The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 film)
Encyclopedia
The Amazing Spider-Man is an upcoming American superhero film
based on the comic book of the same name
that is currently in post-production. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures
film based on the Marvel Comics
character Spider-Man
and the first film in a rebooted Spider-Man film franchise. The film is being directed by Marc Webb
. The cast includes Andrew Garfield
as Peter Parker
, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
and Rhys Ifans
as Dr. Curt Connors
. The film will portray Peter Parker as he is developing his super powers in high school. It is scheduled to be released in 3D
and IMAX 3D on July 3, 2012.
Unlike the original films it was reported that J. Jonah Jameson
would not appear in this film. Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee
has a cameo, as he did in the previous films, which will involve him in an action scene and which he referred to as his "best, most unusual one yet!" At the 2011 Dallas Comic-Con
, Lee enthusiastically talked about his cameo. He will play a librarian listening to music on his headphones while stamping books and dancing at the same time, despite the on-going fight between Spider-Man and The Lizard.
announced that the franchise would be rebooted with a new director and new cast. The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled to be released on July 3, 2012 in 3-D
and is intended to focus on Peter Parker
developing his abilities in high school. Avi Arad
, Laura Ziskin
and Matt Tolmach (who were always involved with the franchise) were confirmed to produce the film. Sony also confirmed that James Vanderbilt
would write the script for the new film. Entertainment Weekly
called Vanderbilt's script "gritty, contemporary" and referenced Batman Begins
, Christopher Nolan
's reboot of the Batman film series, which also reinvented the tone of the series. Alvin Sargent
was then hired to fine-tune the script. Marc Webb
, whose previous film (500) Days of Summer was his directorial debut, was confirmed to direct the reboot. The co-chairman of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal
, and the president of Sony Pictures of Matt Tolmach of Sony Entertainment stated that "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." Marc Webb stated that he is was first hesitant about directing the film but then he said to himself "How could I walk away from this? What an opportunity! What better cinematic character is there than Spidey!" Marc also commented that it is also a dream come true and that he couldn’t be more aware of the challenge, responsibility, or opportunity. Webb also had this to say about the comparison of his and Sam Raimi
's work as a director of a Spider-Man film:
There has also been speculation that the reboot will be based on the Ultimate Spider-Man
comics. Evidence includes the fact that Brian Michael Bendis
, creator of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, met with the movie crew. Bendis tweeted
, "Just spent a very interesting morning at Sony with the entire spidey movie team!! Very very cool stuff!!"
, Josh Hutcherson
, Frank Dillane, Alden Ehrenreich
and Andrew Garfield
, and in June 2010 the Los Angeles Times
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Aaron Johnson and Anton Yelchin
. The final shortlist was reported to also include Logan Lerman
and Michael Angarano
. On June 27, 2010, the final and confirmed short list was announced: Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Aaron Johnson, Andrew Garfield, Logan Lerman, and Alden Ehrenreich. On July 1, 2010, it was confirmed that the role would go to Andrew Garfield. Webb stated that though his name may be new to many he is a talented actor to those who know his work. He also stated: "He that has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker." Producer Avi Arad
said that they were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer and they felt like they found that with Andrew Garfield while producer Laura Ziskin
said that in the end the developers have all agreed that Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth and pathos along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen."
Currently, Garfield is 27, which raised concerns about his ability to play a high school student. The website HitFix reported that Sony realized this and thus the new movie may instead have Parker starting the series as a college student, but Entertainment Weekly
later reported that the film is still set in high school. Sony also held auditions for the role of a young Peter Parker, somebody who would resemble Andrew Garfield in looks.
It was reported originally that the film would feature both Mary Jane Watson
and Gwen Stacy
as love interests, but the website The Wrap later reported that only Gwen Stacy will appear in the film. In August 2010, the list of actresses to play the love interest included Imogen Poots
, Ophelia Lovibond
, Lily Collins
, Teresa Palmer
, and Emma Roberts
, and in September 2010 Variety
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Emma Stone and Mia Wasikowska
. The shortlist was reported to also include Dianna Agron
, Georgina Haig, and Dominique McElligott
. On October 5, 2010, it was confirmed that the role of Gwen Stacy would go to Emma Stone. Tolmach said that her on screen spark is perfect for the role. Marc Webb also said that the chemistry between Emma and Garfield is what made her the clear choice.
Reportedly Sony was interested in casting Christoph Waltz
as the villain of the film, however Waltz's representatives denied his involvement. Michael Fassbender
was also linked to the villain role before signing on to play Magneto
in X-Men: First Class
. On October 11, 2010, Rhys Ifans
was confirmed to be the unnamed villain in the film. On October 13, 2010, it was reported that Rhys Ifans will be playing Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. the Lizard. The producer Avi Arad has admitted to Empire
interviewers that the Lizard is his favorite Spider-Man villain and that he has always wanted to do the Lizard as the villain of the film and that it was a dream come true that he was the chosen villain. Long before the villain was commited to the script, Arvi already had conceptual drawings prepared for the Lizard to be the villain. Steve Kloves
, a screenwriter that was commonly involved with the Harry Potter film series
and who originally turned down the role, decided to be involved with tuning up the script with Alvin Sargent since he knew Alvin and the producer Laura Ziskin, who died during the production of the film, and would decide to do them a favor at making the film good just like they wanted. He also wanted to write for Emma Stone. Steve mostly focused on character and dialogue concentrating on Emma's characters as Gwen Stacy and some of Garfield's character as well.
. The 90-day film shoot also includes two weeks in New York City
, while the bulk of filming occurred in and around Los Angeles, including such locations as the Henry Fonda Theater
in Hollywood, St. John Bosco High School
's Gym, Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Mid-Wilshire
, and various locations around South Pasadena
, San Pedro, and Woodland Hills. Sony Entertainment spokesman Steve Elzer says "this is the first fourth Spider-Man production we have shot primarily in Los Angeles and for good reason, the crews here are the best in the world but there is a comfort level in producing a project of this size and scope on your own backlot." He continued, "Basing the film on the lot also makes it easier for producers to interact with Sony’s in-house visual effects team, and gives the studios greater control of quality and security."
The film will also be the first Hollywood production to be filmed with the RED Epic camera, and is being shot in 3-D at 5K resolution. Cinematographer, John Schwartzman
had this to say about the camera:
Schwartzman also felt that the 3D of the film would have been more impossible without it. He said "I can tell you without these cameras it would be impossible to move a 3D rig in the ways that THIS story demands, if Jim and the crew hadn't made these cameras available to us I don't think we could have shot this movie the way our director envisioned it in 3D."
Stunt performer
of the film included the Armstrong family, Vic Armstrong
and Andy Armstrong
. Andrew Garfield was reported to be involved with some of the stunts as well. The actor was even reported to have a tissue
in his nose suffering a nosebleed from his swinging in New York City.
While filming in New York the crew built a whole rig hundreds of feet long over Riverside Drive
in Harlem
. While there they swung a man through traffic down the street. Andy Armstrong also built a car rig with a series of wires to help with effects which also requires also an incredible wealth of acrobatics
.
Webb, commenting about his challenge of his work: "One of the things we tried to do was keep the stunt
s more grounded physically and that was a huge challenge because you have a character whose abilities are superhuman
. How do you do that in a way that's convincing and real? We had a really great stunt team, the Armstrongs, who were vigilant in the creation — with Andrew — of a physical language that felt grounded but also extraordinary. We spent months and months and months developing rigs so he could swing in a way that wasn’t computer-generated. Obviously there’s going to be enhancements and CG
[sequences], but it's based in a physical reality and that's a new technique [for this film brand].
was being wrapped up and post-production
would begin in May.
While in post-production, Marc Webb explained that he wanted to create a new 3-D experience for Spider-Man stating: "Because we're shooting in 3D, I wanted to conceive of certain things very specifically for 3D. There's an experiential component to 3D that's fascinating and we're experimenting with generating that point of view – so you feel what Peter Parker feels, you feel what Spider-Man feels when he's jumping over buildings and over the streets, that sort of thing. But we made a very, and Andrew had to pay the price for this, very conscious effort to ground stunts."
and aired at the San Diego Comic-Con at July 2011 while being attached to the superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger
. Rob Keyes of Screen Rant felt that "it takes on a noticeably different tone from that of Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire
trilogy of Spider-Man movies, and presents itself in a similar fashion to what Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins
." Germain Lussier of /Film
felt that the trailer makes it feel like a small film when judging with all the leaked photos of filming going on that it is going to be a big film. He commented that the trailer makes it look more like "a superhero Twilight
." He states that "this is a big action movie
with massive practical effects all shot in painstaking 3D with a hefty price tag. This trailer really doesn’t sell that." Also in websites such as Kotaku
, along with Nathan Irvine from GamesRadar
and Movies.com
's Peter Hall have accused the trailer of blatantly ripping off the 2008 video game Mirror's Edge
when Spider-Man is swinging in the city in a POV shot
after noticing the resemblance between it and the game.
, the development team behind the previous two Spider-Man games, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
and Spider-Man: Edge of Time
. During New York Comic Con a producer at Activision
, Doug Header stated that the game will take place after the events of the movie. Heder realizing his mixed reviews with his last video game, promising that the video game will find a different fate, thanks to its lengthy development time. The video game has been reported to be in development by Gerard Lehiany, the creative director of Beenox. The game is planned to be be released in Summer 2012 sometime near the film comes out. The first concept artwork of the game was released on November 10, 2011. According to GameStop
, the game will "Go beyond the movie to experience what it's like to BE Spider-Man like never before. Set shortly after the events of Columbia Pictures' new film, The Amazing Spider-Man throws New York City's brand new hero back into free-roaming, web-slinging action, as he protects the Big Apple from a deluge of unimaginable threats. Experience the new Web Rush mechanic as Spidey twists his way through the NYC skyline with unprecedented speed and grace. The game's original story also explores beautiful indoor environments, as you'll encounter everything from skirmishes with everyday street thugs to pulse-pounding confrontations with Spider-Man's most lethal foes."
to write the screenplay.
based on the comic book of the same name
that is currently in post-production. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures
film based on the Marvel Comics
character Spider-Man
and the first film in a rebooted Spider-Man film franchise. The film is being directed by Marc Webb
. The cast includes Andrew Garfield
as Peter Parker
, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
and Rhys Ifans
as Dr. Curt Connors
. The film will portray Peter Parker as he is developing his super powers in high school. It is scheduled to be released in 3D
and IMAX 3D on July 3, 2012.
Unlike the original films it was reported that J. Jonah Jameson
would not appear in this film. Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee
has a cameo, as he did in the previous films, which will involve him in an action scene and which he referred to as his "best, most unusual one yet!" At the 2011 Dallas Comic-Con
, Lee enthusiastically talked about his cameo. He will play a librarian listening to music on his headphones while stamping books and dancing at the same time, despite the on-going fight between Spider-Man and The Lizard.
announced that the franchise would be rebooted with a new director and new cast. The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled to be released on July 3, 2012 in 3-D
and is intended to focus on Peter Parker
developing his abilities in high school. Avi Arad
, Laura Ziskin
and Matt Tolmach (who were always involved with the franchise) were confirmed to produce the film. Sony also confirmed that James Vanderbilt
would write the script for the new film. Entertainment Weekly
called Vanderbilt's script "gritty, contemporary" and referenced Batman Begins
, Christopher Nolan
's reboot of the Batman film series, which also reinvented the tone of the series. Alvin Sargent
was then hired to fine-tune the script. Marc Webb
, whose previous film (500) Days of Summer was his directorial debut, was confirmed to direct the reboot. The co-chairman of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal
, and the president of Sony Pictures of Matt Tolmach of Sony Entertainment stated that "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." Marc Webb stated that he is was first hesitant about directing the film but then he said to himself "How could I walk away from this? What an opportunity! What better cinematic character is there than Spidey!" Marc also commented that it is also a dream come true and that he couldn’t be more aware of the challenge, responsibility, or opportunity. Webb also had this to say about the comparison of his and Sam Raimi
's work as a director of a Spider-Man film:
There has also been speculation that the reboot will be based on the Ultimate Spider-Man
comics. Evidence includes the fact that Brian Michael Bendis
, creator of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, met with the movie crew. Bendis tweeted
, "Just spent a very interesting morning at Sony with the entire spidey movie team!! Very very cool stuff!!"
, Josh Hutcherson
, Frank Dillane, Alden Ehrenreich
and Andrew Garfield
, and in June 2010 the Los Angeles Times
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Aaron Johnson and Anton Yelchin
. The final shortlist was reported to also include Logan Lerman
and Michael Angarano
. On June 27, 2010, the final and confirmed short list was announced: Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Aaron Johnson, Andrew Garfield, Logan Lerman, and Alden Ehrenreich. On July 1, 2010, it was confirmed that the role would go to Andrew Garfield. Webb stated that though his name may be new to many he is a talented actor to those who know his work. He also stated: "He that has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker." Producer Avi Arad
said that they were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer and they felt like they found that with Andrew Garfield while producer Laura Ziskin
said that in the end the developers have all agreed that Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth and pathos along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen."
Currently, Garfield is 27, which raised concerns about his ability to play a high school student. The website HitFix reported that Sony realized this and thus the new movie may instead have Parker starting the series as a college student, but Entertainment Weekly
later reported that the film is still set in high school. Sony also held auditions for the role of a young Peter Parker, somebody who would resemble Andrew Garfield in looks.
