Marc Webb understands Spider-Man. He gets the little things that made the character work on the pages of comic books for generations. And he has figured out how to bring those qualities to life on screen in both 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man and that movie’s energetic sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Webb accomplishes so much on screen in this weeks’ blockbuster release. Not only does he build on the vital relationship between more-confident Peter Parker and his soul mate, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Webb also plants the seed for a growing Amazing Spider-Man universe that is expected to include the super-villain all-star squad The Sinister Six and the alien symbiote known as Venom.
But we’re not there yet. We’re still celebrating the incredible accomplishment Webb achieved with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which is part of the reason why Sony invited me and my 10-year-old son, P.J., to New York City for the domestic press day on the studio’s film. Webb has been nice enough to entertain my wild theories about the possible future of the Spider-Man franchise. What a thrill it was to now see him facing the tough questions of my young Spidey fan. (Our conversation with Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan can be found here.)
Initially, they spoke about Webb’s vision for the character, and the changes he had to make during pre- and post-production:
Then P.J. was fascinated with the amount of footage Marc Webb was able to film on the actual streets of Manhattan. This was my son’s first trip to the Big Apple, and we screened the movie in Times Square. After the film, the two of us walked to several of the locations that were showcased in the movie, notably the Times Square confrontation between Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) and Electro (Jamie Foxx). When P.J. asked him about filming locations, Marc Webb told him:
I couldn’t help but pick up on a very deliberate nod to time in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, especially Peter Parker’s inability to stop it at very specific – borderline tragic – moments in the story. Marc Webb’s reasoning for that creative decision was fascinating. (OK, this one is a little detailed, and yes, can be considered spoilery, so proceed with caution!)
We went out of our way to avoid talking about deep The Amazing Spider-Man 2 spoilers in these TV conversations. But Webb did get on the phone with me after the fact and we talked at length about the growing Spider-Man universe, and the roles key figures will play moving forward. I’ll bring that content to the site as the movie opens, so more of you will be able to see the movie and read content freely, without the fear of being spoiled. For now, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens in theaters on May 2, Go see it, Spider-Man fans!
