Spider-Man had a very long, tortuous path to the big screen before director Sam Raimi and screenwriter David Koepp finally brought the Marvel icon to cinematic life in 2002. After Cannon Films failed to make a Spidey movie in the 1980s, James Cameron became attached to write and direct it for Carolco Pictures. Cameron's project eventually fell apart and years of legal battles over the screen rights ensued. The legal battle over Spidey finally ended when Columbia Pictures won the screen rights. But the studio's 2002 Spider-Man film shares a lot of influences and elements from Cameron's unproduced version, which screenwriter Koepp readily admitted to in a new interview with IGN. "I never saw any previous versions from development because it had just come out of litigation as I recall," Koepp explained over a Zoom interview this week. "And so if there were other versions, they were like Cannon in the '80s or early '90s, but (Cameron's) treatment was very influential." [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/28/ranking-the-spider-man-movies-2019-edition] James Cameron's Spider-Man scriptment -- which has made the rounds online for years (check out our full breakdown of it from way back in 2000!) -- left Koepp moved by how much the Aliens and Terminator filmmaker treated its protagonist seriously, something many superhero movies of that era hadn't done. "I had a lot of my own specific thoughts about what the movie ought to be, because I had been a Spider-Man fan as a kid and young adult," Koepp said. "But his treatment, it just took it seriously. It took Peter seriously as a character and it took a superhero movie seriously as a genre. And you hadn't seen that before." Koepp continued, "This was 2000 and 2001 when I was writing (Spider-Man) and there hadn't been a good superhero movie since probably the second Batman. X-Men was still yet to come. That came out, I think, while we were shooting." That Cameron's scriptment demanded a studio take Spider-Man seriously --and to commit large scale resources to such an endeavor -- was bold and new at the time, Koepp argued. "The fact that he had written this 85 or whatever it was pages treatment, that in itself was really meaningful and said, no, no, take this seriously. This is a real movie with real people in it." Cameron's version included one particularly dramatic alteration to the wall-crawler that Koepp retained for his own screenplay: "He had some very good ideas in it. I like the organic web-shooters, which some people liked and some people didn't, but that was his idea and I was happy to use it." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-spider-man-movies-rotten-tomatoes-score&captions=true"] The organic web-shooters of Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker were indeed hugely divisive at the time, with both subsequent screen versions of the character -- Andrew Garfield's in The Amazing Spider-Man films and Tom Holland's in the MCU -- jettisoning them in favor of the more comics-accurate mechanical web-shooters. For more on Sam Raimi's Spidey, watch Tobey Maguire's R-rated Peter Parker screen test, find out why Raimi is still haunted by his unmade Spider-Man 4, and discover how Raimi could bring Tobey Maguire's Spidey into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. David Koepp's latest film, the supernatural thriller You Should Have Left, premieres On Demand on June 19.

Sting will premiere a new version of one of his songs on the season premiere of Animal Talking. Filmmaker Kevin Smith, podcast host Marc Bernardin, and musician ThatViolinChick will also appear in the episode. Host Gary Whitta announced the news on Twitter on Wednesday. The episode will premiere Wednesday, June 24 at 9pm PT on Gary Whitta's Twitch. "ANIMAL TALKING Season Two premieres Wednesday June 24 @ 9am PT with our biggest guests ever," Whitta wrote on Twitter. "@OfficialSting headlines, performing a previously-unheard version of one of his all-time classics! Plus @ThatKevinSmith @marcbernardin and @TVCTwitch!" Animal Talking is a talk show webseries hosted by Whitta that takes place entirely in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Whitta invites celebrities onto the show for an interview inside an Animal Crossing home decked out to look like a late-night talk show stage. Danny Trejo, Elijah Wood, and T-Pain are some of the guests who have appeared on the show. Whitta previously announced Sting as an Animal Talking guest for an episode previously set to air on June 9. Instead, a special six-hour episode of Animal Talking was uploaded on June 10 as a fundraiser for Color of Change. The episode before that served as the first season's finale and was uploaded on May 22. It featured TV producer David Mandel and journalist Rebekah Valentine as guests. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released in March to critical acclaim and the third greatest launch month in physical dollar and unit sales of any Nintendo published game behind Smash Bros. Ultimate and Smash Bros. Brawl. The first month of New Horizons exceeded the lifetime sales of every other game in the series. The game is still dominating sales as the third best-selling game of May 2020 behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in first and Grand Theft Auto V in second (and that didn't include digital sales of Animal Crossing, whereas digital sales benefited Call of Duty and GTA, according to an NPD analyst on Twitter). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/15/video-game-spending-for-the-first-quarter-of-2020-was-the-highest-in-us-history-ign-news"] Visit IGN's Animal Crossing wiki for tips on the game including a virtual checklist of K.K. Slider song requests and details on this month's Wedding Season. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who needs to sell some turnips ASAP.