It was reported originally that the film would feature both Mary Jane Watson
and Gwen Stacy
as love interests, but the website The Wrap later reported that only Gwen Stacy will appear in the film. In August 2010, the list of actresses to play the love interest included Imogen Poots
, Ophelia Lovibond
, Lily Collins
, Teresa Palmer
, and Emma Roberts
, and in September 2010 Variety
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Emma Stone and Mia Wasikowska
. The shortlist was reported to also include Dianna Agron
, Georgina Haig, and Dominique McElligott
. On October 5, 2010, it was confirmed that the role of Gwen Stacy would go to Emma Stone. Tolmach said that her on screen spark is perfect for the role. Marc Webb also said that the chemistry between Emma and Garfield is what made her the clear choice.
Reportedly Sony was interested in casting Christoph Waltz
as the villain of the film, however Waltz's representatives denied his involvement. Michael Fassbender
was also linked to the villain role before signing on to play Magneto
in X-Men: First Class
. On October 11, 2010, Rhys Ifans
was confirmed to be the unnamed villain in the film. On October 13, 2010, it was reported that Rhys Ifans will be playing Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. the Lizard. The producer Avi Arad has admitted to Empire
interviewers that the Lizard is his favorite Spider-Man villain and that he has always wanted to do the Lizard as the villain of the film and that it was a dream come true that he was the chosen villain. Long before the villain was commited to the script, Arvi already had conceptual drawings prepared for the Lizard to be the villain. Steve Kloves
, a screenwriter that was commonly involved with the Harry Potter film series
and who originally turned down the role, decided to be involved with tuning up the script with Alvin Sargent since he knew Alvin and the producer Laura Ziskin, who died during the production of the film, and would decide to do them a favor at making the film good just like they wanted. He also wanted to write for Emma Stone. Steve mostly focused on character and dialogue concentrating on Emma's characters as Gwen Stacy and some of Garfield's character as well.
. The 90-day film shoot also includes two weeks in New York City
, while the bulk of filming occurred in and around Los Angeles, including such locations as the Henry Fonda Theater
in Hollywood, St. John Bosco High School
's Gym, Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Mid-Wilshire
, and various locations around South Pasadena
, San Pedro, and Woodland Hills. Sony Entertainment spokesman Steve Elzer says "this is the first fourth Spider-Man production we have shot primarily in Los Angeles and for good reason, the crews here are the best in the world but there is a comfort level in producing a project of this size and scope on your own backlot." He continued, "Basing the film on the lot also makes it easier for producers to interact with Sony’s in-house visual effects team, and gives the studios greater control of quality and security."
The film will also be the first Hollywood production to be filmed with the RED Epic camera, and is being shot in 3-D at 5K resolution. Cinematographer, John Schwartzman
had this to say about the camera:
Schwartzman also felt that the 3D of the film would have been more impossible without it. He said "I can tell you without these cameras it would be impossible to move a 3D rig in the ways that THIS story demands, if Jim and the crew hadn't made these cameras available to us I don't think we could have shot this movie the way our director envisioned it in 3D."
Stunt performer
of the film included the Armstrong family, Vic Armstrong
and Andy Armstrong
. Andrew Garfield was reported to be involved with some of the stunts as well. The actor was even reported to have a tissue
in his nose suffering a nosebleed from his swinging in New York City.
While filming in New York the crew built a whole rig hundreds of feet long over Riverside Drive
in Harlem
. While there they swung a man through traffic down the street. Andy Armstrong also built a car rig with a series of wires to help with effects which also requires also an incredible wealth of acrobatics
.
Webb, commenting about his challenge of his work: "One of the things we tried to do was keep the stunt
s more grounded physically and that was a huge challenge because you have a character whose abilities are superhuman
. How do you do that in a way that's convincing and real? We had a really great stunt team, the Armstrongs, who were vigilant in the creation — with Andrew — of a physical language that felt grounded but also extraordinary. We spent months and months and months developing rigs so he could swing in a way that wasn’t computer-generated. Obviously there’s going to be enhancements and CG
[sequences], but it's based in a physical reality and that's a new technique [for this film brand].
was being wrapped up and post-production
would begin in May.
While in post-production, Marc Webb explained that he wanted to create a new 3-D experience for Spider-Man stating: "Because we're shooting in 3D, I wanted to conceive of certain things very specifically for 3D. There's an experiential component to 3D that's fascinating and we're experimenting with generating that point of view – so you feel what Peter Parker feels, you feel what Spider-Man feels when he's jumping over buildings and over the streets, that sort of thing. But we made a very, and Andrew had to pay the price for this, very conscious effort to ground stunts."
and aired at the San Diego Comic-Con at July 2011 while being attached to the superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger
. Rob Keyes of Screen Rant felt that "it takes on a noticeably different tone from that of Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire
trilogy of Spider-Man movies, and presents itself in a similar fashion to what Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins
." Germain Lussier of /Film
felt that the trailer makes it feel like a small film when judging with all the leaked photos of filming going on that it is going to be a big film. He commented that the trailer makes it look more like "a superhero Twilight
." He states that "this is a big action movie
with massive practical effects all shot in painstaking 3D with a hefty price tag. This trailer really doesn’t sell that." Also in websites such as Kotaku
, along with Nathan Irvine from GamesRadar
and Movies.com
's Peter Hall have accused the trailer of blatantly ripping off the 2008 video game Mirror's Edge
when Spider-Man is swinging in the city in a POV shot
after noticing the resemblance between it and the game.
, the development team behind the previous two Spider-Man games, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
and Spider-Man: Edge of Time
. During New York Comic Con a producer at Activision
, Doug Header stated that the game will take place after the events of the movie. Heder realizing his mixed reviews with his last video game, promising that the video game will find a different fate, thanks to its lengthy development time. The video game has been reported to be in development by Gerard Lehiany, the creative director of Beenox. The game is planned to be be released in Summer 2012 sometime near the film comes out. The first concept artwork of the game was released on November 10, 2011. According to GameStop
, the game will "Go beyond the movie to experience what it's like to BE Spider-Man like never before. Set shortly after the events of Columbia Pictures' new film, The Amazing Spider-Man throws New York City's brand new hero back into free-roaming, web-slinging action, as he protects the Big Apple from a deluge of unimaginable threats. Experience the new Web Rush mechanic as Spidey twists his way through the NYC skyline with unprecedented speed and grace. The game's original story also explores beautiful indoor environments, as you'll encounter everything from skirmishes with everyday street thugs to pulse-pounding confrontations with Spider-Man's most lethal foes."
to write the screenplay.
The Amazing Spider-Man is an upcoming American superhero film
based on the comic book of the same name
that is currently in post-production. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures
film based on the Marvel Comics
character Spider-Man
and the first film in a rebooted Spider-Man film franchise. The film is being directed by Marc Webb
. The cast includes Andrew Garfield
as Peter Parker
, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
and Rhys Ifans
as Dr. Curt Connors
. The film will portray Peter Parker as he is developing his super powers in high school. It is scheduled to be released in 3D
and IMAX 3D on July 3, 2012.
Unlike the original films it was reported that J. Jonah Jameson
would not appear in this film. Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee
has a cameo, as he did in the previous films, which will involve him in an action scene and which he referred to as his "best, most unusual one yet!" At the 2011 Dallas Comic-Con
, Lee enthusiastically talked about his cameo. He will play a librarian listening to music on his headphones while stamping books and dancing at the same time, despite the on-going fight between Spider-Man and The Lizard.
announced that the franchise would be rebooted with a new director and new cast. The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled to be released on July 3, 2012 in 3-D
and is intended to focus on Peter Parker
developing his abilities in high school. Avi Arad
, Laura Ziskin
and Matt Tolmach (who were always involved with the franchise) were confirmed to produce the film. Sony also confirmed that James Vanderbilt
would write the script for the new film. Entertainment Weekly
called Vanderbilt's script "gritty, contemporary" and referenced Batman Begins
, Christopher Nolan
's reboot of the Batman film series, which also reinvented the tone of the series. Alvin Sargent
was then hired to fine-tune the script. Marc Webb
, whose previous film (500) Days of Summer was his directorial debut, was confirmed to direct the reboot. The co-chairman of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal
, and the president of Sony Pictures of Matt Tolmach of Sony Entertainment stated that "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." Marc Webb stated that he is was first hesitant about directing the film but then he said to himself "How could I walk away from this? What an opportunity! What better cinematic character is there than Spidey!" Marc also commented that it is also a dream come true and that he couldn’t be more aware of the challenge, responsibility, or opportunity. Webb also had this to say about the comparison of his and Sam Raimi
's work as a director of a Spider-Man film:
There has also been speculation that the reboot will be based on the Ultimate Spider-Man
comics. Evidence includes the fact that Brian Michael Bendis
, creator of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, met with the movie crew. Bendis tweeted
, "Just spent a very interesting morning at Sony with the entire spidey movie team!! Very very cool stuff!!"
, Josh Hutcherson
, Frank Dillane, Alden Ehrenreich
and Andrew Garfield
, and in June 2010 the Los Angeles Times
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Aaron Johnson and Anton Yelchin
. The final shortlist was reported to also include Logan Lerman
and Michael Angarano
. On June 27, 2010, the final and confirmed short list was announced: Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Aaron Johnson, Andrew Garfield, Logan Lerman, and Alden Ehrenreich. On July 1, 2010, it was confirmed that the role would go to Andrew Garfield. Webb stated that though his name may be new to many he is a talented actor to those who know his work. He also stated: "He that has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker." Producer Avi Arad
said that they were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer and they felt like they found that with Andrew Garfield while producer Laura Ziskin
said that in the end the developers have all agreed that Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth and pathos along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen."
Currently, Garfield is 27, which raised concerns about his ability to play a high school student. The website HitFix reported that Sony realized this and thus the new movie may instead have Parker starting the series as a college student, but Entertainment Weekly
later reported that the film is still set in high school. Sony also held auditions for the role of a young Peter Parker, somebody who would resemble Andrew Garfield in looks.
It was reported originally that the film would feature both Mary Jane Watson
and Gwen Stacy
as love interests, but the website The Wrap later reported that only Gwen Stacy will appear in the film. In August 2010, the list of actresses to play the love interest included Imogen Poots
, Ophelia Lovibond
, Lily Collins
, Teresa Palmer
, and Emma Roberts
, and in September 2010 Variety
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Emma Stone and Mia Wasikowska
. The shortlist was reported to also include Dianna Agron
, Georgina Haig, and Dominique McElligott
. On October 5, 2010, it was confirmed that the role of Gwen Stacy would go to Emma Stone. Tolmach said that her on screen spark is perfect for the role. Marc Webb also said that the chemistry between Emma and Garfield is what made her the clear choice.
Reportedly Sony was interested in casting Christoph Waltz
as the villain of the film, however Waltz's representatives denied his involvement. Michael Fassbender
was also linked to the villain role before signing on to play Magneto
in X-Men: First Class
. On October 11, 2010, Rhys Ifans
was confirmed to be the unnamed villain in the film. On October 13, 2010, it was reported that Rhys Ifans will be playing Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. the Lizard. The producer Avi Arad has admitted to Empire
interviewers that the Lizard is his favorite Spider-Man villain and that he has always wanted to do the Lizard as the villain of the film and that it was a dream come true that he was the chosen villain. Long before the villain was commited to the script, Arvi already had conceptual drawings prepared for the Lizard to be the villain. Steve Kloves
, a screenwriter that was commonly involved with the Harry Potter film series
and who originally turned down the role, decided to be involved with tuning up the script with Alvin Sargent since he knew Alvin and the producer Laura Ziskin, who died during the production of the film, and would decide to do them a favor at making the film good just like they wanted. He also wanted to write for Emma Stone. Steve mostly focused on character and dialogue concentrating on Emma's characters as Gwen Stacy and some of Garfield's character as well.
. The 90-day film shoot also includes two weeks in New York City
, while the bulk of filming occurred in and around Los Angeles, including such locations as the Henry Fonda Theater
in Hollywood, St. John Bosco High School
's Gym, Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Mid-Wilshire
, and various locations around South Pasadena
, San Pedro, and Woodland Hills. Sony Entertainment spokesman Steve Elzer says "this is the first fourth Spider-Man production we have shot primarily in Los Angeles and for good reason, the crews here are the best in the world but there is a comfort level in producing a project of this size and scope on your own backlot." He continued, "Basing the film on the lot also makes it easier for producers to interact with Sony’s in-house visual effects team, and gives the studios greater control of quality and security."
The film will also be the first Hollywood production to be filmed with the RED Epic camera, and is being shot in 3-D at 5K resolution. Cinematographer, John Schwartzman
had this to say about the camera:
Schwartzman also felt that the 3D of the film would have been more impossible without it. He said "I can tell you without these cameras it would be impossible to move a 3D rig in the ways that THIS story demands, if Jim and the crew hadn't made these cameras available to us I don't think we could have shot this movie the way our director envisioned it in 3D."
Stunt performer
of the film included the Armstrong family, Vic Armstrong
and Andy Armstrong
. Andrew Garfield was reported to be involved with some of the stunts as well. The actor was even reported to have a tissue
in his nose suffering a nosebleed from his swinging in New York City.
