RIP Spider-Man Producer Laura Ziskin

It is with sadness that I’m reporting the death of “Spider-Man” franchise producer Laura Ziskin. She died of breast cancer at her home in Santa Monica, California on Sunday at the age of 61.

I met Laura back in 2001 about a week before Sony Pictures was going to reveal the very first teaser trailer for the first Spider-Man movie. It was a short teaser with the bank being robbed and the thieves’ helicopter getting caught in Spidey’s web in between the World Trade Center, followed by the very first scenes ever of the superhero swinging through New York. I remember sitting next to Laura and director Sam Raimi and hearing Laura sing along with the “I wanna take you on a roller coaster” lyrics of Lunatic Calm’s “Leave You Far Behind.” After the screening…