Spider-Man Reboot

As you all probably know by now (being geeks like me) the Spiderman series is getting a full reboot for 2011 or 2012. That's right, a complete recast, new director, a completely new direction.

Personally, though it seems way early for a whole reboot, there are a few things i'd like to see done differently with Spidey. I'd like a wittier Spiderman, who makes quips like his comic-self, and who is just a tad full of himself when in the suit. The peter parker in the old movies never seems really confident in himself, and i'd like it if he became so when Spiderman. I'd also like for him to be a bit more powerful, an actual challenge against supervillians. In the first spiderman we have, he stands no chance against the green goblin for most of their fight, and it's the same against Dr. Octopus in the second movie. The third movie, well, is the third movie. Likely the reason why there's a reboot in the first place.
Anyway, by powerful i don't necessarily mean stronger, but work with the Spidey Sense motif, make him far more flexible and acrobatic, Unhittable by all but the fastest. However, when he is hit, it should count. I'd also like for the webshooters to be artificial, just to show how smart Peter is even without powers.

In interviews, it's been said that It will focus more on his High School life, which could be interesting but i don't want it to become a teen drama. He's a Superhero that has real problems, but a Superhero nonetheless.
Last but not least the interviews said it would be a bit more 'gritty', which i'm hoping just means realistic, because spiderman in every form has always been the friendly neighborhood superhero. Batman he ain't, and shouldn't be. That's Batman's job.

I don't know if it's smart to be optimistic about a reboot so early, but it would definitely be interesting to see how it would play out. What actors do you think would make sense, and also, what Villain do you think could work for a first movie? They can't do Green goblin again, and if they do he'd have to be very different to be interesting. I like the Vulture, but he's not much of an interesting character, just a cool one, so he'd work better as the lesser of two villains. The one Spiderman defeats and makes him perhaps too cocky for his own good. For a full on main villain the Lizard might work better. he wouldn't fit in any realistic vision, but still.

 

Goblin has an armor on in addition to being as strong as Spidey, and on top of that he is more mobile than Spidey when he's on his glider. Peter's not supposed to stand a chance against him. And it's the first movie so he's not as quick with the dodges yet. Against Ock, Spidey could have handed his ass to him on the train and when Ock realized this he started hurling passengers in the air and sped up the train. His plan was to wear Pete out so he could take him to Harry alive, but when he failed to do it on his own he improvised and used the passengers to achieve his goal. Peter's ability as a fighter is hindered by having to care about civilians, and villains are quick to take advantage of this. So there! Don't you badmouth my Spidey!

 

I for one am disappointed by the return to high school in the reboot, and I think it's a mistake. Mass audiences are not, by and large, in high school; and while we've all been there and remember what it was like, it's not a setting that consistently draws interest or massive ticket sales.

Also, the character's name is Spider-Man, not Spiderman.

 

But it worked so well for the comic books!

... Oh wait, no it didn't.

 

... Oh wait, yes it did. Ultimate Spider-Man has been pretty hugely successful.

It's also a great example of the fact that high-school era Spidey can be done extremely well and in a way that is approachable to non-high-school-aged readers. "High school Spidey" doesn't HAVE to mean the Spidey by way of MTV that infested so much of Raimi's first film.

Would I rather see them tackle grown-up Spider-Man? Sure. But that doesn't mean taking him back to high school is an inherently bad idea.

Not to mention that if my some miraculous stroke of luck they work out a deal to involve Spidey in some of the Marvel movie crossover goodness, having a young Spider-Man heightens the drama of his problems integrating with other superheroes.

 

Here's a few other details that have been confirmed:

It will be released on July 3, 2012 in 3-D.

The director is Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer).

The writer is James Vanderbilt (Zodiac).

No one has been cast. The rumor that's been going around for a couple months is that Sony wants Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) as Peter Parker. However, I believe that Sony denied that claim.

 

Ugh...That is the only thing I can say about this. While the old trilogy really wasn't bad, I didn't think they were great either. I agree with those who say this is too early; In most of our minds, the old trilogy was just released and in two more years I think people will feel the same way. People can only take so much of one thing, like Megan Fox for example after the big "Transformers" over-promotion. I don't think people want to see more Spiderman. It had it's run and there should be at least another ten years before it is jumped into by someone else.

 

(500) Days of Summer was great.

Zodiac was magnificent.

But this... I couldn't care less about.

Batman 3 is going to curbstomp it at the box office...

 

The problem with most Superheroes is that nobody usually knows where to take them after thier origin story.

The Spider-Man series had good moments but Raimi made a number of missteps in what he chose to include and not include. Like so many directors who tackle this sort of thing, they get impatient and want to get to what they want to get to way too quickly. Thus we jumped to MJ without making the critical stop at Gwen Stacey.

And Spidey's one of the few superheroes that actually has something significant happen after his origin that's of some dramatic value.

