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Following the tragic death of his former girlfriend—seemingly caused by his own attempt to save her—Peter Parker (Warden Wayne) lingers in his guilt of the past, questioning whether the curse of his alter ego should be buried for good. When he's met by the news that a terminally ill child has requested to meet Spider-Man, Peter contemplates the decision to comfort him in his final days. [1]
On January 16, 2021, independent filmmaker Gavin J. Konop announced the development of an upcoming film based on the character Spider-Man. The film was funded by fans through a campaign on Indiegogo, receiving $112,000. According to Konop, it was a dream of his to make a Spider-Man film. [3] The film is loosely based on two comic books, The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man, and Spider-Man: Blue. [4]
Later that year, Konop announced the main cast of the film, as well as its synopsis and its the main theme. The same year the teaser and the trailer were uploaded to his channel. [5] [6] The script was finished in May 2021, with production beginning in June with principal photography wrapping on August. Filming took place in New York City. [7]
In October 2021, the project was recognized by Jon Watts, the director of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man films, who stated that he was "100% supportive" of the film. [8]
Spider-Man: Lotus was originally set to premiere in January 2022, but was delayed. [9]
In October 2022, the film’s final trailer was released to YouTube. [10]
In July 2023, a scene from Spider-Man: Lotus was released on Konop's social media, its runtime of 120 minutes was revealed, and it was set for a release date. It was released on YouTube on August 11, 2023. [11]
Spider-Man: Lotus held its premiere in Los Angeles on August 5, 2023. [12] It premiered on YouTube on August 11, 2023. [13]
In June 2022, messages were leaked online, where lead actor Warden Wayne used racial, homophobic, and ableist slurs, sparking controversy on Twitter. [14] In light of the messages being leaked, Wayne immediately issued an apology, referencing his conservative upbringing [15] [16] and stating that he "would hope and pray that people watching it wouldn't judge it based on [his] past, and instead take it for what it is: a film about redemption and coming out of the darkness." [17] [18] Later that day, the script for Lotus was leaked. [19]
Soon after, similar messages were revealed in which director Gavin J. Konop used racist and ableist slurs. [20] [21] He responded to this by releasing a YouTube video entitled "Addressing Everything" in which he would claim that some of the leaked messages were fake, while taking accountability for others, claiming that they were posted when he was a teenager and promising that he no longer uses such words. [22]
Due to the incident, many visual effects artists stepped away from the project. Cast member Moriah Brooklyn denounced her support for the project, though she decided to return to promoting the movie in July 2023, stating she was grateful for the friendships she made while working on the project and that neither Konop nor Wayne ever made her uncomfortable on set. [23]
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