Spider-Man in film
The first live-action film based on Spider-Man was the unauthorized short "Spider-Man" by Donald F. Glut in 1969. This was followed by "Spider-Man", an American made-for-television film that premiered on the CBS network in 1977. It starred Nicholas Hammond and was intended as a backdoor pilot for what became a weekly episodic TV series.
Film adaptation
Comic book characters, particularly superheroes, have long been adapted into film, beginning in the 1940s with Saturday movie serials aimed at children. "Superman" (1978) and "Batman" (1989) are two later successful movie adaptations of famous comic book characters. In the early 2000s, blockbusters such as "X-Men" (2000) and "Spider-Man" (2002) have led to dozens of superhero films. The success of these films has also led to other comic books not necessarily about superheroes being adapted for the big screen, such as "Ghost World" (2001), "From Hell" (2001), "American Splendor" (2003), "Sin City" (2005), "300" (2007), "Wanted" (2008), and "Whiteout" (2009).