While filming in New York the crew built a whole rig hundreds of feet long over Riverside Drive
in Harlem
. While there they swung a man through traffic down the street. Andy Armstrong also built a car rig with a series of wires to help with effects which also requires also an incredible wealth of acrobatics
.
Webb, commenting about his challenge of his work: "One of the things we tried to do was keep the stunt
s more grounded physically and that was a huge challenge because you have a character whose abilities are superhuman
. How do you do that in a way that's convincing and real? We had a really great stunt team, the Armstrongs, who were vigilant in the creation — with Andrew — of a physical language that felt grounded but also extraordinary. We spent months and months and months developing rigs so he could swing in a way that wasn’t computer-generated. Obviously there’s going to be enhancements and CG
[sequences], but it's based in a physical reality and that's a new technique [for this film brand].
was being wrapped up and post-production
would begin in May.
While in post-production, Marc Webb explained that he wanted to create a new 3-D experience for Spider-Man stating: "Because we're shooting in 3D, I wanted to conceive of certain things very specifically for 3D. There's an experiential component to 3D that's fascinating and we're experimenting with generating that point of view – so you feel what Peter Parker feels, you feel what Spider-Man feels when he's jumping over buildings and over the streets, that sort of thing. But we made a very, and Andrew had to pay the price for this, very conscious effort to ground stunts."
and aired at the San Diego Comic-Con at July 2011 while being attached to the superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger
. Rob Keyes of Screen Rant felt that "it takes on a noticeably different tone from that of Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire
trilogy of Spider-Man movies, and presents itself in a similar fashion to what Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins
." Germain Lussier of /Film
felt that the trailer makes it feel like a small film when judging with all the leaked photos of filming going on that it is going to be a big film. He commented that the trailer makes it look more like "a superhero Twilight
." He states that "this is a big action movie
with massive practical effects all shot in painstaking 3D with a hefty price tag. This trailer really doesn’t sell that." Also in websites such as Kotaku
, along with Nathan Irvine from GamesRadar
and Movies.com
's Peter Hall have accused the trailer of blatantly ripping off the 2008 video game Mirror's Edge
when Spider-Man is swinging in the city in a POV shot
after noticing the resemblance between it and the game.
, the development team behind the previous two Spider-Man games, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
and Spider-Man: Edge of Time
. During New York Comic Con a producer at Activision
, Doug Header stated that the game will take place after the events of the movie. Heder realizing his mixed reviews with his last video game, promising that the video game will find a different fate, thanks to its lengthy development time. The video game has been reported to be in development by Gerard Lehiany, the creative director of Beenox. The game is planned to be be released in Summer 2012 sometime near the film comes out. The first concept artwork of the game was released on November 10, 2011. According to GameStop
, the game will "Go beyond the movie to experience what it's like to BE Spider-Man like never before. Set shortly after the events of Columbia Pictures' new film, The Amazing Spider-Man throws New York City's brand new hero back into free-roaming, web-slinging action, as he protects the Big Apple from a deluge of unimaginable threats. Experience the new Web Rush mechanic as Spidey twists his way through the NYC skyline with unprecedented speed and grace. The game's original story also explores beautiful indoor environments, as you'll encounter everything from skirmishes with everyday street thugs to pulse-pounding confrontations with Spider-Man's most lethal foes."
to write the screenplay.
Superhero film
A superhero film, superhero movie, or superhero motion picture is: action, fantasy and science fiction film; that is focused on the actions of one or more superheroes, individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities relative to a normal person and are dedicated to protecting the public...
based on the comic book of the same name
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
that is currently in post-production. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
film based on the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and the first film in a rebooted Spider-Man film franchise. The film is being directed by Marc Webb
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb is an American music video, short film and major motion picture director. He directed the 2009 romantic comedy-drama Days of Summer and is currently directing the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.-Life and career:Webb was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of...
. The cast includes Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
as Peter Parker
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
and Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
as Dr. Curt Connors
Lizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
. The film will portray Peter Parker as he is developing his super powers in high school. It is scheduled to be released in 3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and IMAX 3D on July 3, 2012.
Cast
- Andrew GarfieldAndrew GarfieldAndrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
as Peter Parker / Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
: A social outcast whose parents died early in his life. As a high school student, he is bitten by a radioactiveRadioactive decayRadioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom...
spider and gains spider-like abilities. Garfield, who was a fan of the comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s from the age of four growing up with them and the animated tv seriesSpider-Man (1994 TV series)Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
of Spider-Man and even dressing up as him. He said that he "related to Peter Parker [Spidey’s alter ego] so much because I felt like someone else inside." He also admitted that another part of the reason why he loved Spider-Man is because of Tobey MaguireTobey MaguireTobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
's portrayal of the character as well. He said that he respects Tobey as an actor and that when he first saw him play Spider-Man that he "was blown away by his interpretation." Garfield drew from his life experiences as the inspiration for the role, revealing, "I was thinking of my history and thinking of the kid at school who I wasn't as strong as, who behaved badly to a lot of people – including myself – and who I constantly tried to stand up to but never had the physical prowess to". On taking over the role, Garfield stated, "I see it as a massive challenge in many ways....To make it authentic. To make the character live and breathe in a new way. The audience already has a relationship with many different incarnations of the character. I do, as well. I'm probably going to be the guy in the movie theater shouting abuse at myself. But I have to let that go. No turning back. And I wouldn't want to". Also about his role he said, "I'm going to approach it like I approach any other role. I'm just going to work as much as I can, because it's been such an important symbol to me since I was four years old. It's meant so much to me, and it's given me so much hope as a skinny little streak of piss, who feels more powerful inside than he looks on the outside. Every skinnyUnderweightThe term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. "Underweight" means weighing less than what is expected to be a healthy person . The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index . A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight...
boy's dream. I'm very lucky." Andrew had to wear a spandexSpandexSpandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
suit for the role. About wearing the suit he said, "I have to kind of not look at my face because it doesn't make sense to me. I have to imagine that it's a much better actor's face in that suit... I won't lie. I shed a tear when I first wore the spandex. I didn't think that the spandex would make me so emotional, but it did." - Emma Stone as Gwen StacyGwen StacyGwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
: A high school classmate and love interest of Peter Parker. Emma dyeDyeA dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
d her hair blonde for the role of the character. She also felt that she had a responsibility to educate herself on the history of Spider-Man because she admitted she originally didn't know much about Spider-Man except for watching the first three films from Sam Raimi and seeing kids dress up as him in HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. After her role she expressed interest in Spider-Man, the character she played and the rest of the Marvel UniverseMarvel UniverseThe Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
that she was going to be involved with. Emma also had this to say about the fans who would be protective of Spider-Man and the character she plays: "There's a part of me that really wants to please people that love Spider-Man or Gwen Stacy and want her to be done justice. I hope they'll give me license to interpret her my way. But that fan base, I'm one of them, so I completely understand why they would be judgmental of certain things." - Rhys IfansRhys IfansRhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
as Dr. Curt Connors / The LizardLizard (comics)The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
: A scientist who tests lizardLizardLizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
serum on himself in an attempt to regain his missing right arm, which unexpectedly transforms him into a reptilian humanoid monster. In a September, 2011 interview, Ifans claimed that his character spends the majority of the film as a human. While filming for the 9-foot tall Lizard, Ifans was required to wear a CGI suit. Initially, a large stunt-double was used as a stand-in for the role but Ifans insisted on portraying the transformed character, to which Webb agreed. Commenting on the technology used to bring his character to life, Ifans continued "I had a green suit on, and then this cardboard head, and these big claws… Each and every time you see the Lizard, the technology is so advanced now that when the Lizard's eyes move, they're my eyes. If I frown or show any emotion, they're my emotions. That's how spectacularly advanced technology is." Rhys Ifans described the character that he is playing not as as a evil incarnated villain but as a flawed character much like Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. "Curt Conners is by no means an evil villain." Ifans stated. "He’s not like the Batman villains, like the JokerJoker (comics)The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, who are the embodiment of evil. Curtis Connors is a great man who makes a bad decision." He continued that "that's the whole magic of the Spider-Man idea. These people are the embodiment of our flaws and our desires that lead to tragedy."
- Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
as Ben Parker: Peter Parker's uncle. - Sally FieldSally FieldSally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
as May ParkerAunt MayMay Reilly Parker-Jameson, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared as May Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15...
: Ben Parker's wife, and Peter Parker's aunt. - Denis LearyDenis LearyDenis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
as Captain George StacyGeorge StacyGeorge Stacy is a supporting character in Marvel Comics's Spider-Man series. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #56 , and was created by Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., and Don Heck. He is Gwen Stacy's father and he strongly approves of his daughter's relationship with Peter Parker...
: Gwen's father and a New York City Police DepartmentNew York City Police DepartmentThe New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
captain. - Chris ZylkaChris ZylkaChris Zylka is an American actor and model.Zylka was born Chris Settlemire in Warren, Ohio. He took his mother's maiden name as a stage name. Zylka began his career with a guest appearance on 90210 in 2008...
as Flash ThompsonFlash ThompsonEugene "Flash" Thompson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 ....
: Peter Parker's high school nemesis, a football player who constantly bullies Peter while simultaneously idolizing his alter ego, Spider-Man. Zylka first tweeted that he was involved with the film. On November 2010 it was later revealed to be Flash Thompson. - Irrfan Khan as Van Atter
- Annie ParisseAnnie ParisseAnne Marie Cancelmi , known as Annie Parisse, is an American television, film, and theater actress, known for playing Alexandra Borgia on the television drama Law & Order, a role she played from 2005 until 2006 in 33 episodes. Parisse is also known for her role of Julia Lindsey Snyder on the...
as Van Atter's wife. - Campbell ScottCampbell ScottCampbell Scott is an American actor, director, producer, and voice artist.-Life and career:Scott was born in New York City, the son of George C. Scott, an actor, director, and producer, and Colleen Dewhurst, a Canadian-born actress. He graduated from Lawrence University in 1983. His brother is...
as Richard ParkerRichard and Mary ParkerRichard and Mary Parker are fictional characters of Marvel Comics. They were the parents of Peter Parker, the boy who one day would become Spider-Man. They will appear in the 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise...
: Peter Parker's father. - Embeth DavidtzEmbeth DavidtzEmbeth Jean Davidtz is an American-born actress who spent much of her early life in South Africa.-Early life:Davidtz was born in Lafayette, Indiana, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. Her parents, John and Jean, later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then...
as Mary ParkerRichard and Mary ParkerRichard and Mary Parker are fictional characters of Marvel Comics. They were the parents of Peter Parker, the boy who one day would become Spider-Man. They will appear in the 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise...
: Peter Parker's mother. Davidtz replaced Julianne NicholsonJulianne NicholsonJulianne Nicholson is an American actress. She is known for having played Det. Megan Wheeler on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Early life:...
in the role. - C. Thomas HowellC. Thomas HowellChristopher Thomas "Tommy" Howell , known by his stage name C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in The Da Vinci Treasure,Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G...
as Ray: A construction worker whose son is saved by Spider-Man. - Hannah MarksHannah MarksHannah Gayle Marks is an American television and film actress.Hannah Marks was born in Santa Monica, California. She appeared in the 2006 feature film Accepted as Lizzie Gaines as well as guest starred in many television programs such as Ugly Betty and CSI: Miami...
as Missy Kallenback: An unpopular girl who has a crush on Peter Parker. - Miles Elliot as Billy Connors: Dr. Curt Connors' son.
Unlike the original films it was reported that J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...
would not appear in this film. Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
has a cameo, as he did in the previous films, which will involve him in an action scene and which he referred to as his "best, most unusual one yet!" At the 2011 Dallas Comic-Con
Comic-Con
Comic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
, Lee enthusiastically talked about his cameo. He will play a librarian listening to music on his headphones while stamping books and dancing at the same time, despite the on-going fight between Spider-Man and The Lizard.
Development
Simultaneous with the cancellation of Spider-Man 4, Sony Pictures EntertainmentSony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
announced that the franchise would be rebooted with a new director and new cast. The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled to be released on July 3, 2012 in 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and is intended to focus on Peter Parker
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
developing his abilities in high school. Avi Arad
Avi Arad
Avi Arad is an Israeli-American businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s, and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, a Marvel director, chairman, CEO and the founder of Marvel Studios....
, Laura Ziskin
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ellen Ziskin was an American film producer. In 1990, Ziskin was the sole executive producer of the hit comedy Pretty Woman...
and Matt Tolmach (who were always involved with the franchise) were confirmed to produce the film. Sony also confirmed that James Vanderbilt
James Vanderbilt
James Platten Vanderbilt is an American screenwriter.A member of the Vanderbilt family of New York, he is the son of Alison Campbell and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III...
would write the script for the new film. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called Vanderbilt's script "gritty, contemporary" and referenced Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
, Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer.He received serious notice after his second feature Memento , which he wrote and directed based on a story idea by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan went to co-write later scripts with him,...
's reboot of the Batman film series, which also reinvented the tone of the series. Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent is an American screenwriter. He has won two Academy Awards for his screenplays and has been involved in the writing of all movies to date in the Spider-Man film series.-Life and career:...
was then hired to fine-tune the script. Marc Webb
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb is an American music video, short film and major motion picture director. He directed the 2009 romantic comedy-drama Days of Summer and is currently directing the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.-Life and career:Webb was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of...
