Spider-Man Director Sam Raimi Never Thought He'd Get the Job

Two decades ago, director Sam Raimi helped change the entire entertainment landscape and usher in a new era of blockbuster filmmaking. Spider-Man broke records at the box office and started the superhero rush of the 2000s, eventually paving the way for modern franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's hard to imagine Spider-Man's success without the visionary mind and steady guidance of Raimi, but the filmmaker actually didn't think he was going to get the job.

Those involved with making Spider-Man recently spoke to Variety to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary. Raimi opened up about his hiring process, revealing that he wasn't anywhere close to Sony's first choice.

"My agent, Josh Donen, said, 'They want to be honest with you. There's about 18 directors they'd rather have than you on a list,'" Raimi explained. "And I said, 'OK, well, tell them I'm number 19.'"

Raimi dressed in his best suit and went into the meeting with Sony, which took place in 1999. He spent a lot of time talking about his love for Spider-Man and why he was the best choice for the job. Going in, however, he was under the impression that the studio didn't want to hire him, so he didn't want to talk any longer than the hour he was allotted. As soon as he hit 60 minutes, he stopped his speech and thanked the executives for their time before walking out of the room.

"I was very aware of how they didn't want me," Raimi recalled. "So I really didn't want to also overstay my welcome."

Raimi couldn't have been more wrong, however. The meeting was going great for him, and the Sony execs were surprised when he opted to leave in the middle of his pitch. They thought he was doing a good job.

"The meeting was going very, very well," Sony executive Matt Tolmach told Variety. "And all of a sudden, Sam looked at his watch, stood up and said, 'Well, thank you very much for your time. I appreciate your having me in.'"

We all know where the story goes from there. Raimi, much to his surprise, was given the job. He and star Tobey Maguire delivered three feature films, broke massive box office records, and forever changed how the world saw superheroes on the big screen.