a lost pilot.
Just to clarify, this isn't a real lost pilot, but a fun mix of the 2002 film to be presented as a lost pilot.
Additional Notes:
Both the DVD and VHS copies are avalible, although my preferred version is the VHS personally.
Other Sources:
Spider-Man (2002) Full Screen DVD - I chose the 4:3 DVD over the 1.85:1 Blu-Ray as I felt the DVD has more of a TV feel reminiscent of the era.
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
I edited the pilot together normally through the DVD, cutting things here and there until I ended up at a TV Episode length I was happy with. After that was over, I added the details, like a warning screen, title cards, credits over the first scene, and a new end credits sequence. I rendered a copy and had run it through my VCR, putting the edit onto a physical tape to give it that bootleg feeling, and then captured the tape again, doing some minor tweaks to alter the extreme colouring the tape ended up with.
Cuts and Additions:
- New studio logos (Screener warning, Columbia TV and Marvel)
- Opening credits are now over the bus scene instead of the web sequence
- Cut Harry and Norman's intro outside the science excursion
- Cut "Or his father will fire your father"
- Cut Peter moaning like a sex pest while taking MJ's photo
- Cut scene of Norman at Oscorp with the General telling him he has a deadline
- Cut scene of Norman giving himself the Goblin serum
- Cut Pete following MJ and talking to himself
- Cut scene of Norman waking up and discovering the scientist was killed
- Cut Pete's backflip during the Flash fight
- Cut MJ's "Help him Harry?"
- Cut Flash's croney's "He's all yours"
- Cut a shot of Pete jumping over an alleyway as the shot is repeated twice
- Cut scene of Norman looking at the Daily Bugle
- Cut the graduation scene
- Cut the talking heads in the Spider-Man montage
- Some new score in the montage
- Added "Spider-Man" title to the end of the pilot
- Custom credit sequence
- Opening credits are now over the bus scene instead of the web sequence
- Cut Harry and Norman's intro outside the science excursion
- Cut "Or his father will fire your father"
- Cut Peter moaning like a sex pest while taking MJ's photo
- Cut scene of Norman at Oscorp with the General telling him he has a deadline
- Cut scene of Norman giving himself the Goblin serum
- Cut Pete following MJ and talking to himself
- Cut scene of Norman waking up and discovering the scientist was killed
- Cut Pete's backflip during the Flash fight
- Cut MJ's "Help him Harry?"
- Cut Flash's croney's "He's all yours"
- Cut a shot of Pete jumping over an alleyway as the shot is repeated twice
- Cut scene of Norman looking at the Daily Bugle
- Cut the graduation scene
- Cut the talking heads in the Spider-Man montage
- Some new score in the montage
- Added "Spider-Man" title to the end of the pilot
- Custom credit sequence
Opening 2 Minutes
Trusted Reviewer review
1 review
Overall rating
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
6.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Aside from creating a ton of excellent fan-edits, one of Bobson's great accomplishments might be getting me to actually like the Sam Raimi Spider-movies. I had grudging respect for aspects of the Michael Chabon-penned "2" but I'd written off "1" and "3" as both being corny, over-stuffed messes.
And while time and critical opinion and memes have been very kind to that trilogy (and if anybody hasn't watched BD's "2.2" and "3: Enemy Within", they kick ass), 1 *does* still feel like a bit of a self-parody of a superhero movie and a relic of a bygone age before the lesson was learned that you don't necessarily have to do the hero's origin AND the biggest villain in the same movie. As such, this edit is less "The Unaired Pilot" and more "Spider-Man: The Amazing Fantasy 15 Cut." Spidey's origin is a big enough story, inarguably the best superhero origin and doesn't need to be muddled up with Norman Osborn's cookie-cutter "mad scientist experimenting on himself" plot that Willem Dafoe managed to elevate to Power Ranger kabuki theatre, bless his creepy heart.
This story doesn't need a villain -- Spider-Man's first and most powerful nemesis is himself, and this edit proves it. The fact that it comes wrapped up in retro-faux-lost-media charm only adds to its greatness.
My only qualm (and I've been in contact with Bobson about this) is that there is a drop in audio for a few minutes in the middle. As I understand a revised version of this edit is in the offing, I look forward to updating this review to give it a full 10/10. Truly unmissable.
And while time and critical opinion and memes have been very kind to that trilogy (and if anybody hasn't watched BD's "2.2" and "3: Enemy Within", they kick ass), 1 *does* still feel like a bit of a self-parody of a superhero movie and a relic of a bygone age before the lesson was learned that you don't necessarily have to do the hero's origin AND the biggest villain in the same movie. As such, this edit is less "The Unaired Pilot" and more "Spider-Man: The Amazing Fantasy 15 Cut." Spidey's origin is a big enough story, inarguably the best superhero origin and doesn't need to be muddled up with Norman Osborn's cookie-cutter "mad scientist experimenting on himself" plot that Willem Dafoe managed to elevate to Power Ranger kabuki theatre, bless his creepy heart.