, whose previous film (500) Days of Summer was his directorial debut, was confirmed to direct the reboot. The co-chairman of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal is Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. and Chairman of SPE's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. She oversees all development, production and marketing activities at Columbia Pictures...
, and the president of Sony Pictures of Matt Tolmach of Sony Entertainment stated that "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." Marc Webb stated that he is was first hesitant about directing the film but then he said to himself "How could I walk away from this? What an opportunity! What better cinematic character is there than Spidey!" Marc also commented that it is also a dream come true and that he couldn’t be more aware of the challenge, responsibility, or opportunity. Webb also had this to say about the comparison of his and Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
's work as a director of a Spider-Man film:
- "Sam Raimi's virtuoso rendering of Spider-Man is a humbling precedent to follow and build upon. The first three films are beloved for good reason. But I think the Spider-Man mythology transcends not only generations but directors as well. I am signing on not to 'take over' from Sam. That would be impossible. Not to mention arrogant. I'm here because there's an opportunity for ideas, stories, and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas, and creative voice to Spider-Man."
There has also been speculation that the reboot will be based on the Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
comics. Evidence includes the fact that Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
, creator of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, met with the movie crew. Bendis tweeted
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, "Just spent a very interesting morning at Sony with the entire spidey movie team!! Very very cool stuff!!"
Pre-production
In May 2010, the list of actors to play Spider-Man were reported to be Jamie BellJamie Bell
Andrew James Matfin "Jamie" Bell is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Billy Elliot , King Kong , Hallam Foe , Jumper , Defiance , The Eagle and The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn .- Early life :Bell was born in Billingham, in the Borough of...
, Josh Hutcherson
Josh Hutcherson
Joshua Ryan "Josh" Hutcherson is an American film and television actor. He began working in the early 2000s, appearing in several minor film and television roles...
, Frank Dillane, Alden Ehrenreich
Alden Ehrenreich
-Life and career:Ehrenreich was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Sari, is an interior designer, and his stepfather is an orthodontist. He was raised in Reconstructionist Judaism...
and Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
, and in June 2010 the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Aaron Johnson and Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
. The final shortlist was reported to also include Logan Lerman
Logan Lerman
Logan Wade Lerman is an American actor, known for playing the title role in the 2010 fantasy-adventure Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. He appeared in commercials in the mid 1990s, before starring in the series Jack & Bobby , and the movies The Butterfly Effect and Hoot...
and Michael Angarano
Michael Angarano
- Early life :Angarano was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Doreen and Michael P. Angarano. He is of Italian descent. His family owns and operates three successful dance studios; two in New York and one in California called Reflections in Dance. His mother is the owner and director of all...
. On June 27, 2010, the final and confirmed short list was announced: Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Aaron Johnson, Andrew Garfield, Logan Lerman, and Alden Ehrenreich. On July 1, 2010, it was confirmed that the role would go to Andrew Garfield. Webb stated that though his name may be new to many he is a talented actor to those who know his work. He also stated: "He that has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker." Producer Avi Arad
Avi Arad
Avi Arad is an Israeli-American businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s, and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, a Marvel director, chairman, CEO and the founder of Marvel Studios....
said that they were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer and they felt like they found that with Andrew Garfield while producer Laura Ziskin
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ellen Ziskin was an American film producer. In 1990, Ziskin was the sole executive producer of the hit comedy Pretty Woman...
said that in the end the developers have all agreed that Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth and pathos along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen."
Currently, Garfield is 27, which raised concerns about his ability to play a high school student. The website HitFix reported that Sony realized this and thus the new movie may instead have Parker starting the series as a college student, but Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
later reported that the film is still set in high school. Sony also held auditions for the role of a young Peter Parker, somebody who would resemble Andrew Garfield in looks.
It was reported originally that the film would feature both Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
and Gwen Stacy
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
as love interests, but the website The Wrap later reported that only Gwen Stacy will appear in the film. In August 2010, the list of actresses to play the love interest included Imogen Poots
Imogen Poots
Imogen Gay Poots is an English actress, best known for playing Tammy in the 2007 film 28 Weeks Later, Prue Sorenson in the 2010 remake of the controversial TV drama Bouquet of Barbed Wire and as Jean Ross in the BBC's Christopher and His Kind.-Early life:Poots was born in Hammersmith, London,...
, Ophelia Lovibond
Ophelia Lovibond
Ophelia Lucy Lovibond is an English actress.Ophelia had a part in the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy as well as the TV series FM. She played a leading role in the film 4.3.2.1 as Shannon and had roles in the 2011 films London Boulevard, No Strings Attached and Mr. Popper's Penguins.- Filmography...
, Lily Collins
Lily Collins
Lily Jane Collins is a British-American actress and television personality.-Early life:Collins was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, and is the daughter of British musician Phil Collins and his second wife, American-born Jill Tavelman...
, Teresa Palmer
Teresa Palmer
Teresa Palmer is an Australian actress. She made her film debut in the suicide drama 2:37. Palmer was seen in The Grudge 2 in 2006, in December Boys, alongside Daniel Radcliffe, and in the 2008 children's fantasy Bedtime Stories, with Adam Sandler...
, and Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts
Emma Rose Roberts is an American actress, model and singer. She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts. Roberts became known for her role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon television series Unfabulous. She released her debut album, which also served as the show's...
, and in September 2010 Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Emma Stone and Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska is an Australian actress. After starting her career in Australian television and film, she first became known to a wider audience following her critically acclaimed work on the HBO television series In Treatment...
. The shortlist was reported to also include Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Quinn Fabray on the television series Glee.-Early life:Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general...
, Georgina Haig, and Dominique McElligott
Dominique McElligott
Dominique McElligott is an Irish television and film actress, appearing primarily in independent films. She starred in Moon alongside Sam Rockwell as well as the RTÉ series Raw before leaving to film Leap Year...
. On October 5, 2010, it was confirmed that the role of Gwen Stacy would go to Emma Stone. Tolmach said that her on screen spark is perfect for the role. Marc Webb also said that the chemistry between Emma and Garfield is what made her the clear choice.
Reportedly Sony was interested in casting Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz is an Austrian-German actor. He received international acclaim for his portrayal of SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and...
as the villain of the film, however Waltz's representatives denied his involvement. Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is an Irish-German actor. He is best known for playing Lt. Archie Hicox in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Magneto in the superhero blockbuster X-Men: First Class...
was also linked to the villain role before signing on to play Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
in X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics starring the X-Men.-Publication history:The original series was an eight-issue limited series. It began in September 2006 and ended in April 2007. It was written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Roger Cruz...
. On October 11, 2010, Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
was confirmed to be the unnamed villain in the film. On October 13, 2010, it was reported that Rhys Ifans will be playing Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. the Lizard. The producer Avi Arad has admitted to Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
interviewers that the Lizard is his favorite Spider-Man villain and that he has always wanted to do the Lizard as the villain of the film and that it was a dream come true that he was the chosen villain. Long before the villain was commited to the script, Arvi already had conceptual drawings prepared for the Lizard to be the villain. Steve Kloves
Steve Kloves
Stephen Keith "Steven" Kloves is an Academy Award-nominated American screenwriter mainly renowned for his adaptations of novels, especially for the Harry Potter film series and for Wonder Boys...
, a screenwriter that was commonly involved with the Harry Potter film series
Harry Potter (film series)
The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
and who originally turned down the role, decided to be involved with tuning up the script with Alvin Sargent since he knew Alvin and the producer Laura Ziskin, who died during the production of the film, and would decide to do them a favor at making the film good just like they wanted. He also wanted to write for Emma Stone. Steve mostly focused on character and dialogue concentrating on Emma's characters as Gwen Stacy and some of Garfield's character as well.
Filming
The film began shooting on December 6, 2010 in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The 90-day film shoot also includes two weeks in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, while the bulk of filming occurred in and around Los Angeles, including such locations as the Henry Fonda Theater
Music Box Theater (Los Angeles)
The Music Box is a concert venue in Los Angeles, California. It was previously called the Henry Fonda Theater, after the actor Henry Fonda....
in Hollywood, St. John Bosco High School
St. John Bosco High School
St. John Bosco High School is a Catholic college preparatory school located in Bellflower, California, USA; conducted by the Salesians of St. John Bosco, San Francisco Province. SJBHS is named after Saint John Bosco and was originally founded as an elementary and intermediate boarding school by...
's Gym, Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire region.It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, although some...
, and various locations around South Pasadena
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, San Pedro, and Woodland Hills. Sony Entertainment spokesman Steve Elzer says "this is the first fourth Spider-Man production we have shot primarily in Los Angeles and for good reason, the crews here are the best in the world but there is a comfort level in producing a project of this size and scope on your own backlot." He continued, "Basing the film on the lot also makes it easier for producers to interact with Sony’s in-house visual effects team, and gives the studios greater control of quality and security."
The film will also be the first Hollywood production to be filmed with the RED Epic camera, and is being shot in 3-D at 5K resolution. Cinematographer, John Schwartzman
John Schwartzman
John Schwartzman A.S.C. is an American cinematographer for numerous films.He is the son of Jack Schwartzman and stepson of Talia Shire. He is best known for his collaborations with director Michael Bay...
had this to say about the camera:
Schwartzman also felt that the 3D of the film would have been more impossible without it. He said "I can tell you without these cameras it would be impossible to move a 3D rig in the ways that THIS story demands, if Jim and the crew hadn't made these cameras available to us I don't think we could have shot this movie the way our director envisioned it in 3D."
Stunt performer
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
of the film included the Armstrong family, Vic Armstrong
Vic Armstrong
Victor Monroe Armstrong is a BAFTA winning British film director and stunt double -- the world's most prolific according to the Guinness Book of Records...
and Andy Armstrong
Andy Armstrong
Andy Armstrong is an actor, stuntman and film producer. He is the brother of Vic Armstrong.-References:...
. Andrew Garfield was reported to be involved with some of the stunts as well. The actor was even reported to have a tissue
Tissue paper
Tissue paper is a lightweight paper or, light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made both from virgin and recycled paper pulp.-Properties:Key properties are: strength, absorbency, basis weight, thickness , brightness, stretch, appearance and comfort....
in his nose suffering a nosebleed from his swinging in New York City.
While filming in New York the crew built a whole rig hundreds of feet long over Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive (Manhattan)
Riverside Drive is a scenic north-south thoroughfare in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The boulevard runs on the west side of Manhattan, generally parallel to the Hudson River from 72nd Street to near the George Washington Bridge at 181st Street...
in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. While there they swung a man through traffic down the street. Andy Armstrong also built a car rig with a series of wires to help with effects which also requires also an incredible wealth of acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
.
Webb, commenting about his challenge of his work: "One of the things we tried to do was keep the stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
s more grounded physically and that was a huge challenge because you have a character whose abilities are superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
. How do you do that in a way that's convincing and real? We had a really great stunt team, the Armstrongs, who were vigilant in the creation — with Andrew — of a physical language that felt grounded but also extraordinary. We spent months and months and months developing rigs so he could swing in a way that wasn’t computer-generated. Obviously there’s going to be enhancements and CG
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
[sequences], but it's based in a physical reality and that's a new technique [for this film brand].
Post-production
On April 2011 Emma revealed that the cinematographyCinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
was being wrapped up and post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
would begin in May.
While in post-production, Marc Webb explained that he wanted to create a new 3-D experience for Spider-Man stating: "Because we're shooting in 3D, I wanted to conceive of certain things very specifically for 3D. There's an experiential component to 3D that's fascinating and we're experimenting with generating that point of view – so you feel what Peter Parker feels, you feel what Spider-Man feels when he's jumping over buildings and over the streets, that sort of thing. But we made a very, and Andrew had to pay the price for this, very conscious effort to ground stunts."
Marketing
A teaser trailer was leaked on the internetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and aired at the San Diego Comic-Con at July 2011 while being attached to the superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
. Rob Keyes of Screen Rant felt that "it takes on a noticeably different tone from that of Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
trilogy of Spider-Man movies, and presents itself in a similar fashion to what Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
." Germain Lussier of /Film
/Film
/Film is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005.-Podcasts:Two podcasts run on the site. The /Filmcast airs Sunday nights, hosted by David Chen, Adam Quigley, and Devindra Hardawar, in which they and a guest discuss TV and...
felt that the trailer makes it feel like a small film when judging with all the leaked photos of filming going on that it is going to be a big film. He commented that the trailer makes it look more like "a superhero Twilight
Twilight (2008 film)
Twilight is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series...
." He states that "this is a big action movie
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
with massive practical effects all shot in painstaking 3D with a hefty price tag. This trailer really doesn’t sell that." Also in websites such as Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
, along with Nathan Irvine from GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
and Movies.com
Movies.com
Movies.com is a website in the Fandango family, operated by Comcast. It was acquired from Disney in June 2008. It is the second-most visited movie-related website, second only to IMDb. The website has information about movies, upcoming movies, and theater information...
's Peter Hall have accused the trailer of blatantly ripping off the 2008 video game Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge is a single-player first person action-adventure video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was announced on July 10, 2007, and was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2008. A Microsoft Windows version was released...
when Spider-Man is swinging in the city in a POV shot
Point of view shot
A point of view shot is a short film scene that shows what a character is looking at . It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction...
after noticing the resemblance between it and the game.
