This was a very funny discovery.

I bought some old comics from a used book store over Christmas for nostalgia’s sake (and hoping the Wolverine guest appearances might be worth something) and I came across this gem in a John Byrne Namor comic from 1991: Stan Lee announces the upcoming Spider Man movie directed by James Cameron!



Here’s the text, the bolds are mine:

Hi, Heroes!

Remember this date — October ’91! It was one of the biggest, most important months in the halcyon history of mighty Marvel! What made it so important? Hey, I thought you’d never ask!

In previous Soapboxes I gave you a number of hints about big things happening out here in Hollywood, big things that I wasn’t free to talk about until the contracts were signed and the deals were closed. Well, it’s now official! The biggest movie project we’ve ever planned is now under way — and if you guessed SPIDER-MAN, then award yourself a twelve-cylinder no-prize with fuel injection!

But here’s the most exciting part — guess who’s gonna write, direct, and produce the first ever big-budget, feature film of the world’s most famous wall-crawler? Wouldja believe James Cameron?!! That’s right, Bunky, the same fabulous, super-fantastic filmmaker who bestowed upon a wildly cheering, wide-eyed world such monster hits as ALIENS, THE ABYSS and the two titanic TERMINATOR thrillers! So you can take this to the bank, Believer — SPIDER-MAN is destined to be the biggest, boldest, baaaaadest block-bustin’ bombshell of a super hero action extravaganza ever to hit the screen!

Now then, before you start bombarding us with letters and phone calls asking who’s gonna star in our fabulous forthcoming flick, or who the villain will be, let me advise you that those decisions haven’t yet been made. First, the story has to be structured and then a screenplay written. That will probably take months because we’re determined to make it the greatest action thriller of all. But as soon as more info comes through, even faster than you can wiggle your webs you’ll get the scoop via the ol’ Soapbox column as well as in the various newsletters we’ll be sending to all the Wild Agents of Marvel!

And next issue, on this very same page, if Irving Forbush doesn’t elope with Aunt May in the next thirty days, I’ll bring you some additional exciting news about X-MEN hitting the screen! Who says this isn’t the Marvel Age of Awesome Announcements?!!

Excelsior!

Stan Lee

Ed. Note: Spider Man was released on May 3, 2002 and X-Men was released on July 14, 2000.

On that note, Excel-I mean–

Good Luck and Happy Writing,

Dan

p.s. That’s right: He’s Rad. He’s Bad. He’s…James Bond Jr?