Chapter 4

**The filming of *Spider-Man* is in full swing.**

Unlike the *Spider-Man* and *The Amazing Spider-Man* that Xu Can was familiar with in his previous life, this Spider-Man in the parallel world is a blend of both versions.

The emotional and everyday elements primarily draw from the "Garfield version," with Gwen Stacy as the girlfriend, avoiding any love triangles or romantic transfers. The action sequences and main plot adopt elements from the "Toby version," focusing on Spider-Man's origin story—the death of Uncle Ben, the mantra "with great power comes great responsibility," fighting crime, and the final confrontation with the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn.

This version of the script was developed after extensive discussions between Xu Can and the producer. Xu Can had thoroughly analyzed several Spider-Man movies from a future-oriented perspective, offering insights that greatly inspired the writing team. They combined the strengths and weaknesses of both versions to create an entirely new Spider-Man universe. So much so that the producer suggested adding Xu Can's name to the screenplay credits—this movie was their joint creation.

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**"There are more than 32,000 species of spiders in the world, and different types have different abilities,"** the tour guide explained as a group from Midtown High School visited the Osborn Technology Laboratory.

"For example, this species has nerve reflexes so fast that it produces a kind of predictive ability—the spider's sixth sense…"

"Osborn Technology has been researching for years, combining various spider RNAs to create new genomes and develop these super spiders…"

"Sorry, it seems a spider is missing—the box is empty."

"Maybe it was used for research. Let's move on to the next exhibit."

"Hey, Gwen, can I take a picture of you… uh, for the school magazine?" Peter Parker, who had long had a crush on Gwen, finally found the courage to approach her.

"Okay, just don't make me look too ugly," Gwen replied with a smile.

As Xu Can performed the scene, Emma Stone suddenly felt a sense of dissonance. Xu Can was usually cheerful and confident, always making her laugh. But in his performance, he convincingly portrayed the nervousness and awkwardness of a high school boy with a crush. It was almost as if he had become a completely different person—a shy, endearing neighbor.

With Xu Can playing his role so well, Emma Stone found herself inspired to elevate her own performance. The two actors developed a growing rapport, which didn't go unnoticed by director Marc Webb, who nodded in approval as he watched.

"Mark, what are you smiling at?" the assistant director asked quietly.

"They have such great chemistry… hush, they're still filming!" Marc Webb replied, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

The assistant director shook his head in disbelief. Could a director known for romantic films really pull off a special effects-heavy action blockbuster?

Since the turn of the century, no comic book movie had been a clear success, casting a shadow over the assistant director's thoughts.

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The opening scenes had been successfully completed, and the crew was now heading to New York City to finish the rest of the film in North America's largest metropolis. Sony Pictures had a special effects studio ready in New York, and some outdoor scenes needed to be shot on location in the city streets.

This was the part that worried Marc Webb the most. If Xu Can's action scenes didn't go smoothly, the film's budget would skyrocket. At a time when comic book movies were in a slump, Sony Pictures had fought hard to convince executives to greenlight *Spider-Man*, and the budget was already tight.

If the project ran into trouble, Sony's top brass might abandon the *Spider-Man* project entirely. The film could end up being rushed and poorly produced, leading to a disastrous reception—or it could be cut in half.

Marc Webb had invested too much time and effort to let that happen. The key to everything was Xu Can. He had nailed Peter Parker's character before, but now it was time for him to truly become Spider-Man.

"Are you ready? Don't be nervous. It's okay if it doesn't work out the first time—we can do multiple takes."

This scene was crucial—it was the moment Peter Parker awakens after being bitten by a super spider, suddenly finding himself on a New York subway. After being provoked by a homeless man, he uses acrobatic moves to defeat multiple attackers.

Marc Webb was meticulous about action scenes. He wanted this sequence to be as cool as possible, which meant high demands on the actor. Even though Xu Can had studied Chinese martial arts, he was still a novice with no experience in action scenes. Moreover, they were filming on a real New York subway, where the cost of venue rental was steep, and the film was burning through money every second.

Marc Webb was even prepared to use a stunt double.

"Don't worry, director, I've got this," Xu Can said confidently.

"Well, all units, get ready!"

"…First take, action!"

As the director gave the command, the extra playing the homeless man approached Xu Can.

The homeless man placed a beer bottle on Peter Parker's head. As the cold droplets fell, Peter instinctively pushed the bottle away at lightning speed, his body light as a feather as he flipped onto the roof of the subway car.

"Cut!"

"Good!" Marc Webb couldn't help but applaud.

Xu Can had perfectly executed the action in just one take, even surpassing what the stunt coordinator had envisioned!

As Xu Can lay on the roof of the car, Marc Webb felt like he was watching Spider-Man himself in action.

Xu Can's smooth, impressive moves astonished everyone on set, earning him spontaneous applause.

"So cool!"

"Wow, that was amazing!"

Marc Webb's heart was racing, but it seemed the next scenes would go just as smoothly.

Sure enough, in the subsequent fight scenes, Xu Can fully embodied Spider-Man. Using the cramped space of the subway car, he performed a series of incredible moves that left everyone in awe.

Marc Webb had initially planned to use a combination of frame-by-frame shots and fast editing to compensate for any shortcomings in the actor's movements, relying on technical tricks to mask flaws. But to his surprise, Xu Can's real-time performances were so impressive that they exceeded everyone's expectations.

These action scenes were all real—no tricks, just pure skill. The dazzling flips and turns were better than what any acrobat could do!

The filming schedule had allotted a full day for these scenes, but Xu Can completed them all in under two hours!

The shoot had gone so smoothly that Marc Webb could hardly believe it.

"Cut! That was amazing!"

"We've wrapped for the day!"

The crew began packing up, ready to call it a day, when producer Avi Arad called.

"How's it going? If today's shoot didn't go well, I can try to get an extension from the New York City government…"

"No need, we're finished!"

"Really?" The producer could hardly believe his ears.

"I'm serious. How did I not notice Xu Can before… I'm certain this *Spider-Man* will blow people away!"