Video game
A video game based on the film was announced at the 2011 New York Comic Con. The game will be developed by BeenoxBeenox
Beenox is a video game developer, established in Québec City, Québec. Founded in 2000 by Dominique Brown. Beenox has been awarded with the Quebec's Best Employer 2008 title and is among the Top 50 of the World’s best video game developers published in March 2008 by the Game Developers Research...
, the development team behind the previous two Spider-Man games, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a video game featuring Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions blends together four universes from the Marvel Comics multiverse, allowing the player to play as four different Spider-Men...
and Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Spider-Man: Edge of Time is a video game developed by the Activision-owned developer Beenox, based on the superhero Spider-Man. The story was written by Peter David, and gameplay has a "cause-and-effect" system where one Spider-Man's actions will affect the other and vice versa. It was released on...
. During New York Comic Con a producer at Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
, Doug Header stated that the game will take place after the events of the movie. Heder realizing his mixed reviews with his last video game, promising that the video game will find a different fate, thanks to its lengthy development time. The video game has been reported to be in development by Gerard Lehiany, the creative director of Beenox. The game is planned to be be released in Summer 2012 sometime near the film comes out. The first concept artwork of the game was released on November 10, 2011. According to GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
, the game will "Go beyond the movie to experience what it's like to BE Spider-Man like never before. Set shortly after the events of Columbia Pictures' new film, The Amazing Spider-Man throws New York City's brand new hero back into free-roaming, web-slinging action, as he protects the Big Apple from a deluge of unimaginable threats. Experience the new Web Rush mechanic as Spidey twists his way through the NYC skyline with unprecedented speed and grace. The game's original story also explores beautiful indoor environments, as you'll encounter everything from skirmishes with everyday street thugs to pulse-pounding confrontations with Spider-Man's most lethal foes."
Sequel
The studio plans to produce a sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man for release in 2014. It has hired screenwriter James VanderbiltJames Vanderbilt
James Platten Vanderbilt is an American screenwriter.A member of the Vanderbilt family of New York, he is the son of Alison Campbell and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III...
to write the screenplay.
External links
The Amazing Spider-Man is an upcoming American superhero filmSuperhero film
A superhero film, superhero movie, or superhero motion picture is: action, fantasy and science fiction film; that is focused on the actions of one or more superheroes, individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities relative to a normal person and are dedicated to protecting the public...
based on the comic book of the same name
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
that is currently in post-production. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
film based on the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and the first film in a rebooted Spider-Man film franchise. The film is being directed by Marc Webb
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb is an American music video, short film and major motion picture director. He directed the 2009 romantic comedy-drama Days of Summer and is currently directing the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.-Life and career:Webb was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of...
. The cast includes Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
as Peter Parker
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
and Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
as Dr. Curt Connors
Lizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
. The film will portray Peter Parker as he is developing his super powers in high school. It is scheduled to be released in 3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and IMAX 3D on July 3, 2012.
Cast
- Andrew GarfieldAndrew GarfieldAndrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
as Peter Parker / Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
: A social outcast whose parents died early in his life. As a high school student, he is bitten by a radioactiveRadioactive decayRadioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom...
spider and gains spider-like abilities. Garfield, who was a fan of the comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s from the age of four growing up with them and the animated tv seriesSpider-Man (1994 TV series)Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
of Spider-Man and even dressing up as him. He said that he "related to Peter Parker [Spidey’s alter ego] so much because I felt like someone else inside." He also admitted that another part of the reason why he loved Spider-Man is because of Tobey MaguireTobey MaguireTobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
's portrayal of the character as well. He said that he respects Tobey as an actor and that when he first saw him play Spider-Man that he "was blown away by his interpretation." Garfield drew from his life experiences as the inspiration for the role, revealing, "I was thinking of my history and thinking of the kid at school who I wasn't as strong as, who behaved badly to a lot of people – including myself – and who I constantly tried to stand up to but never had the physical prowess to". On taking over the role, Garfield stated, "I see it as a massive challenge in many ways....To make it authentic. To make the character live and breathe in a new way. The audience already has a relationship with many different incarnations of the character. I do, as well. I'm probably going to be the guy in the movie theater shouting abuse at myself. But I have to let that go. No turning back. And I wouldn't want to". Also about his role he said, "I'm going to approach it like I approach any other role. I'm just going to work as much as I can, because it's been such an important symbol to me since I was four years old. It's meant so much to me, and it's given me so much hope as a skinny little streak of piss, who feels more powerful inside than he looks on the outside. Every skinnyUnderweightThe term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. "Underweight" means weighing less than what is expected to be a healthy person . The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index . A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight...
boy's dream. I'm very lucky." Andrew had to wear a spandexSpandexSpandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
suit for the role. About wearing the suit he said, "I have to kind of not look at my face because it doesn't make sense to me. I have to imagine that it's a much better actor's face in that suit... I won't lie. I shed a tear when I first wore the spandex. I didn't think that the spandex would make me so emotional, but it did." - Emma Stone as Gwen StacyGwen StacyGwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
: A high school classmate and love interest of Peter Parker. Emma dyeDyeA dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
d her hair blonde for the role of the character. She also felt that she had a responsibility to educate herself on the history of Spider-Man because she admitted she originally didn't know much about Spider-Man except for watching the first three films from Sam Raimi and seeing kids dress up as him in HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. After her role she expressed interest in Spider-Man, the character she played and the rest of the Marvel UniverseMarvel UniverseThe Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
that she was going to be involved with. Emma also had this to say about the fans who would be protective of Spider-Man and the character she plays: "There's a part of me that really wants to please people that love Spider-Man or Gwen Stacy and want her to be done justice. I hope they'll give me license to interpret her my way. But that fan base, I'm one of them, so I completely understand why they would be judgmental of certain things." - Rhys IfansRhys IfansRhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
as Dr. Curt Connors / The LizardLizard (comics)The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
: A scientist who tests lizardLizardLizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
serum on himself in an attempt to regain his missing right arm, which unexpectedly transforms him into a reptilian humanoid monster. In a September, 2011 interview, Ifans claimed that his character spends the majority of the film as a human. While filming for the 9-foot tall Lizard, Ifans was required to wear a CGI suit. Initially, a large stunt-double was used as a stand-in for the role but Ifans insisted on portraying the transformed character, to which Webb agreed. Commenting on the technology used to bring his character to life, Ifans continued "I had a green suit on, and then this cardboard head, and these big claws… Each and every time you see the Lizard, the technology is so advanced now that when the Lizard's eyes move, they're my eyes. If I frown or show any emotion, they're my emotions. That's how spectacularly advanced technology is." Rhys Ifans described the character that he is playing not as as a evil incarnated villain but as a flawed character much like Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. "Curt Conners is by no means an evil villain." Ifans stated. "He’s not like the Batman villains, like the JokerJoker (comics)The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, who are the embodiment of evil. Curtis Connors is a great man who makes a bad decision." He continued that "that's the whole magic of the Spider-Man idea. These people are the embodiment of our flaws and our desires that lead to tragedy."
- Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
as Ben Parker: Peter Parker's uncle. - Sally FieldSally FieldSally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
as May ParkerAunt MayMay Reilly Parker-Jameson, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared as May Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15...
: Ben Parker's wife, and Peter Parker's aunt. - Denis LearyDenis LearyDenis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
as Captain George StacyGeorge StacyGeorge Stacy is a supporting character in Marvel Comics's Spider-Man series. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #56 , and was created by Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., and Don Heck. He is Gwen Stacy's father and he strongly approves of his daughter's relationship with Peter Parker...
: Gwen's father and a New York City Police DepartmentNew York City Police DepartmentThe New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
captain. - Chris ZylkaChris ZylkaChris Zylka is an American actor and model.Zylka was born Chris Settlemire in Warren, Ohio. He took his mother's maiden name as a stage name. Zylka began his career with a guest appearance on 90210 in 2008...
as Flash ThompsonFlash ThompsonEugene "Flash" Thompson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 ....
: Peter Parker's high school nemesis, a football player who constantly bullies Peter while simultaneously idolizing his alter ego, Spider-Man. Zylka first tweeted that he was involved with the film. On November 2010 it was later revealed to be Flash Thompson. - Irrfan Khan as Van Atter
- Annie ParisseAnnie ParisseAnne Marie Cancelmi , known as Annie Parisse, is an American television, film, and theater actress, known for playing Alexandra Borgia on the television drama Law & Order, a role she played from 2005 until 2006 in 33 episodes. Parisse is also known for her role of Julia Lindsey Snyder on the...
as Van Atter's wife. - Campbell ScottCampbell ScottCampbell Scott is an American actor, director, producer, and voice artist.-Life and career:Scott was born in New York City, the son of George C. Scott, an actor, director, and producer, and Colleen Dewhurst, a Canadian-born actress. He graduated from Lawrence University in 1983. His brother is...
as Richard ParkerRichard and Mary ParkerRichard and Mary Parker are fictional characters of Marvel Comics. They were the parents of Peter Parker, the boy who one day would become Spider-Man. They will appear in the 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise...
: Peter Parker's father. - Embeth DavidtzEmbeth DavidtzEmbeth Jean Davidtz is an American-born actress who spent much of her early life in South Africa.-Early life:Davidtz was born in Lafayette, Indiana, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. Her parents, John and Jean, later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then...
as Mary ParkerRichard and Mary ParkerRichard and Mary Parker are fictional characters of Marvel Comics. They were the parents of Peter Parker, the boy who one day would become Spider-Man. They will appear in the 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise...
: Peter Parker's mother. Davidtz replaced Julianne NicholsonJulianne NicholsonJulianne Nicholson is an American actress. She is known for having played Det. Megan Wheeler on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Early life:...
in the role. - C. Thomas HowellC. Thomas HowellChristopher Thomas "Tommy" Howell , known by his stage name C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in The Da Vinci Treasure,Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G...
as Ray: A construction worker whose son is saved by Spider-Man. - Hannah MarksHannah MarksHannah Gayle Marks is an American television and film actress.Hannah Marks was born in Santa Monica, California. She appeared in the 2006 feature film Accepted as Lizzie Gaines as well as guest starred in many television programs such as Ugly Betty and CSI: Miami...
as Missy Kallenback: An unpopular girl who has a crush on Peter Parker. - Miles Elliot as Billy Connors: Dr. Curt Connors' son.
Unlike the original films it was reported that J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...
would not appear in this film. Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
has a cameo, as he did in the previous films, which will involve him in an action scene and which he referred to as his "best, most unusual one yet!" At the 2011 Dallas Comic-Con
Comic-Con
Comic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
, Lee enthusiastically talked about his cameo. He will play a librarian listening to music on his headphones while stamping books and dancing at the same time, despite the on-going fight between Spider-Man and The Lizard.
Development
Simultaneous with the cancellation of Spider-Man 4, Sony Pictures EntertainmentSony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
announced that the franchise would be rebooted with a new director and new cast. The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled to be released on July 3, 2012 in 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and is intended to focus on Peter Parker
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
developing his abilities in high school. Avi Arad
Avi Arad
Avi Arad is an Israeli-American businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s, and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, a Marvel director, chairman, CEO and the founder of Marvel Studios....
, Laura Ziskin
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ellen Ziskin was an American film producer. In 1990, Ziskin was the sole executive producer of the hit comedy Pretty Woman...
and Matt Tolmach (who were always involved with the franchise) were confirmed to produce the film. Sony also confirmed that James Vanderbilt
James Vanderbilt
James Platten Vanderbilt is an American screenwriter.A member of the Vanderbilt family of New York, he is the son of Alison Campbell and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III...
would write the script for the new film. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called Vanderbilt's script "gritty, contemporary" and referenced Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
, Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer.He received serious notice after his second feature Memento , which he wrote and directed based on a story idea by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan went to co-write later scripts with him,...
's reboot of the Batman film series, which also reinvented the tone of the series. Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent is an American screenwriter. He has won two Academy Awards for his screenplays and has been involved in the writing of all movies to date in the Spider-Man film series.-Life and career:...
was then hired to fine-tune the script. Marc Webb
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb is an American music video, short film and major motion picture director. He directed the 2009 romantic comedy-drama Days of Summer and is currently directing the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.-Life and career:Webb was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of...
, whose previous film (500) Days of Summer was his directorial debut, was confirmed to direct the reboot. The co-chairman of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal is Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. and Chairman of SPE's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. She oversees all development, production and marketing activities at Columbia Pictures...
, and the president of Sony Pictures of Matt Tolmach of Sony Entertainment stated that "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." Marc Webb stated that he is was first hesitant about directing the film but then he said to himself "How could I walk away from this? What an opportunity! What better cinematic character is there than Spidey!" Marc also commented that it is also a dream come true and that he couldn’t be more aware of the challenge, responsibility, or opportunity. Webb also had this to say about the comparison of his and Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
's work as a director of a Spider-Man film:
- "Sam Raimi's virtuoso rendering of Spider-Man is a humbling precedent to follow and build upon. The first three films are beloved for good reason. But I think the Spider-Man mythology transcends not only generations but directors as well. I am signing on not to 'take over' from Sam. That would be impossible. Not to mention arrogant. I'm here because there's an opportunity for ideas, stories, and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas, and creative voice to Spider-Man."