Disney+ in July features the debut of the X-Men franchise on the streamer, with X-Men: Days of Future Past dropping on July 10 and X-Men: Apocalypse on July 17. More titles set in the imaginative X-Men universe will be released in the coming months, including the original X-Men film on August 7, and The Wolverine on September 4. Other upcoming Marvel titles coming to Disney+ include Ant-Man and the Wasp on August 14 and 2005's Fantastic Four on August 28. Also premiering in July is the award-winning Broadway hit Hamilton on July 3. Subscribers will be able to stream the original Broadway production, which stars Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton. Other notable titles coming to Disney+ in July include Ice Age: Collision Course on July 3, and Solo: A Star Wars Story on July 10. In our Solo: A Star Wars Story review, we say that the film "commits to being a charming and fun exercise in repackaging nostalgia and pre-owned protagonists." Read on to see the full list of shows and movies coming to Disney+ in July. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/05/15/solo-a-star-wars-story-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 3

• Animal ER (Seasons 1-2)
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
• Ice Age: Collision Course
• Ice Road Rescue (Seasons 1-4)
• Race to Witch Mountain (2009)
• The Big Green
• The Mighty Ducks
• Hamilton
• Pixar in Real Life - Episode 109 "UP: Balloon Cart Away"
• Disney Family Sundays - Episode 135 "Peter Pan: Shadow Box Theater"
• One Day At Disney - Episode 131 "Zama Magudulela: The Lion King Madrid, Spain"
• It's a Dog's Life with Bill Farmer - Episode 108 "Movie Star Dogs & Hounds and Horses"

New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 10

• X-Men: Days of Future Past
• Critter Fixers: Country Vets (Season 1)
• Gigantosaurus (Season 1)
• Secrets of the Zoo (Season 3)
• Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Disney Family Sundays - Episode 136 "Lilo and Stitch: Family Tree"
• One Day At Disney - Episode 132 “Marc Smith: Story Artist”
• It's a Dog's Life with Bill Farmer - Episode 109 "Movie Star Dogs & Hounds and Horses"

New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 17

• X-Men: Apocalypse
• A Pre-Opening Report from Disneyland
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
• Disney Junior Music Lullabies
• Lost City of Machu Picchu
• Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (S1-2)
• The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World
• Wild Chile (Season 1)
• Disney Family Sundays - Episode 137 "Moana: Tomato Photo Holder"
• One Day At Disney - Episode 133 "Mike Davie: Imagineering Project Manager"
• It's a Dog's Life with Bill Farmer - Episode 110 "Snake Search Dogs & Hawaiian Conservation Dogs"

New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 24

• Wild Congo (Season 1)
• Wild Sri Lanka (Season 1)
• Disney Family Sundays - Episode 138 "The Jungle Book: Finger Puppet"
• One Day At Disney - Episode 134 "Chris Cristi: Helicopter Reporter"

