As soon as it was announced that Sam Raimi was off Spider-Man 4 I was e-mailed by three different friends in the film industry, and they all said the same name for the next director:
Marc Webb.
He’s the guy who did (500) Days of Summer, and he is the hottest young director today. Hollywood is like a big momma bird to him, and they’re just trying to shove money down his little baby bird beak. Offers come at this dude from every side; it’s like watching the end of a gang bang video, just money shot after money shot.
Now Michael Fleming is reporting Webb as the frontrunner, but I don’t know if this is real or not. I don’t doubt that Sony has Webb on their list, and when you get three industry types all coming to you with the same name within hours of the initial news break, you know that this guy is on Hollywood’s mind. But what does that mean?
For one thing Webb has to think hard about what kind of career he wants. Signing on to Spider-Man Love Mary Jane: The Motion Picture means the next few years of his life are spoken for. That’s great on one hand, but if you’re not looking to be just a blockbuster director that’s kind of a scary proposition. But who knows what Webb wants to do – he’s only made one movie so far, although he’s done a bunch of videos and stuff. Maybe he never wants to go to Sundance again.
What’s really intriguing to me is that Webb feels like a split down the middle decision – he is stylish (I didn’t really like (500) Days of Summer very much, but it looks good and it essentially works. Most of my problems were deep script issues, like finding the whole film’s conceit irritating), but he’s new. He can perhaps bring good work to Spider-Man – he’s no paycheck hack (we think) but he’s also new enough that Sony can boss him around.
So that’s the good news, that Sony isn’t going for just anybody who can get the film in the can for a 2012 release. That said, I would be more excited if (500) Days of Summer wasn’t a glib rip-off of Annie Hall.
22 comments
Hopefully this means Spidey will be played by Joseph Gordon L; one of the best young actors in Hollywood today. I'm so happy i could cry.
JGL was rumored for the role in case Tobey didn't come back for Spidey 4 (sorta like the Jake G situation from Spidey 2), but if they're going the high school route, it ain't going to work since he's way too old. My guess is they'll get someone like Anton Yelchin, or even David Henrie.
^Won't happen. Levitt is 30 years old, this is going to be entirely high school set. My guess (as bad as it sounds) is that it's going to be Taylor Lautner or someone like that.
As much a s I love JGL, great actor (except in Killshot, wtf was that??!!), but he's a bit too mature for the role at this point. Andrew Garfield is the best I can think of off the top of my head for a Peter Parker who can start socially awkward and develop into something of a cool well adjusted guy, an arc Maguire and his nebbishly bland one note Parker never bothered with. And Marc Webb, while a bit of a mystery in terms of this kind of film, seems like a fairly solid choice in a field where option are very slim. I really liked 500 Days of Summer, despite it's flaws it was chock full of honest emotion.
frankly I'm still stunned that they're rebooting spiderman so soon. I actually grew up with tobey-parker, despite my issues with the films, he kind of grew on me as spidey. Now an entire generation of kids who loved the spidey films are being told to fuck off. Damn…
devin, i just recently caught (500) days of summer and read your review for it; and i have to say your assessment of that film is really off. You compare it as a "glib annie hall" and besides it being in new york and concerning the budding (and eventual death) of a relationship, the movies are totally different. Annie Hall trumps (500) in a lot of ways (like slightly more intelligent dialogue), but (500) actually is a much better movie than Annie Hall in many ways(like an ACTUAL relationship and not just the trappings of two neurotic people). And thats saying a lot since it is one of Woody's best
So I just looked at Marc Webb's IMDB page and am still scratching my head as to how, with just ONE feature film under his belt, he is THE hot young director working today? That movie was well received, sure, but does that – along with directing some videos for Green Day and Jesse McCartney (cough) – qualify him to take over the biggest superhero franchise of all time?
Jesus #7. Fucking relax man, who really gives a shit?