There has also been speculation that the reboot will be based on the Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
comics. Evidence includes the fact that Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
, creator of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, met with the movie crew. Bendis tweeted
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, "Just spent a very interesting morning at Sony with the entire spidey movie team!! Very very cool stuff!!"
Pre-production
In May 2010, the list of actors to play Spider-Man were reported to be Jamie BellJamie Bell
Andrew James Matfin "Jamie" Bell is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Billy Elliot , King Kong , Hallam Foe , Jumper , Defiance , The Eagle and The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn .- Early life :Bell was born in Billingham, in the Borough of...
, Josh Hutcherson
Josh Hutcherson
Joshua Ryan "Josh" Hutcherson is an American film and television actor. He began working in the early 2000s, appearing in several minor film and television roles...
, Frank Dillane, Alden Ehrenreich
Alden Ehrenreich
-Life and career:Ehrenreich was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Sari, is an interior designer, and his stepfather is an orthodontist. He was raised in Reconstructionist Judaism...
and Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
, and in June 2010 the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Aaron Johnson and Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
. The final shortlist was reported to also include Logan Lerman
Logan Lerman
Logan Wade Lerman is an American actor, known for playing the title role in the 2010 fantasy-adventure Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. He appeared in commercials in the mid 1990s, before starring in the series Jack & Bobby , and the movies The Butterfly Effect and Hoot...
and Michael Angarano
Michael Angarano
- Early life :Angarano was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Doreen and Michael P. Angarano. He is of Italian descent. His family owns and operates three successful dance studios; two in New York and one in California called Reflections in Dance. His mother is the owner and director of all...
. On June 27, 2010, the final and confirmed short list was announced: Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Aaron Johnson, Andrew Garfield, Logan Lerman, and Alden Ehrenreich. On July 1, 2010, it was confirmed that the role would go to Andrew Garfield. Webb stated that though his name may be new to many he is a talented actor to those who know his work. He also stated: "He that has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker." Producer Avi Arad
Avi Arad
Avi Arad is an Israeli-American businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s, and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, a Marvel director, chairman, CEO and the founder of Marvel Studios....
said that they were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer and they felt like they found that with Andrew Garfield while producer Laura Ziskin
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ellen Ziskin was an American film producer. In 1990, Ziskin was the sole executive producer of the hit comedy Pretty Woman...
said that in the end the developers have all agreed that Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth and pathos along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen."
Currently, Garfield is 27, which raised concerns about his ability to play a high school student. The website HitFix reported that Sony realized this and thus the new movie may instead have Parker starting the series as a college student, but Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
later reported that the film is still set in high school. Sony also held auditions for the role of a young Peter Parker, somebody who would resemble Andrew Garfield in looks.
It was reported originally that the film would feature both Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
and Gwen Stacy
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
as love interests, but the website The Wrap later reported that only Gwen Stacy will appear in the film. In August 2010, the list of actresses to play the love interest included Imogen Poots
Imogen Poots
Imogen Gay Poots is an English actress, best known for playing Tammy in the 2007 film 28 Weeks Later, Prue Sorenson in the 2010 remake of the controversial TV drama Bouquet of Barbed Wire and as Jean Ross in the BBC's Christopher and His Kind.-Early life:Poots was born in Hammersmith, London,...
, Ophelia Lovibond
Ophelia Lovibond
Ophelia Lucy Lovibond is an English actress.Ophelia had a part in the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy as well as the TV series FM. She played a leading role in the film 4.3.2.1 as Shannon and had roles in the 2011 films London Boulevard, No Strings Attached and Mr. Popper's Penguins.- Filmography...
, Lily Collins
Lily Collins
Lily Jane Collins is a British-American actress and television personality.-Early life:Collins was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, and is the daughter of British musician Phil Collins and his second wife, American-born Jill Tavelman...
, Teresa Palmer
Teresa Palmer
Teresa Palmer is an Australian actress. She made her film debut in the suicide drama 2:37. Palmer was seen in The Grudge 2 in 2006, in December Boys, alongside Daniel Radcliffe, and in the 2008 children's fantasy Bedtime Stories, with Adam Sandler...
, and Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts
Emma Rose Roberts is an American actress, model and singer. She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts. Roberts became known for her role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon television series Unfabulous. She released her debut album, which also served as the show's...
, and in September 2010 Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Emma Stone and Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska is an Australian actress. After starting her career in Australian television and film, she first became known to a wider audience following her critically acclaimed work on the HBO television series In Treatment...
. The shortlist was reported to also include Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Quinn Fabray on the television series Glee.-Early life:Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general...
, Georgina Haig, and Dominique McElligott
Dominique McElligott
Dominique McElligott is an Irish television and film actress, appearing primarily in independent films. She starred in Moon alongside Sam Rockwell as well as the RTÉ series Raw before leaving to film Leap Year...
. On October 5, 2010, it was confirmed that the role of Gwen Stacy would go to Emma Stone. Tolmach said that her on screen spark is perfect for the role. Marc Webb also said that the chemistry between Emma and Garfield is what made her the clear choice.
Reportedly Sony was interested in casting Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz is an Austrian-German actor. He received international acclaim for his portrayal of SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and...
as the villain of the film, however Waltz's representatives denied his involvement. Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is an Irish-German actor. He is best known for playing Lt. Archie Hicox in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Magneto in the superhero blockbuster X-Men: First Class...
was also linked to the villain role before signing on to play Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
in X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics starring the X-Men.-Publication history:The original series was an eight-issue limited series. It began in September 2006 and ended in April 2007. It was written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Roger Cruz...
. On October 11, 2010, Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
was confirmed to be the unnamed villain in the film. On October 13, 2010, it was reported that Rhys Ifans will be playing Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. the Lizard. The producer Avi Arad has admitted to Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
interviewers that the Lizard is his favorite Spider-Man villain and that he has always wanted to do the Lizard as the villain of the film and that it was a dream come true that he was the chosen villain. Long before the villain was commited to the script, Arvi already had conceptual drawings prepared for the Lizard to be the villain. Steve Kloves
Steve Kloves
Stephen Keith "Steven" Kloves is an Academy Award-nominated American screenwriter mainly renowned for his adaptations of novels, especially for the Harry Potter film series and for Wonder Boys...
, a screenwriter that was commonly involved with the Harry Potter film series
Harry Potter (film series)
The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
and who originally turned down the role, decided to be involved with tuning up the script with Alvin Sargent since he knew Alvin and the producer Laura Ziskin, who died during the production of the film, and would decide to do them a favor at making the film good just like they wanted. He also wanted to write for Emma Stone. Steve mostly focused on character and dialogue concentrating on Emma's characters as Gwen Stacy and some of Garfield's character as well.
Filming
The film began shooting on December 6, 2010 in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The 90-day film shoot also includes two weeks in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, while the bulk of filming occurred in and around Los Angeles, including such locations as the Henry Fonda Theater
Music Box Theater (Los Angeles)
The Music Box is a concert venue in Los Angeles, California. It was previously called the Henry Fonda Theater, after the actor Henry Fonda....
in Hollywood, St. John Bosco High School
St. John Bosco High School
St. John Bosco High School is a Catholic college preparatory school located in Bellflower, California, USA; conducted by the Salesians of St. John Bosco, San Francisco Province. SJBHS is named after Saint John Bosco and was originally founded as an elementary and intermediate boarding school by...
's Gym, Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire region.It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, although some...
, and various locations around South Pasadena
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, San Pedro, and Woodland Hills. Sony Entertainment spokesman Steve Elzer says "this is the first fourth Spider-Man production we have shot primarily in Los Angeles and for good reason, the crews here are the best in the world but there is a comfort level in producing a project of this size and scope on your own backlot." He continued, "Basing the film on the lot also makes it easier for producers to interact with Sony’s in-house visual effects team, and gives the studios greater control of quality and security."
The film will also be the first Hollywood production to be filmed with the RED Epic camera, and is being shot in 3-D at 5K resolution. Cinematographer, John Schwartzman
John Schwartzman
John Schwartzman A.S.C. is an American cinematographer for numerous films.He is the son of Jack Schwartzman and stepson of Talia Shire. He is best known for his collaborations with director Michael Bay...
had this to say about the camera:
Schwartzman also felt that the 3D of the film would have been more impossible without it. He said "I can tell you without these cameras it would be impossible to move a 3D rig in the ways that THIS story demands, if Jim and the crew hadn't made these cameras available to us I don't think we could have shot this movie the way our director envisioned it in 3D."
Stunt performer
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
of the film included the Armstrong family, Vic Armstrong
Vic Armstrong
Victor Monroe Armstrong is a BAFTA winning British film director and stunt double -- the world's most prolific according to the Guinness Book of Records...
and Andy Armstrong
Andy Armstrong
Andy Armstrong is an actor, stuntman and film producer. He is the brother of Vic Armstrong.-References:...
. Andrew Garfield was reported to be involved with some of the stunts as well. The actor was even reported to have a tissue
Tissue paper
Tissue paper is a lightweight paper or, light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made both from virgin and recycled paper pulp.-Properties:Key properties are: strength, absorbency, basis weight, thickness , brightness, stretch, appearance and comfort....
in his nose suffering a nosebleed from his swinging in New York City.
While filming in New York the crew built a whole rig hundreds of feet long over Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive (Manhattan)
Riverside Drive is a scenic north-south thoroughfare in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The boulevard runs on the west side of Manhattan, generally parallel to the Hudson River from 72nd Street to near the George Washington Bridge at 181st Street...
in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. While there they swung a man through traffic down the street. Andy Armstrong also built a car rig with a series of wires to help with effects which also requires also an incredible wealth of acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
.
Webb, commenting about his challenge of his work: "One of the things we tried to do was keep the stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
s more grounded physically and that was a huge challenge because you have a character whose abilities are superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
. How do you do that in a way that's convincing and real? We had a really great stunt team, the Armstrongs, who were vigilant in the creation — with Andrew — of a physical language that felt grounded but also extraordinary. We spent months and months and months developing rigs so he could swing in a way that wasn’t computer-generated. Obviously there’s going to be enhancements and CG
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
[sequences], but it's based in a physical reality and that's a new technique [for this film brand].
Post-production
On April 2011 Emma revealed that the cinematographyCinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
was being wrapped up and post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
would begin in May.
While in post-production, Marc Webb explained that he wanted to create a new 3-D experience for Spider-Man stating: "Because we're shooting in 3D, I wanted to conceive of certain things very specifically for 3D. There's an experiential component to 3D that's fascinating and we're experimenting with generating that point of view – so you feel what Peter Parker feels, you feel what Spider-Man feels when he's jumping over buildings and over the streets, that sort of thing. But we made a very, and Andrew had to pay the price for this, very conscious effort to ground stunts."
Marketing
A teaser trailer was leaked on the internetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and aired at the San Diego Comic-Con at July 2011 while being attached to the superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
. Rob Keyes of Screen Rant felt that "it takes on a noticeably different tone from that of Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
trilogy of Spider-Man movies, and presents itself in a similar fashion to what Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
." Germain Lussier of /Film
/Film
/Film is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005.-Podcasts:Two podcasts run on the site. The /Filmcast airs Sunday nights, hosted by David Chen, Adam Quigley, and Devindra Hardawar, in which they and a guest discuss TV and...
felt that the trailer makes it feel like a small film when judging with all the leaked photos of filming going on that it is going to be a big film. He commented that the trailer makes it look more like "a superhero Twilight
Twilight (2008 film)
Twilight is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series...
." He states that "this is a big action movie
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
with massive practical effects all shot in painstaking 3D with a hefty price tag. This trailer really doesn’t sell that." Also in websites such as Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
, along with Nathan Irvine from GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
and Movies.com
Movies.com
Movies.com is a website in the Fandango family, operated by Comcast. It was acquired from Disney in June 2008. It is the second-most visited movie-related website, second only to IMDb. The website has information about movies, upcoming movies, and theater information...
's Peter Hall have accused the trailer of blatantly ripping off the 2008 video game Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge is a single-player first person action-adventure video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was announced on July 10, 2007, and was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2008. A Microsoft Windows version was released...
when Spider-Man is swinging in the city in a POV shot
Point of view shot
A point of view shot is a short film scene that shows what a character is looking at . It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction...
after noticing the resemblance between it and the game.
Video game
A video game based on the film was announced at the 2011 New York Comic Con. The game will be developed by BeenoxBeenox
Beenox is a video game developer, established in Québec City, Québec. Founded in 2000 by Dominique Brown. Beenox has been awarded with the Quebec's Best Employer 2008 title and is among the Top 50 of the World’s best video game developers published in March 2008 by the Game Developers Research...
, the development team behind the previous two Spider-Man games, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a video game featuring Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions blends together four universes from the Marvel Comics multiverse, allowing the player to play as four different Spider-Men...
and Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Spider-Man: Edge of Time is a video game developed by the Activision-owned developer Beenox, based on the superhero Spider-Man. The story was written by Peter David, and gameplay has a "cause-and-effect" system where one Spider-Man's actions will affect the other and vice versa. It was released on...
