The producers of the first Spider-Man movie to be released following the death of Stan Lee have praised the Marvel co-creator for his “positive spirit”.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller worked on the forthcoming animated film Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which tells the story of Miles Morales, the first black web slinger.
Lee, who famously made a cameo in every film based on one of the characters he created, died in November at the age of 95.
He filmed his scenes for Into The Spider-Verse a year ago but was unable to see the finished movie due to ill-health.
Lee has a more prominent role in the latest film to star his most famous creation, which was a conscious decision by the producers.
Miller said: “He is just the warmest, sweetest guy you can imagine, he always had a positive attitude.
“We met Stan many years ago, early in our careers, luckily. And he was a really positive and inspirational person to us and was very encouraging, just like in the pages of his comic books.
“So we knew we wanted to include him in the movie in a way that was more significant than just a passing moment but in fact give him a real moment that drives the plot forward and an emotional crux of the movie.”
Lord added: “We miss him already, we created that scene a year ago. So it carries a new significance now that Stan is gone but it always played warm.”
Lee did not get to see a finished cut of the film due to ill-health. Miller and Lord revealed they went to his office in Los Angeles to record his voiceover for his scene.
Miller said: “He was really open and game to try just about anything and happy to be part of it and was such a positive spirit and boosted everyone’s morale at a time when everyone was working really hard.”