This story doesn't need a villain -- Spider-Man's first and most powerful nemesis is himself, and this edit proves it. The fact that it comes wrapped up in retro-faux-lost-media charm only adds to its greatness.
My only qualm (and I've been in contact with Bobson about this) is that there is a drop in audio for a few minutes in the middle. As I understand a revised version of this edit is in the offing, I look forward to updating this review to give it a full 10/10. Truly unmissable.
User reviews
3 reviews
Overall rating
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
9.0(3)
Audio Editing
9.7(3)
Visual Editing
9.0(3)
Narrative
10.0(3)
Enjoyment
10.0(3)
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Bravo! A little background, Raimi's Spider-Man films began hitting the theaters when I was ten, and the sequel was the first one I caught in theaters. After Spider-Man 3 in 2007, I found the superhero itch scratched by none other than television's "Smallville", and believe it or not, I found the experience satisfying enough to have forgone giving the MCU any attention until the hype was building for Infinity War. So where does that find me now? Looking for experiences like THIS! Personally, my tastes are shifting away from what's hot in theaters to what's in the minds of editors who have a passion for projects I similarly care for, and this edit was such an entertaining way for me to re-engage with a film I know so, so well from moment to moment.
If you're curious whether this is for you, stay with me. I went VHS and I imagine any Spider-Man fan (especially Raimi fans) as well as film & television enthusiasts will happily gobble this up. This project simultaneously feels like an homage to the Raimi Spider-Man film AND to the era of internet sleuthing. I recall many hours combing the internet as a youngster for film & television urban legends, cancelled projects, and low quality reference material to "never before seen scenes" or "movies you never knew existed" from before the DVD or digital sharing eras. "The Un-Aired Pilot" is like the assembly cut to Alien3, some edition of Blade Runner, and all the things you'd read about online and wanted to see but were out of reach until DVD box sets delivered these alternate cuts to us (finally!).
Visually, I watched digitally, mirrored onto my television, and found it to be exactly what you'd hope for. I enjoyed those film artifacts, the contrast, the wavy imagery, ALL OF IT! If this is revisited then I hope the editor is encouraged to continue playing with the quality in this manner to heighten the forgotten tape-quality of it all.
As someone who watches most things with captions, I commend you for the audio quality being as strong as it was. My familiarity with the film helps obviously, but otherwise with lesser quality projects I find the visual experience lacks when the audio is poor and my focus shifts, but this issue was absent here.
My insights into the scene-by-scene edits are limited as I am only beginning to work on audio-editing personally, so speaking as the viewer I thought everything was handled with care. There's no moment you should feel like anything was rushed or unfinished, beyond of course the intent of this edit taking a finished product and walking it back into something that's actually a fresh experience for a 20+ year old film.
Regarding story decisions, removing Dafoe/Osbourne for this "pilot" is bold! I like it! I'm reminded of the original "Lost in Space" from 1965, which features two pilot episodes but one was "lost" until decades later in the 80s. For the run of that series, I believe audience members loved the devilish Dr. Smith from the start, yet he's actually absent from the original pilot. The pilot that ran on television ended up using as much footage from what was originally shot and combined it with a lot of new stuff for the sake of introducing a completely new actor, and with this in mind I'd love to see another version as if the studio went back to juice their pilot before going to series, but I absolutely clicked with the decision to remove him. This decision and execution is a big reason why I'm so keen on this edit, in addition to the finale wrapping on those moments with Aunt May followed by the heroic montage.
Ultimately, this is incredibly charming, honors the original work, and should complement any fan's experience. It made me believe such a series was possible, and I should dip into the forums to see what other ideas are brewing. I'd love a follow up of some kind, whether it be this revisited like I described or...a follow up episode?!
If you're curious whether this is for you, stay with me. I went VHS and I imagine any Spider-Man fan (especially Raimi fans) as well as film & television enthusiasts will happily gobble this up. This project simultaneously feels like an homage to the Raimi Spider-Man film AND to the era of internet sleuthing. I recall many hours combing the internet as a youngster for film & television urban legends, cancelled projects, and low quality reference material to "never before seen scenes" or "movies you never knew existed" from before the DVD or digital sharing eras. "The Un-Aired Pilot" is like the assembly cut to Alien3, some edition of Blade Runner, and all the things you'd read about online and wanted to see but were out of reach until DVD box sets delivered these alternate cuts to us (finally!).
Visually, I watched digitally, mirrored onto my television, and found it to be exactly what you'd hope for. I enjoyed those film artifacts, the contrast, the wavy imagery, ALL OF IT! If this is revisited then I hope the editor is encouraged to continue playing with the quality in this manner to heighten the forgotten tape-quality of it all.