. During New York Comic Con a producer at Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
, Doug Header stated that the game will take place after the events of the movie. Heder realizing his mixed reviews with his last video game, promising that the video game will find a different fate, thanks to its lengthy development time. The video game has been reported to be in development by Gerard Lehiany, the creative director of Beenox. The game is planned to be be released in Summer 2012 sometime near the film comes out. The first concept artwork of the game was released on November 10, 2011. According to GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
, the game will "Go beyond the movie to experience what it's like to BE Spider-Man like never before. Set shortly after the events of Columbia Pictures' new film, The Amazing Spider-Man throws New York City's brand new hero back into free-roaming, web-slinging action, as he protects the Big Apple from a deluge of unimaginable threats. Experience the new Web Rush mechanic as Spidey twists his way through the NYC skyline with unprecedented speed and grace. The game's original story also explores beautiful indoor environments, as you'll encounter everything from skirmishes with everyday street thugs to pulse-pounding confrontations with Spider-Man's most lethal foes."
Sequel
The studio plans to produce a sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man for release in 2014. It has hired screenwriter James VanderbiltJames Vanderbilt
James Platten Vanderbilt is an American screenwriter.A member of the Vanderbilt family of New York, he is the son of Alison Campbell and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III...
to write the screenplay.
External links
The Amazing Spider-Man is an upcoming American superhero film
Superhero film
A superhero film, superhero movie, or superhero motion picture is: action, fantasy and science fiction film; that is focused on the actions of one or more superheroes, individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities relative to a normal person and are dedicated to protecting the public...
based on the comic book of the same name
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
that is currently in post-production. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
film based on the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and the first film in a rebooted Spider-Man film franchise. The film is being directed by Marc Webb
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb is an American music video, short film and major motion picture director. He directed the 2009 romantic comedy-drama Days of Summer and is currently directing the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.-Life and career:Webb was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of...
. The cast includes Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
as Peter Parker
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
and Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
as Dr. Curt Connors
Lizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
. The film will portray Peter Parker as he is developing his super powers in high school. It is scheduled to be released in 3D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and IMAX 3D on July 3, 2012.
Cast
- Andrew GarfieldAndrew GarfieldAndrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
as Peter Parker / Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
: A social outcast whose parents died early in his life. As a high school student, he is bitten by a radioactiveRadioactive decayRadioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom...
spider and gains spider-like abilities. Garfield, who was a fan of the comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s from the age of four growing up with them and the animated tv seriesSpider-Man (1994 TV series)Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
of Spider-Man and even dressing up as him. He said that he "related to Peter Parker [Spidey’s alter ego] so much because I felt like someone else inside." He also admitted that another part of the reason why he loved Spider-Man is because of Tobey MaguireTobey MaguireTobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
's portrayal of the character as well. He said that he respects Tobey as an actor and that when he first saw him play Spider-Man that he "was blown away by his interpretation." Garfield drew from his life experiences as the inspiration for the role, revealing, "I was thinking of my history and thinking of the kid at school who I wasn't as strong as, who behaved badly to a lot of people – including myself – and who I constantly tried to stand up to but never had the physical prowess to". On taking over the role, Garfield stated, "I see it as a massive challenge in many ways....To make it authentic. To make the character live and breathe in a new way. The audience already has a relationship with many different incarnations of the character. I do, as well. I'm probably going to be the guy in the movie theater shouting abuse at myself. But I have to let that go. No turning back. And I wouldn't want to". Also about his role he said, "I'm going to approach it like I approach any other role. I'm just going to work as much as I can, because it's been such an important symbol to me since I was four years old. It's meant so much to me, and it's given me so much hope as a skinny little streak of piss, who feels more powerful inside than he looks on the outside. Every skinnyUnderweightThe term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. "Underweight" means weighing less than what is expected to be a healthy person . The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index . A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight...
boy's dream. I'm very lucky." Andrew had to wear a spandexSpandexSpandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
suit for the role. About wearing the suit he said, "I have to kind of not look at my face because it doesn't make sense to me. I have to imagine that it's a much better actor's face in that suit... I won't lie. I shed a tear when I first wore the spandex. I didn't think that the spandex would make me so emotional, but it did." - Emma Stone as Gwen StacyGwen StacyGwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
: A high school classmate and love interest of Peter Parker. Emma dyeDyeA dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
d her hair blonde for the role of the character. She also felt that she had a responsibility to educate herself on the history of Spider-Man because she admitted she originally didn't know much about Spider-Man except for watching the first three films from Sam Raimi and seeing kids dress up as him in HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. After her role she expressed interest in Spider-Man, the character she played and the rest of the Marvel UniverseMarvel UniverseThe Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
that she was going to be involved with. Emma also had this to say about the fans who would be protective of Spider-Man and the character she plays: "There's a part of me that really wants to please people that love Spider-Man or Gwen Stacy and want her to be done justice. I hope they'll give me license to interpret her my way. But that fan base, I'm one of them, so I completely understand why they would be judgmental of certain things." - Rhys IfansRhys IfansRhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
as Dr. Curt Connors / The LizardLizard (comics)The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
: A scientist who tests lizardLizardLizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
serum on himself in an attempt to regain his missing right arm, which unexpectedly transforms him into a reptilian humanoid monster. In a September, 2011 interview, Ifans claimed that his character spends the majority of the film as a human. While filming for the 9-foot tall Lizard, Ifans was required to wear a CGI suit. Initially, a large stunt-double was used as a stand-in for the role but Ifans insisted on portraying the transformed character, to which Webb agreed. Commenting on the technology used to bring his character to life, Ifans continued "I had a green suit on, and then this cardboard head, and these big claws… Each and every time you see the Lizard, the technology is so advanced now that when the Lizard's eyes move, they're my eyes. If I frown or show any emotion, they're my emotions. That's how spectacularly advanced technology is." Rhys Ifans described the character that he is playing not as as a evil incarnated villain but as a flawed character much like Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. "Curt Conners is by no means an evil villain." Ifans stated. "He’s not like the Batman villains, like the JokerJoker (comics)The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, who are the embodiment of evil. Curtis Connors is a great man who makes a bad decision." He continued that "that's the whole magic of the Spider-Man idea. These people are the embodiment of our flaws and our desires that lead to tragedy."
- Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
as Ben Parker: Peter Parker's uncle. - Sally FieldSally FieldSally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
as May ParkerAunt MayMay Reilly Parker-Jameson, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared as May Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15...
: Ben Parker's wife, and Peter Parker's aunt. - Denis LearyDenis LearyDenis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
as Captain George StacyGeorge StacyGeorge Stacy is a supporting character in Marvel Comics's Spider-Man series. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #56 , and was created by Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., and Don Heck. He is Gwen Stacy's father and he strongly approves of his daughter's relationship with Peter Parker...
: Gwen's father and a New York City Police DepartmentNew York City Police DepartmentThe New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
captain. - Chris ZylkaChris ZylkaChris Zylka is an American actor and model.Zylka was born Chris Settlemire in Warren, Ohio. He took his mother's maiden name as a stage name. Zylka began his career with a guest appearance on 90210 in 2008...
as Flash ThompsonFlash ThompsonEugene "Flash" Thompson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 ....
: Peter Parker's high school nemesis, a football player who constantly bullies Peter while simultaneously idolizing his alter ego, Spider-Man. Zylka first tweeted that he was involved with the film. On November 2010 it was later revealed to be Flash Thompson. - Irrfan Khan as Van Atter
- Annie ParisseAnnie ParisseAnne Marie Cancelmi , known as Annie Parisse, is an American television, film, and theater actress, known for playing Alexandra Borgia on the television drama Law & Order, a role she played from 2005 until 2006 in 33 episodes. Parisse is also known for her role of Julia Lindsey Snyder on the...
as Van Atter's wife. - Campbell ScottCampbell ScottCampbell Scott is an American actor, director, producer, and voice artist.-Life and career:Scott was born in New York City, the son of George C. Scott, an actor, director, and producer, and Colleen Dewhurst, a Canadian-born actress. He graduated from Lawrence University in 1983. His brother is...
as Richard ParkerRichard and Mary ParkerRichard and Mary Parker are fictional characters of Marvel Comics. They were the parents of Peter Parker, the boy who one day would become Spider-Man. They will appear in the 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise...
: Peter Parker's father. - Embeth DavidtzEmbeth DavidtzEmbeth Jean Davidtz is an American-born actress who spent much of her early life in South Africa.-Early life:Davidtz was born in Lafayette, Indiana, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. Her parents, John and Jean, later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then...
as Mary ParkerRichard and Mary ParkerRichard and Mary Parker are fictional characters of Marvel Comics. They were the parents of Peter Parker, the boy who one day would become Spider-Man. They will appear in the 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise...
: Peter Parker's mother. Davidtz replaced Julianne NicholsonJulianne NicholsonJulianne Nicholson is an American actress. She is known for having played Det. Megan Wheeler on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Early life:...
in the role. - C. Thomas HowellC. Thomas HowellChristopher Thomas "Tommy" Howell , known by his stage name C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in The Da Vinci Treasure,Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G...
as Ray: A construction worker whose son is saved by Spider-Man. - Hannah MarksHannah MarksHannah Gayle Marks is an American television and film actress.Hannah Marks was born in Santa Monica, California. She appeared in the 2006 feature film Accepted as Lizzie Gaines as well as guest starred in many television programs such as Ugly Betty and CSI: Miami...
as Missy Kallenback: An unpopular girl who has a crush on Peter Parker. - Miles Elliot as Billy Connors: Dr. Curt Connors' son.
Unlike the original films it was reported that J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...
would not appear in this film. Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
has a cameo, as he did in the previous films, which will involve him in an action scene and which he referred to as his "best, most unusual one yet!" At the 2011 Dallas Comic-Con
Comic-Con
Comic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
, Lee enthusiastically talked about his cameo. He will play a librarian listening to music on his headphones while stamping books and dancing at the same time, despite the on-going fight between Spider-Man and The Lizard.
Development
Simultaneous with the cancellation of Spider-Man 4, Sony Pictures EntertainmentSony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
announced that the franchise would be rebooted with a new director and new cast. The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled to be released on July 3, 2012 in 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and is intended to focus on Peter Parker
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
developing his abilities in high school. Avi Arad
Avi Arad
Avi Arad is an Israeli-American businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s, and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, a Marvel director, chairman, CEO and the founder of Marvel Studios....
, Laura Ziskin
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ellen Ziskin was an American film producer. In 1990, Ziskin was the sole executive producer of the hit comedy Pretty Woman...
and Matt Tolmach (who were always involved with the franchise) were confirmed to produce the film. Sony also confirmed that James Vanderbilt
James Vanderbilt
James Platten Vanderbilt is an American screenwriter.A member of the Vanderbilt family of New York, he is the son of Alison Campbell and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III...
would write the script for the new film. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called Vanderbilt's script "gritty, contemporary" and referenced Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
, Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer.He received serious notice after his second feature Memento , which he wrote and directed based on a story idea by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan went to co-write later scripts with him,...
's reboot of the Batman film series, which also reinvented the tone of the series. Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent is an American screenwriter. He has won two Academy Awards for his screenplays and has been involved in the writing of all movies to date in the Spider-Man film series.-Life and career:...
was then hired to fine-tune the script. Marc Webb
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb is an American music video, short film and major motion picture director. He directed the 2009 romantic comedy-drama Days of Summer and is currently directing the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.-Life and career:Webb was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of...
, whose previous film (500) Days of Summer was his directorial debut, was confirmed to direct the reboot. The co-chairman of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal is Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. and Chairman of SPE's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. She oversees all development, production and marketing activities at Columbia Pictures...
, and the president of Sony Pictures of Matt Tolmach of Sony Entertainment stated that "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." Marc Webb stated that he is was first hesitant about directing the film but then he said to himself "How could I walk away from this? What an opportunity! What better cinematic character is there than Spidey!" Marc also commented that it is also a dream come true and that he couldn’t be more aware of the challenge, responsibility, or opportunity. Webb also had this to say about the comparison of his and Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
's work as a director of a Spider-Man film:
- "Sam Raimi's virtuoso rendering of Spider-Man is a humbling precedent to follow and build upon. The first three films are beloved for good reason. But I think the Spider-Man mythology transcends not only generations but directors as well. I am signing on not to 'take over' from Sam. That would be impossible. Not to mention arrogant. I'm here because there's an opportunity for ideas, stories, and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas, and creative voice to Spider-Man."
There has also been speculation that the reboot will be based on the Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
comics. Evidence includes the fact that Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
, creator of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, met with the movie crew. Bendis tweeted
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, "Just spent a very interesting morning at Sony with the entire spidey movie team!! Very very cool stuff!!"
Pre-production
In May 2010, the list of actors to play Spider-Man were reported to be Jamie BellJamie Bell
Andrew James Matfin "Jamie" Bell is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Billy Elliot , King Kong , Hallam Foe , Jumper , Defiance , The Eagle and The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn .- Early life :Bell was born in Billingham, in the Borough of...
, Josh Hutcherson
Josh Hutcherson
Joshua Ryan "Josh" Hutcherson is an American film and television actor. He began working in the early 2000s, appearing in several minor film and television roles...
, Frank Dillane, Alden Ehrenreich
Alden Ehrenreich
-Life and career:Ehrenreich was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Sari, is an interior designer, and his stepfather is an orthodontist. He was raised in Reconstructionist Judaism...
and Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
, and in June 2010 the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Aaron Johnson and Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
. The final shortlist was reported to also include Logan Lerman
Logan Lerman
Logan Wade Lerman is an American actor, known for playing the title role in the 2010 fantasy-adventure Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. He appeared in commercials in the mid 1990s, before starring in the series Jack & Bobby , and the movies The Butterfly Effect and Hoot...
and Michael Angarano
Michael Angarano
- Early life :Angarano was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Doreen and Michael P. Angarano. He is of Italian descent. His family owns and operates three successful dance studios; two in New York and one in California called Reflections in Dance. His mother is the owner and director of all...
