Guide Note:

In the third entry in Sam Raimi's series of Spider-Man films, Spider-Man 3, the Marvel superhero faces off against The Sandman and Venom, an alien symbiote that infects his spider costume. The film stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst from the previous films, along with newcomers Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Fast Facts:

1. Director: Sam Raimi
2. Screenwriters: Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent
3. U.S. Release Date: May 4, 2007
4. Gross: $888,977,494

The plans and release date for the third Spider-Man film were made before the release of Spider-Man 2, in anticipation of its success at the box office. Director Sam Raimi and his brother, Ivan, began working on the script shortly after completing Spider-Man 2, determined to show a more fallible, human side to the character.

Original plans were to make the two villains The Sandman and The Vulture (with Ben Kingsley being considered for the latter villain), in part because of Raimi's distaste for the popular comic book character Venom, whom he feels lacks humanity. Producer Avi Arad convinced Raimi to use the Venom, largely because of the character's popularity among fans.