Age means shit in hollywood. hell, tobey was around 26 when he was cast in the original.. i dont know how many 26 year old you know in high school. gordon could pull it off. he still looks young. i just hope he's more of a smart ass. tobey was too emo and bitchy. XD
What the fuch are they doing to Spidey in that picture?! Is that something that was actually in a printed comic? Some villain did a Caligula on Spiderman in print???
This could get even worse than we already expect. I read a story earlier today saying that the rumor around town is they're looking to do a "grittier" take on Spidey. Fuck you. This "gritty" hard-on that the studios have for everything since Dark Knight is pathetic and clueless. Spiderman needs to be as far from gritty as possible.
For the record, that 'spidey getting his asshole pounded' graphic NEVER gets old. Bravo, sir! Bravo!
Hello, long time reader and first time commentator. I just wanted to say: Devin fucking rocks! Sure we don't always agree with him but at least he's honest, as honest as anyone can be whilst reporting for a living. And yeah he's wrong sometimes too but that makes him, in my opinion, an even better writer. Did he actually want Avatar to fail? No. Did he actually say it would? No. He simply took a stand. He said that the film was mediocre, and if we are honest with ourselves it fucking well was. Other than awesome graphics it was just scifi hash warmed over. Passable, yet bland. It does speak to Cameron's genius that he recognized ten years ago that all would take to get the highest gross in box office history is a pallette of neon colors and awesome PS3 style graphics. It's a shame the current generation of movie goers don't give a shit about anything other than style. Devin, you rock! Keep on giving us your best. And don't let dumbass fucking trollz get you down, you can spit on their graves long after the twins anger and stress drop an aneurism on the message boards of their minds and send those trollz str8 to hell to hang out with Hitler and the LoLCaTz. Keep on keeping on…
Comment #6:"but (500) actually is a much better movie than Annie Hall in many ways". Get off the internet. Now.
actually agree with #6….although annie hall is one of my favorite movies ever, you never really see a time when diane keaton and woody allens characters are happy….at least you get that with joseph gordon levitt and zooey deschanel
(500) Days of Summer is a cheeseball groaner resting on the laurels of its indie window dressing. Rearrange the scenes in a linear manner and the script would read like any dime a dozen romantic comedy from a Hollywood slush pile. Deschanel and Levitt are both charismatic actors, but their characters are vapid and the only way the movie knows how to make them seem engaging is by constantly reminding us of their fashionable taste in music. Seriously, what type of karaoke bar has the Pixes but not Bruce Springsteen? Anyway, good on this guy for potentially becoming a bajillionaire. Hope he has a good second unit director.
so the new directer is getting vomit fed from its mom while simultaneously getting covered in the jizz from all of hollywoods most desperate.. one indie director to the next.. can't wait for the new spiderman..
#17 THAT was an incredible observation…..and to #7; i kinda have the same question; why is the guy with 1 feature getting this? is it BECAUSE sony can push him around? how does one movie get you a franchise? (granted i havn't seen 500….)
7896 hours of summer was a smug load of shit. Annoying and phony at every turn. Horrible film. He will be perfect for Spidey High.
Sounds like they are going the Ultimate route with Spidey. Which initially was him in high school, compteing with Eddie Brock (Venom is a horrible baddie imo, no depth) and being generally angsty. but hey, I'll watch anything that doesn't have Kirsten Dunst in it.
Im kind of surprised that there hasnt been more backlash against Sony for how they've treated Raimi. I say good riddance to Sony. I think Raimi has made the right choice and moved on to bigger/better projects.
they're really gonna call it spider-man loves mary jane (or whatever) that sound like a stupid-ass title. As I did have some issues with Raimi's directing (the load of crap that spidey 3 was it was mostly writing and storie development that made it terrible (3 villains really?)he actually did a nice job with directing) did a decent job I had come to really like the franchise. I'm gonna have some trouble adjusting to him in high-school and letting go of tobey and the rest of the cast ('cept kirsten she can go die in a hole) I will very well see it but I can't say I'll probably like. and one more question how will he have a villain? I haven't read any of the early comics but does he really have a nemesis in the first few? hmmm…
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