New on Disney Plus - Friday, July 31

• Alaska Animal Rescue (Season 1)
• Animal Showdown (Season 1)
• Best Job Ever (Season 1)
• Big Cat Games
• Cradle of the Gods
• Destination World (Season 1)
• Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet (Season 8)
• Fearless Adventures with Jack Randall (Season 1)
• Hidden Kingdoms of China
• Hunt for the Abominable Snowman
• India’s Wild Leopards
• Jungle Animal Rescue (Season 1)
• King Fishers (Season 1)
• Lost Temple of the Inca
• Marvel Funko (Seasons 1-2)
• Surviving the Mount St. Helens Disaster
• Weirdest, Bestest, Truest (Season 1)
• What Sam Sees (Season 1)
• Muppets Now - Episode 101 - “Due Date”
• Disney Family Sundays - Episode 139 "Mickey and Minnie: Pillows"

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-25-star-wars-the-clone-wars-episodes-and-story-arcs&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Dan Harmon, the Emmy-winning co-creator of Rick and Morty, has made a deal with Fox Entertainment to create and develop an animated comedy series which will premiere on the network in the spring of 2022. As reported by Deadline, the deal is exclusive to the Fox broadcast network. Fox Entertainment will produce the series, and Fox-owned Bento Box Entertainment (best known for Bob's Burgers) will be the animation studio on the project. Fox is all in on adult animation these days, having in the past couple of years added to its roster of The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers with Bless the Harts, Duncanville, and the still-to-come Housebroken and The Great North. The new Harmon project will be Fox Entertainment's first fully-owned animated series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=rick-and-morty-best-one-liners&captions=true"] There's no word yet on what the new show will be about, or how far Harmon might push the limits of broadcast animation with it. Rick and Morty, with its home on Adult Swim, has always been more adult in nature than your average Fox cartoon. But of course, Harmon also created Community, which existed just fine within the parameters of network television on NBC. Other creators who have signed direct deals with Fox Entertainment recently include Jeff Davis, Kyle Killen, Mara Brock Akil, and Sarah Watson. The fourth season of Rick and Morty recently finished airing, and you can head here to check out what the season finale's big twist might mean for the future of the show. Jerry voice actor Chris Parnell also recently gave us an update on Season 5, and it sure sounds like we've got a bit of a wait on that front. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/is-rick-and-morty-season-4-trying-to-distract-us-from-evil-mortys-plan"]

Robert Pattinson said in a recent GQ interview that he was "just barely doing anything" when it comes to his fitness regimen to play The Batman, but it turns out that's not really the case. In an interview with Healthy For Men magazine (via Batman-News), Pattinson revealed what he's doing to get into shape as Batman. Robert Pattinson's Batman diet and workout plan includes:

• Cut down on alcohol, processed meats, and fried foods.
• Boxing and "military-style sandbag routines on the beach."
• Run 5-10km (3-6 miles) three to four times per week.
• For abs, he begins with a regular five-minute cardio workout.
• Followed by bicycle crunches, dumbbell side bends, double crunches, and the Superman exercise, with three sets of 25 reps per move.

New interview with #TheBatman star, Robert Pattinson. He talks about his workout regime, enjoying a challenge, real magic, his relationship, and living in London. #Batman #Battinson Thread: pic.twitter.com/H3A9IJgLWW

— Pattinson360 (@RPat360) June 16, 2020

"You look at the true warriors of the superhero genre — Hemsworth, The Rock, Downey Jr., Evans — and wonder if you're putting yourself in the wrong place," Pattinson told Healthy For Men. He added that he spoke to a few of those aforementioned actors about nervousness in taking on such a physically challenging role as that of a superhero. "It's all about pushing boundaries and building up to a point where you know you can do justice to the physicality required. And past that, so much of it is letting the special effects and on-screen exchanges produce the real magic. Overall, it's just very exciting." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-batman-camera-test"] So why did Pattinson say what he did in that prior GQ interview? It turns out he has a reputation for trolling interviewers and even messing with his directors in a playful way. As The Guardian recently recalled:

"A commitment to chaos is pretty much Pattinson’s MO, according to the directors he’s worked with. In the profile Robert Eggers describes him as “Andy Kaufman-esque in real life. Rob’s so beyond dry that it’s, like, meta. You’re like, ‘Is that funny?’ Like, ‘I have no idea what’s going on.’ In the piece, Pattinson also claims he can’t remember the plot of Tenet, an upcoming movie he just starred in directed by Christopher Nolan. So (the interviewer) calls Nolan to see if he’s being played. The response: 'The interesting thing with Rob is, he’s slightly f***ing with you.'"

