Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse director was about to thank Stan Lee before being cut off by Oscars
'We were just going to thank Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for inspiring this whole thing'
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Your support makes all the difference.One of the directors of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse has revealed he was about to pay tribute to comic book writer Stan Lee before having his Oscars acceptance speech cut short.
Bob Persichetti was on stage alongside co-directors Rodney Rothman and Peter Ramsey when they ran out of time during the speech for Best Animated Film.
Speaking backstage, Persichetti said he was about to thank Lee and Steve Ditko, the co-creators of Spider-Man, for inspiring the filmmakers.
Lee, the founder of Marvel, died in November aged 95 while Ditko passed away in June at the age of 90.
Persichetti said: “We were just going to thank Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for inspiring this whole thing and for being a force of believing that all of us, human beings, have the potential, the capacity, to be heroes.”
He said from “day one” the filmmakers wanted the movie to “challenge the audience to believe in themselves and believe in their neighbour and really be positive and make a difference in the world”.
Spider-Man‘s Oscar win was a first for all three directors, while Ramsey became the first African American to win in the Best Animated Film category. The award was first presented in 2001.
Starring Shameik Moore as Afro-Latino teenager Miles Morales, Into The Spider-Verse features several different versions of the web-slinging superhero. The film was celebrated for its diversity for having a non-white Spider-Man take centre stage.
Ramsey said: “Anyone can wear the mask; everyone is powerful and everyone is necessary, and that is the spirit of the movie.”
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse won ahead of nominees including Pixar’s Incredibles 2, Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet, Isle of Dogs and Mirai.
The 2019 Oscars saw Rami Malek take home Best Actor for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Other winners included Olivia Colman for The Favourite and Alfonso Cuarón took home Best Director for his Netflix drama Roma. Green Book won Best Picture, proving a controversial choice over Roma.
You can find a full list of winners here.
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