One Of Harry Potter's Directors Turned Down His Spider-Man Dream For The Wizarding World
Spider-Man is one of those characters that has inspired generations of artists in multiple fields, from writers to actors to directors and more. Peter Parker (and several of his Spider-counterparts) has to deal with just being a kid while also keeping his superhero identity secret from his friends and family. He's a little tortured, tries to do the right thing, and serves as an aspirational figure for many of us. From a 2023 vantage point, we've seen a whole lot of films about the web-slinger, both animated and live-action, but before 2002's "Spider-Man," directed by Sam Raimi, that wasn't the case.
There were several directors up for the job before Raimi got it, and one of them was Chris Columbus ("Home Alone," "The Babysitter's Club," "Mrs. Doubtfire"), who directed the first two "Harry Potter" films. As a contender for the Spider-Man director's chair, Columbus made a lot of sense. The filmmaker has a way with directing kids, and Harry Potter and Peter Parker aren't really that different. They're both young people with unexpected superpowers, trying to fit in. Both of them have people around them who get hurt because of this, and both lose parental figures. It would have been a perfect fit, whichever project Columbus chose. (No shade to Raimi's "Spider-Man" here, because it's wonderful.)
Columbus, however, had to turn down the opportunity to direct "Spider-Man," despite having a lifelong love for Spidey. He spoke about the experience in a 2021 interview with ScreenRant to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the "Harry Potter" franchise.
'I'm of the firm belief that every movie ever made would be better with Spider-Man in it'
Columbus has been a fan of the comic book character since he was a kid. After confirming that he did, in fact, turn down directing duties on "Spider-Man," he joked, "It is weird, because, you know, I'm of the firm belief that every movie ever made would be better with Spider-Man in it. There's no question. So I mean, how good would 'The Godfather' be if Spider-Man showed up?" Columbus then explained why he had to turn down his dream job:
"But honestly, the reason I got into the film business, the reason I got into movies as a kid, was because of Marvel Comics, because that's what I wanted to do. And Spider-Man was my hero as a kid. I really probably heard the day before I got the 'Spider-Man' offer, that I got 'Harry Potter.' And whoever it was, was like, 'Is he crazy? How could he pass up 'Spider-Man?' and part of me felt that way because it's probably something I was waiting my entire life to do. But I'm glad I decided to go with 'Potter.' I'm happy about that."
So am I. I have such a soft spot for the first two "Harry Potter" films. Sure, the kids didn't really know how to act yet and some parts of the movies are a little silly, but there is just such heart there. Still, Columbus's superpower is making kids seem like actual kids rather than preternaturally adult-like creatures. That said, it's fun to imagine what might have been if Columbus had taken the other job.
The "Harry Potter" films are streaming on Max.