. On June 27, 2010, the final and confirmed short list was announced: Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Aaron Johnson, Andrew Garfield, Logan Lerman, and Alden Ehrenreich. On July 1, 2010, it was confirmed that the role would go to Andrew Garfield. Webb stated that though his name may be new to many he is a talented actor to those who know his work. He also stated: "He that has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker." Producer Avi Arad
Avi Arad
Avi Arad is an Israeli-American businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s, and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, a Marvel director, chairman, CEO and the founder of Marvel Studios....
said that they were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer and they felt like they found that with Andrew Garfield while producer Laura Ziskin
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ellen Ziskin was an American film producer. In 1990, Ziskin was the sole executive producer of the hit comedy Pretty Woman...
said that in the end the developers have all agreed that Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth and pathos along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen."
Currently, Garfield is 27, which raised concerns about his ability to play a high school student. The website HitFix reported that Sony realized this and thus the new movie may instead have Parker starting the series as a college student, but Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
later reported that the film is still set in high school. Sony also held auditions for the role of a young Peter Parker, somebody who would resemble Andrew Garfield in looks.
It was reported originally that the film would feature both Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
and Gwen Stacy
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
as love interests, but the website The Wrap later reported that only Gwen Stacy will appear in the film. In August 2010, the list of actresses to play the love interest included Imogen Poots
Imogen Poots
Imogen Gay Poots is an English actress, best known for playing Tammy in the 2007 film 28 Weeks Later, Prue Sorenson in the 2010 remake of the controversial TV drama Bouquet of Barbed Wire and as Jean Ross in the BBC's Christopher and His Kind.-Early life:Poots was born in Hammersmith, London,...
, Ophelia Lovibond
Ophelia Lovibond
Ophelia Lucy Lovibond is an English actress.Ophelia had a part in the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy as well as the TV series FM. She played a leading role in the film 4.3.2.1 as Shannon and had roles in the 2011 films London Boulevard, No Strings Attached and Mr. Popper's Penguins.- Filmography...
, Lily Collins
Lily Collins
Lily Jane Collins is a British-American actress and television personality.-Early life:Collins was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, and is the daughter of British musician Phil Collins and his second wife, American-born Jill Tavelman...
, Teresa Palmer
Teresa Palmer
Teresa Palmer is an Australian actress. She made her film debut in the suicide drama 2:37. Palmer was seen in The Grudge 2 in 2006, in December Boys, alongside Daniel Radcliffe, and in the 2008 children's fantasy Bedtime Stories, with Adam Sandler...
, and Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts
Emma Rose Roberts is an American actress, model and singer. She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts. Roberts became known for her role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon television series Unfabulous. She released her debut album, which also served as the show's...
, and in September 2010 Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that the shortlist had expanded to include Emma Stone and Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska is an Australian actress. After starting her career in Australian television and film, she first became known to a wider audience following her critically acclaimed work on the HBO television series In Treatment...
. The shortlist was reported to also include Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Quinn Fabray on the television series Glee.-Early life:Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general...
, Georgina Haig, and Dominique McElligott
Dominique McElligott
Dominique McElligott is an Irish television and film actress, appearing primarily in independent films. She starred in Moon alongside Sam Rockwell as well as the RTÉ series Raw before leaving to film Leap Year...
. On October 5, 2010, it was confirmed that the role of Gwen Stacy would go to Emma Stone. Tolmach said that her on screen spark is perfect for the role. Marc Webb also said that the chemistry between Emma and Garfield is what made her the clear choice.
Reportedly Sony was interested in casting Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz is an Austrian-German actor. He received international acclaim for his portrayal of SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and...
as the villain of the film, however Waltz's representatives denied his involvement. Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is an Irish-German actor. He is best known for playing Lt. Archie Hicox in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Magneto in the superhero blockbuster X-Men: First Class...
was also linked to the villain role before signing on to play Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
in X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics starring the X-Men.-Publication history:The original series was an eight-issue limited series. It began in September 2006 and ended in April 2007. It was written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Roger Cruz...
. On October 11, 2010, Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
was confirmed to be the unnamed villain in the film. On October 13, 2010, it was reported that Rhys Ifans will be playing Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. the Lizard. The producer Avi Arad has admitted to Empire
Empire (magazine)
Empire is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap. Bauer purchased Emap Consumer Media in early 2008...
interviewers that the Lizard is his favorite Spider-Man villain and that he has always wanted to do the Lizard as the villain of the film and that it was a dream come true that he was the chosen villain. Long before the villain was commited to the script, Arvi already had conceptual drawings prepared for the Lizard to be the villain. Steve Kloves
Steve Kloves
Stephen Keith "Steven" Kloves is an Academy Award-nominated American screenwriter mainly renowned for his adaptations of novels, especially for the Harry Potter film series and for Wonder Boys...
, a screenwriter that was commonly involved with the Harry Potter film series
Harry Potter (film series)
The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
and who originally turned down the role, decided to be involved with tuning up the script with Alvin Sargent since he knew Alvin and the producer Laura Ziskin, who died during the production of the film, and would decide to do them a favor at making the film good just like they wanted. He also wanted to write for Emma Stone. Steve mostly focused on character and dialogue concentrating on Emma's characters as Gwen Stacy and some of Garfield's character as well.
Filming
The film began shooting on December 6, 2010 in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The 90-day film shoot also includes two weeks in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, while the bulk of filming occurred in and around Los Angeles, including such locations as the Henry Fonda Theater
Music Box Theater (Los Angeles)
The Music Box is a concert venue in Los Angeles, California. It was previously called the Henry Fonda Theater, after the actor Henry Fonda....
in Hollywood, St. John Bosco High School
St. John Bosco High School
St. John Bosco High School is a Catholic college preparatory school located in Bellflower, California, USA; conducted by the Salesians of St. John Bosco, San Francisco Province. SJBHS is named after Saint John Bosco and was originally founded as an elementary and intermediate boarding school by...
's Gym, Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire region.It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, although some...
, and various locations around South Pasadena
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, San Pedro, and Woodland Hills. Sony Entertainment spokesman Steve Elzer says "this is the first fourth Spider-Man production we have shot primarily in Los Angeles and for good reason, the crews here are the best in the world but there is a comfort level in producing a project of this size and scope on your own backlot." He continued, "Basing the film on the lot also makes it easier for producers to interact with Sony’s in-house visual effects team, and gives the studios greater control of quality and security."
The film will also be the first Hollywood production to be filmed with the RED Epic camera, and is being shot in 3-D at 5K resolution. Cinematographer, John Schwartzman
John Schwartzman
John Schwartzman A.S.C. is an American cinematographer for numerous films.He is the son of Jack Schwartzman and stepson of Talia Shire. He is best known for his collaborations with director Michael Bay...
had this to say about the camera:
Schwartzman also felt that the 3D of the film would have been more impossible without it. He said "I can tell you without these cameras it would be impossible to move a 3D rig in the ways that THIS story demands, if Jim and the crew hadn't made these cameras available to us I don't think we could have shot this movie the way our director envisioned it in 3D."
Stunt performer
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
of the film included the Armstrong family, Vic Armstrong
Vic Armstrong
Victor Monroe Armstrong is a BAFTA winning British film director and stunt double -- the world's most prolific according to the Guinness Book of Records...
and Andy Armstrong
Andy Armstrong
Andy Armstrong is an actor, stuntman and film producer. He is the brother of Vic Armstrong.-References:...
. Andrew Garfield was reported to be involved with some of the stunts as well. The actor was even reported to have a tissue
Tissue paper
Tissue paper is a lightweight paper or, light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made both from virgin and recycled paper pulp.-Properties:Key properties are: strength, absorbency, basis weight, thickness , brightness, stretch, appearance and comfort....
in his nose suffering a nosebleed from his swinging in New York City.
While filming in New York the crew built a whole rig hundreds of feet long over Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive (Manhattan)
Riverside Drive is a scenic north-south thoroughfare in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The boulevard runs on the west side of Manhattan, generally parallel to the Hudson River from 72nd Street to near the George Washington Bridge at 181st Street...
in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. While there they swung a man through traffic down the street. Andy Armstrong also built a car rig with a series of wires to help with effects which also requires also an incredible wealth of acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
.
Webb, commenting about his challenge of his work: "One of the things we tried to do was keep the stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
s more grounded physically and that was a huge challenge because you have a character whose abilities are superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
. How do you do that in a way that's convincing and real? We had a really great stunt team, the Armstrongs, who were vigilant in the creation — with Andrew — of a physical language that felt grounded but also extraordinary. We spent months and months and months developing rigs so he could swing in a way that wasn’t computer-generated. Obviously there’s going to be enhancements and CG
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
[sequences], but it's based in a physical reality and that's a new technique [for this film brand].
Post-production
On April 2011 Emma revealed that the cinematographyCinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
was being wrapped up and post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
would begin in May.
While in post-production, Marc Webb explained that he wanted to create a new 3-D experience for Spider-Man stating: "Because we're shooting in 3D, I wanted to conceive of certain things very specifically for 3D. There's an experiential component to 3D that's fascinating and we're experimenting with generating that point of view – so you feel what Peter Parker feels, you feel what Spider-Man feels when he's jumping over buildings and over the streets, that sort of thing. But we made a very, and Andrew had to pay the price for this, very conscious effort to ground stunts."
Marketing
A teaser trailer was leaked on the internetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and aired at the San Diego Comic-Con at July 2011 while being attached to the superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
. Rob Keyes of Screen Rant felt that "it takes on a noticeably different tone from that of Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
trilogy of Spider-Man movies, and presents itself in a similar fashion to what Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
." Germain Lussier of /Film
/Film
/Film is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005.-Podcasts:Two podcasts run on the site. The /Filmcast airs Sunday nights, hosted by David Chen, Adam Quigley, and Devindra Hardawar, in which they and a guest discuss TV and...
felt that the trailer makes it feel like a small film when judging with all the leaked photos of filming going on that it is going to be a big film. He commented that the trailer makes it look more like "a superhero Twilight
Twilight (2008 film)
Twilight is a 2008 American romantic vampire film based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novel of the same name. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series...
." He states that "this is a big action movie
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
with massive practical effects all shot in painstaking 3D with a hefty price tag. This trailer really doesn’t sell that." Also in websites such as Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
, along with Nathan Irvine from GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
and Movies.com
Movies.com
Movies.com is a website in the Fandango family, operated by Comcast. It was acquired from Disney in June 2008. It is the second-most visited movie-related website, second only to IMDb. The website has information about movies, upcoming movies, and theater information...
's Peter Hall have accused the trailer of blatantly ripping off the 2008 video game Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge is a single-player first person action-adventure video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was announced on July 10, 2007, and was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2008. A Microsoft Windows version was released...
when Spider-Man is swinging in the city in a POV shot
Point of view shot
A point of view shot is a short film scene that shows what a character is looking at . It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction...
after noticing the resemblance between it and the game.
Video game
A video game based on the film was announced at the 2011 New York Comic Con. The game will be developed by BeenoxBeenox
Beenox is a video game developer, established in Québec City, Québec. Founded in 2000 by Dominique Brown. Beenox has been awarded with the Quebec's Best Employer 2008 title and is among the Top 50 of the World’s best video game developers published in March 2008 by the Game Developers Research...
, the development team behind the previous two Spider-Man games, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a video game featuring Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions blends together four universes from the Marvel Comics multiverse, allowing the player to play as four different Spider-Men...
and Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Spider-Man: Edge of Time is a video game developed by the Activision-owned developer Beenox, based on the superhero Spider-Man. The story was written by Peter David, and gameplay has a "cause-and-effect" system where one Spider-Man's actions will affect the other and vice versa. It was released on...
. During New York Comic Con a producer at Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
, Doug Header stated that the game will take place after the events of the movie. Heder realizing his mixed reviews with his last video game, promising that the video game will find a different fate, thanks to its lengthy development time. The video game has been reported to be in development by Gerard Lehiany, the creative director of Beenox. The game is planned to be be released in Summer 2012 sometime near the film comes out. The first concept artwork of the game was released on November 10, 2011. According to GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
, the game will "Go beyond the movie to experience what it's like to BE Spider-Man like never before. Set shortly after the events of Columbia Pictures' new film, The Amazing Spider-Man throws New York City's brand new hero back into free-roaming, web-slinging action, as he protects the Big Apple from a deluge of unimaginable threats. Experience the new Web Rush mechanic as Spidey twists his way through the NYC skyline with unprecedented speed and grace. The game's original story also explores beautiful indoor environments, as you'll encounter everything from skirmishes with everyday street thugs to pulse-pounding confrontations with Spider-Man's most lethal foes."
Sequel
The studio plans to produce a sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man for release in 2014. It has hired screenwriter James VanderbiltJames Vanderbilt
James Platten Vanderbilt is an American screenwriter.A member of the Vanderbilt family of New York, he is the son of Alison Campbell and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III...
to write the screenplay.
External links