Spider-Man could cross paths with other Marvel characters, says producer Avi Arad

NEW YORK, April 29 (UPI) -- Producer Avi Arad says he could easily envision a crossover film featuring Spider-Man and characters from the other Marvel comic book series, but only if the webslinger remained front and center.

"I think there are some stories that would fit beautifully into a cross," Arad told reporters during a roundtable interview in New York Sunday to promote his blockbuster-to-be, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

"I think if we want to do the crossovers, it has to be a story that is absolutely centered on Spider-Man. We cannot become a second banana to anything out there because this is the king. This is the one that influences young people from birth," Arad said.

"I'm not preaching, but I think Spider-Man -- Peter Parker -- who is in all of us -- is too important to go in and use it as a sidepiece for commercial purposes. That's my opinion. The studio [Sony Pictures] may disagree with me. Some fans disagreed with me last week -- hundreds of them. But I don't care. There are certain stories about Spider-Man that are incredible mixed up with another universe," he added.

The former chairman and chief executive officer of Marvel Studios, ex-chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment and current Spider-Man film producer went on to say he still sees all the screen adaptations of Marvel properties, including The Avengers and X-Men franchises, which are released by other studios.

"I view them all as my children. Avengers was in the plan for a long time. It had to be built over the years. When we did Iron Man, people thought we were nuts. No one knew what was Iron Man, unless you were a comic guy. They thought it was a documentary about some competition in Hawaii. No one got it," he explained. "The great thing is that today our movies are meaningful. You leave a movie like Spider-Man and I think you feel better about yourself. You want to do the right things and you're inspired. ... That's what's important to us. So, for me, all these movies -- when they are good and they tell you something -- I feel great. I feel like watching the grandchildren play."

Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Sally Field, Chris Cooper and Dane DeHaan, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens in U.S. theaters Friday.