As someone who watches most things with captions, I commend you for the audio quality being as strong as it was. My familiarity with the film helps obviously, but otherwise with lesser quality projects I find the visual experience lacks when the audio is poor and my focus shifts, but this issue was absent here.
My insights into the scene-by-scene edits are limited as I am only beginning to work on audio-editing personally, so speaking as the viewer I thought everything was handled with care. There's no moment you should feel like anything was rushed or unfinished, beyond of course the intent of this edit taking a finished product and walking it back into something that's actually a fresh experience for a 20+ year old film.
Regarding story decisions, removing Dafoe/Osbourne for this "pilot" is bold! I like it! I'm reminded of the original "Lost in Space" from 1965, which features two pilot episodes but one was "lost" until decades later in the 80s. For the run of that series, I believe audience members loved the devilish Dr. Smith from the start, yet he's actually absent from the original pilot. The pilot that ran on television ended up using as much footage from what was originally shot and combined it with a lot of new stuff for the sake of introducing a completely new actor, and with this in mind I'd love to see another version as if the studio went back to juice their pilot before going to series, but I absolutely clicked with the decision to remove him. This decision and execution is a big reason why I'm so keen on this edit, in addition to the finale wrapping on those moments with Aunt May followed by the heroic montage.
Ultimately, this is incredibly charming, honors the original work, and should complement any fan's experience. It made me believe such a series was possible, and I should dip into the forums to see what other ideas are brewing. I'd love a follow up of some kind, whether it be this revisited like I described or...a follow up episode?!
User Review
Format Watched
Digital
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
The lost pilot. I too was "tricked" by the title. When I saw it I racked my memory to think if I had ever watched it. All I could remember was the 1977 (I think) and the toon from the 60s (loved it). For me this is very entertaining with both the look and the feel of an actual TV pilot. The introduction of characters and such. A great setup for a series. I keep checking the TV listings for a second episode. Will it air??? As with my other reviews I look to fan edits for pure entertainment. I am a fan not an editor. There are enough here who can give reviews on the nuance of the films and editing process. I look forward to watching other edits from Bobson
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Overall rating
8.3
Audio/Video Quality
7.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
7.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
(This review will focus on the VHS version)
When Bobson first announced this project...I admit, I bought into it, I thought he'd discovered something lurking on the 'lost media' wing of the internet and wanted to edit it, but no, turns out this miraculous little thing was of his own design, and boy did he commit to it.
This project shows a considerable range of Bobson's talents and deep love of retro medium. Here he puts together an edit with all the trademark tropes of the VHS tape...bad tracking, jumpy screens, hazy quality, see what happens when you don't take care of your tapes folks? What would have really made my day is that at some point, you find some bum has taped over whole sections of the movie with an episode of a regular tv show, but maybe that would have taken someone out of the immersion.
The attention to detail on how pilot tapes are constructed is also pulled off superbly. If you scour the internet you can find plenty of legitimate pilots that have the same kind of detail before and after the presentation that Bobson obviously took influence from, it is not only entertaining, but informal if you've never seen how one of these things go.
The edit moves at a brisk pace and ends at the right moment, you could technically make a whole mini-series out of this film in the same format and I'd keep coming back for more.
If you're requesting this edit from him, please ask for this version if you can, it's a great insight into the kind of world fans of a previous generation enjoyed their movies, as well as a great insight into a side of television presentation that only bootlegs and leaks over the years have provided for us,
Keep swinging.
When Bobson first announced this project...I admit, I bought into it, I thought he'd discovered something lurking on the 'lost media' wing of the internet and wanted to edit it, but no, turns out this miraculous little thing was of his own design, and boy did he commit to it.
This project shows a considerable range of Bobson's talents and deep love of retro medium. Here he puts together an edit with all the trademark tropes of the VHS tape...bad tracking, jumpy screens, hazy quality, see what happens when you don't take care of your tapes folks? What would have really made my day is that at some point, you find some bum has taped over whole sections of the movie with an episode of a regular tv show, but maybe that would have taken someone out of the immersion.
The attention to detail on how pilot tapes are constructed is also pulled off superbly. If you scour the internet you can find plenty of legitimate pilots that have the same kind of detail before and after the presentation that Bobson obviously took influence from, it is not only entertaining, but informal if you've never seen how one of these things go.
The edit moves at a brisk pace and ends at the right moment, you could technically make a whole mini-series out of this film in the same format and I'd keep coming back for more.
If you're requesting this edit from him, please ask for this version if you can, it's a great insight into the kind of world fans of a previous generation enjoyed their movies, as well as a great insight into a side of television presentation that only bootlegs and leaks over the years have provided for us,
Keep swinging.