Batman's the much richer character in the end, largely becuase his villian roster is that much more symbolic and resonant. Almost half of Spidey's villians are mad scientists. Batman's got a number of big headliners who appearance on the scene offer major character devlopments for Batman (mostly Two-Face, whose appearance on the scene gives a solid "Before/After" to Batman's career).

Spider-Man for me was once my favorite superhero. But looking back on it, its too early for a reboot now, and frankly nobody has a good enough idea on where that character should go and what feels right for him. His marriage to MJ feels like the "right" ending for him, and that happened many years ago without much happening in between that could work well on film. In the end Spider-Man's tale as it is, is really something that you have to fight to fill two films, let alone three. Which is the same as most Superheroes, if not less: they are thier origin story.

Batman's really the only superhero character that's dynamic enough to plot out three fully engaging films.

 

He's a human being, first and foremost, and the drama of his social circle has always been a central plot element of his story, and something that's been lacking in the films and for years in the comics. Whether he's in high-school, college or a full on photographer for higher, I always prefer his stories when they feature an rich supporting cast of friends who are equally as compelling as the villain story.

True, Spider-Man can't be Batman, nor should he ever be. But I don't see why his world can't be just as dark. If the core of his story is the struggle between a life he wants and the responsibility he never asked for, why can't the world he lives in be trying and sinister. This is the hero who began his journey because his Uncle's murder was a direct result of his complacency, whose girlfriend died because she got caught between him and his arch-nemesis, whose best friend literally drugged himself to death in a psychotic attempt to murder him. That's not a happy world, and part of the miracle of the character is that he can maintain a sense of humour despite all that. I don't mind grim and gritty.

I look forward to the possibilities of the reboot. I think the Raimi films have run their course, and I'm thankful they are over because the more I watch the more I see the wasted potential and how often the missed the mark. And hey...I am always up for another adaptation of Spider-Man.

 

I know we've talked about this before, but despite how much I love the Morlun/Ezekiel story arc, I don't see it as the central plot to a film any time soon.

Also can we please correct the title?

 

I solemnly predict the "Smallville"-ization of Spider-Man in the reboot.

 

1) Go read Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1 right now.
2) The creator's of Smallville acknowledge borrowing many elements of Spider-Man, or at least similarities to his story. The Lex story always felt more Harry Osborn than Lex Luthor. The good friend of the series hero, is the son of the series antagonist. The friend's relationship with the antagonist and protagonist eventually lead him down a road of troubled psychosis until the friend finally turns and becomes a villain himself etc etc.
3) Smallville creators Gough and Miller were two of the screenwriters behind the highly praised Spider-Man 2.
4) Go read Ultimate Spider-Man...seriously. Oh and watch Spectacular Spider-Man.

And its not like they would be completely re-imagining the character. Between the Lee/Ditko/early-Romita-Sr. era of the comics and Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man series there is more than enough material to work with or take their cue from.

 

I mean to say I doubt its a story they would do at all, which is unfortunate because its a personal favorite. Not so much the totemic stuff, but definitely the relentless villain and the friend you don't know you can trust.

 

Comic books are all about rebooting so it makes sense that comic book movies would tread in that direction, although obviously the financial gamble is much higher.

 

Apparently there's five finalists for the lead.

I think they should go for Ehrenreich. He's young, talented, and if they're going for teen appeal then he's the best looking of the five.

 

Sadly I am only vaguely familiar with Dillane and the rest I don't think I know at all.

Beyond being young, slightly (believably) nerdy looking and a better than decent actor (all requirements for the role IMO), I really hope they cast someone with a sense of humour and biting wit. I still feel that was sorely lacking in the Raimi series and if you are going to start over, bring back Spidey's wit. I want to see him drive a villain so crazy with his banter the villain basically defeats himself out of pure frustration.

 

This.

Also, I'm leery of the Brits on that list, simply because I think younger actors will have a hard time sounding authentically American enough for Peter Parker.

I know Bale and Oldman didn't have perfect accents either, but those were tolerable because Bruce comes from an aristocratic background and because Gary Oldman is awesome enough that he could have done the character in his natural accent and I probably wouldn't have cared (see Ramius, Marko).

But I don't think I can stand to listen to a movie full of overcompensating hard Rs from Peterr Parrkerr.

 

I'm happy that they are rebooting this because the last film sucked big time.

 

I'm happy they're rebooting it too, because yes, the last one was not only awful - but way too long. And Tobey Maguire, who is a great actor, was simply getting too old to keep playing Peter Parker. I regard Spiderman II as one of the high water marks of comic book hero movies.

Of the list of 5, Josh Hutcherson easily gets my vote. He's got the looks, and the resume, to take on the role. Plus, he's definitely the right age, which is crucial given that they're going back to high school with the character.

 

Oh no no no, please not Hutcherson. Dude is beyond annoying. Get Evan Peters from Kick-Ass. He's young enough and considerably less irritating.

And Elena Satine for Mary Jane. Also less annoying than frontrunner Emma Stone. I simply don't get all the love she attracts.