The Batman production has been on hiatus since mid-March due to the pandemic lockdown, but filming in the UK hopes to restart soon. Jurassic World: Dominion is the first Hollywood film to resume production in the UK, with shooting set to begin the second week of July. Bat-fans should expect to see the first footage from The Batman quite soon. Warner Bros. revealed this week that their July 31 release of Tenet will include previews for upcoming Warners films, which could very well include The Batman since Pattinson stars in both films. Warners also announced their Comic-Con-style virtual event DC FanDome, which takes place August 22, will includes panels and footage from a number of upcoming DC movies, including The Batman. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-how-robert-pattinsons-batsuit-draws-from-the-past&captions=true"]

Horizon Forbidden West was announced at the PlayStation 5 event last week, and Sony has released a small follow-up dive into the Horizon sequel that reveals a few more tidbits. Namely, that Guerrilla Games is aiming for a 2021 release date. Horizon Forbidden West is the sequel to 2017's Horizon: Zero Dawn, which is set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by machine wildlife. Horizon Forbidden West will follow the protagonist Aloy as she ventures westward. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/17/horizon-forbidden-west-guerrilla-talks"] Forbidden West director Mathijs de Jonge shared the same trailer that was shown at the PS5 event but offered some director commentary. De Jonge says that thanks to the PS5's SSD there will be "virtually no loading screens." So if you open a map to fast travel, you'll be able to do so almost instantaneously. And while Guerrilla Games hasn't announced a release date, Horizon Forbidden West won't be a launch title for the PS5, which is set to be released this holiday. Instead, Guerrilla is aiming for a 2021 release for the sequel.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-playstation-exclusive-from-sonys-ps5-event&captions=true"]

You can read IGN's review for Horizon: Zero Dawn here and check out the full list of announcements from the PS5 livestream event here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.  

