Trivia about Spider-Man 3. * The release date for the film was set before Spider-Man 2 (2004) was even released. * John Dykstra, who won an Oscar for his work as visual effects supervisor on Spider-Man 2 (2004), had declined to work on the third film. Instead, Dykstra chose to work on Hot Wheels. Scott Stokdyk took over as visual effects supervisor. * Originally, director Sam Raimi vehemently opposed having Venom as a villain in the film, claiming he hated Venom's "lack of humanity," but Marvel producer Avi Arad convinced him to include the character, explaining that Venom had a strong worldwide following. Raimi eventually came to appreciate the character, based on writer Alvin Sargent's script and actor Topher Grace's performance. However, to keep Venom's appearance a secret, he