Andrew Garfield and Marc Webb, back together again.
Have you been worried about who will direct the sequel to “The Amazing Spider-Man?” That could be either “worried that Marc Webb won’t return” or “worried that Marc Webb will return.” Well, if you were in the former camp, then put your fears to rest–according to The Hollywood Reporter, Webb has agreed to direct the sequel. Andrew Garfield is also officially on board to return as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, with Emma Stone supposedly in talks to reprise her role as Gwen Stacy. That seems a little weird, as I thought those two had signed on for a sequel when they were cast in the first movie, but okay, fine; maybe they’re pushing for more money.
That apparently was the hold up with Webb–he was paid $1 million for the first movie, and after it was reasonably well received, was looking for a pay raise (it did fine for an average summer superhero movie, but its box office pales in comparison to the original “Spider-Man” movies, even the heartily disliked third one). Considering that a high paycheck was a large part of the reason Sony was happy to part ways with Sam Raimi, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if the two sides hadn’t been able to come to an agreement, leaving the studio to happily dig around in the bargain bin again. But I guess they worked it all out; Webb is still probably a bargain compared to many others.
The screenplay is by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner, based on a previous draft by James Vanderbilt. Filming is set to begin in early 2013 for a May 2, 2014 release.