Star Wars has revealed 10 physical LEGO Star Wars sets that feature in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, some of which will unlock content in the upcoming game for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Announced by StarWars.com, the sets, just like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, span all nine films and feature some of the most iconic moments, characters, and vehicles in Star War history. These sets, which will be released on September 1, 2020, include the LEGO Star Wars: Advent Calendar, 501st Legion Clone Troopers, Anakin's Jedi Interceptor, Armored Assault Tank (AAT), Knights of Ren Transport Ship, General Grevious' Starfighter, AT-AT, Death Star Final Duel, Resistance I-TS Transport, and The Razor Crest (complete with Baby Yoda). You can see each set in the slideshow below, with official descriptions from StarWars.com. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lego-star-wars-the-skywalker-saga-lego-sets&captions=true"] Some of these figures and vehicles will already appear in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, but some sets - LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar, Death Star Final Duel, Resistance I-TS Transport, and The Razor Crest - include a code that will unlock special content. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2020. In our hands-on preview, we said "It’s these familiar aspects, combined with ambitious nature of The Skywalker Saga that have me so excited for what is being built here: a more open, narratively free LEGO game that encourages exploration, rather than syphoning you down a prescribed route. If it all comes together it could usher in a bright future for a franchise that was beginning to feel tired. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/24/lego-star-wars-the-skywalker-saga-announcement-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can't wait and is so excited he just can't hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Devolution, the latest book by World War Z author Max Brooks, is getting the feature film treatment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legendary Entertainment has acquired the new novel, titled Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre, which hit shelves on Tuesday via the Del Rey imprint of Penguin Random House. [caption id="attachment_2366864" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Image credit: Del Rey Books[/caption] The supernatural story is drawn from the journals of Kate Holland, recovered from the bloody wreckage of a volcanic eruption in the eco-community town of Mt. Rainier that has been rampaged by ferocious beasts known as the Sasquatch. The Bigfoot thriller is described as "part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction." Devolution was originally set to be developed as a creature feature back in 2012, with Lost TV director Jack Bender and David Leslie Johnson attached to the project alongside Brooks, who was working on the concept for Legendary, but Brooks switched mediums and decided to turn the idea into a book first. However, now that Devolution has been optioned for an adaptation, Bender and Leslie Johnson are no longer involved. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/24/world-war-z-review"] Brooks is best known for writing World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, which was adapted by Paramount into the Brad Pitt-starring zombie horror movie, World War Z, that grossed $540 million worldwide following its release in 2013. A sequel was in development, but production halted last year due to budgeting issues and a lack of momentum. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The Pokemon Company has announced that its next Pokemon Presents will take place on June 24, 2020, and certain Pokemon in the background of today's Pokemon Presents may be hinting that it will reveal a Let's Go version of Pokemon Gold and Silver. At the end of today's Pokemon Presents today, President and CEO of The Pokemon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara announced another new Pokemon Presents would be taking place on June 24, but didn't give any new details beyond it being a "big project" the company is working on. However, if you look closely in the background of today's Pokemon Presents, you will notice a few Pokemon that may confirm a follow-up to Pokemon, Let's Go! Pikachu and Let's Go! Eevee for Pokemon Gold and Silver may be on there way. The first clue lies in the middle shelf, behind Ishihara. The Pokemon featured on this shelf are Ho-Oh, Lugia, Lapras, Mewtwo, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, all of whom are featured in Pokemon Gold and Silver's Pokedex. (Thanks, @CaptainWoodsy!) On the top left, we also have Politoed, Sudowoodo, and Ampharos. Lastly, and possibly one of the biggest hints, is on the bottom right shelf. In front of the Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! Nintendo Switch bundle box are Eevee and two of its evolutions - Espeon and Umbreon. This could be a subtle way of letting us know that the next entries in the Let's Go series could be Pokemon: Let's Go, Espeon! and Let's Go, Umbreon!? These possible teases book-ended a near 11-minute presentation filled with announcements like Pokemon Smile, Pokemon Cafe Mix, New Pokemon Snap for Switch, Mega Evolutions for Pokemon Go, and another look at Pokemon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor DLC, which is also out today. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/17/pokemon-snap-switch-official-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who may or may not also be a detective. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Pokemon Company has announced that its next Pokemon Presents will take place on June 24, 2020, and certain Pokemon in the background of today's Pokemon Presents may be hinting that it will reveal a Let's Go version of Pokemon Gold and Silver. At the end of today's Pokemon Presents today, President and CEO of The Pokemon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara announced another new Pokemon Presents would be taking place on June 24, but didn't give any new details beyond it being a "big project" the company is working on. However, if you look closely in the background of today's Pokemon Presents, you will notice a few Pokemon that may confirm a follow-up to Pokemon, Let's Go! Pikachu and Let's Go! Eevee for Pokemon Gold and Silver may be on there way. The first clue lies in the middle shelf, behind Ishihara. The Pokemon featured on this shelf are Ho-Oh, Lugia, Lapras, Mewtwo, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, all of whom are featured in Pokemon Gold and Silver's Pokedex. (Thanks, @CaptainWoodsy!) On the top left, we also have Politoed, Sudowoodo, and Ampharos. Lastly, and possibly one of the biggest hints, is on the bottom right shelf. In front of the Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! Nintendo Switch bundle box are Eevee and two of its evolutions - Espeon and Umbreon. This could be a subtle way of letting us know that the next entries in the Let's Go series could be Pokemon: Let's Go, Espeon! and Let's Go, Umbreon!? These possible teases book-ended a near 11-minute presentation filled with announcements like Pokemon Smile, Pokemon Cafe Mix, New Pokemon Snap for Switch, Mega Evolutions for Pokemon Go, and another look at Pokemon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor DLC, which is also out today. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/17/pokemon-snap-switch-official-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who may or may not also be a detective. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.