OK, we doubted new Vulture writer, Claude Brodesser-Akner, last week and evidently we won’t be doing this again.
Us: This morning, one of our trusty sources says, Marc Webb will direct “Spider-Man,” a “deal is definitely being worked out now” (you’ll recall we knew Marc Webb wasn’t getting “Moneyball” earlier this year when everyone else said he was…though it was close at one point).
So we fumbled around trying to find more sources, to double-confirm, etc… and too late.
Claude Brodesser-Akner is on it again. He says, “Sony will imminently announce a deal with “(500) Days of Summer” director Marc Webb to direct not one, but three ‘Spider-Man’ movies in a rebooted franchise that will focus far more on the private life of Peter Parker.”
Update: It’s official, Sony just put out a press release (Coming Soon just copied and pasted it). The studio says this:
At its core, Spider-Man is a small, intimate human story about an everyday teenager that takes place in an epic super-human world. The key for us as we sought a new director was to identify filmmakers who could give sharp focus to Peter Parker’s life. We wanted someone who could capture the awe of being in Peter’s shoes so the audience could experience his sense of discovery while giving real heart to the emotion, anxiety, and recklessness of that age and coupling all of that with the adrenaline of Spider-Man’s adventure. We believe Marc Webb is the perfect choice to bring us on that journey.”
Webb was said to be one of the main candidates for the “Spider-Man” gig last week, which had some people puzzled, but Sony did come close to giving Webb “Moneyball” earlier this year (way earlier than the original reports apparently), and we’re told they would like to continue being in the “Marc Webb business” (Vulture pretty much says the same, Sony’s Amy Pascal is a fan).
Vulture says one of the reasons they’re also after the talented director is that he’s inexpensive compared to most directors they could hire for this job. And after “500 Days of Summer,” he’s proved he can handle the 20-something experience, that in many ways is not far off the teenage one, and that’s definitely the thinking now.
If “Spider-Man” goes angsty and moody (not like some of the Sam Raimi films weren’t), Webb is adept with this tone. Evidently his deal will be “$10 million for the first film, with substantial bonuses built in if the picture reaches certain box-office milestones” (to contrast, Raimi was reportedly getting 25% of the gross which is a pretty, pretty penny).
Congrats to him. It’s an interesting choice, a little bit off the beaten path, but we’re always ok with that. Note, Sony does not mention the three “Spider-Man” films in their press release and there is a reason for this…