269 replies to this topic

[Thom Wade]

SDG, on 14 October 2010 - 08:39 AM, said:

Peter T Chattaway, on 13 October 2010 - 09:51 PM, said:

TheWrap.com is reporting that Ifans will play the Lizard.

Now, THAT could work.

Yup. The beauty of the two characters is their juxtaposition. Peter Parker (aspiring scientific mind) is accidentally bitten by radioactive spider and becomes gifted with extraordinary abilities. Dr. Conners is intentionally experimenting on himself (with perfectly understandale and laudible goals) and creates a monster.

[CrimsonLine]

I like it. And I can see it.

[Overstreet]

Martin Sheen is Uncle Ben, according to The Wrap.

[Peter T Chattaway]

And as Aunt May ... Sally Field?

"Life is like a box of chocolates, Peter Parker..."

Update: Hmmm, the Hollywood Reporter is claiming an exclusive on this story, just as they broke the Martin Sheen story -- but since ComingSoon.net doesn't give the hour or minute of its postings, it's impossible to say which site posted the news first in this case. Ah well.

Edited by Peter T Chattaway, 04 November 2010 - 09:30 PM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Heh. And if the IMDb is to be believed, this will mark the first time Martin Sheen and Sally Field have acted together since the 1971 TV-movie Mongo's Back in Town. Any chance we can find a copy of that on video?

[Peter T Chattaway]

EXCLUSIVE: Denis Leary to Join Spider-Man Reboot
Denis Leary is negotiations to play the father of Emma Stone in Columbia’s new Spider-Man movie.
Stone is playing the love interest of Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) and Leary will play police captain George Stacy, her father who frequently came into contact with the web-slinging superhero.
In Marvel Comics lore, Stacy perished in an accident during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, an event that led Gwen Stacy to hate the hero.
Columbia and director Marc Webb are keeping the James Vanderbilt and Alvin Sargent-penned script under lock and key so it’s uncertain how faithful to the core story Leary’s version of the character will be. . . .
Hollywood Reporter, November 17

- - -

FWIW, Captain Stacy was played in Spider-Man 3 by James Cromwell.

[Peter T Chattaway]

EXCLUSIVE: Spider-Man Gets a Set of Parents and Another Villain
Campbell Scott . . . and [Julianne] Nicholson (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) will be Parker’s parents, who leave their son an orphan. Parker’s parents have rarely been seen in the various Marvel comic book series and have never appeared on-screen. It is unclear if they will appear in flashbacks, in a prologue or during the course of the movie.
[Irrfan] Khan, best known for his work in Slumdog Millionaire, is playing a villain named Van Atter, joining Rhys Ifans as the movie’s bad guys. . . .
Hollywood Reporter, December 3

Is Proto-Goblin The New 'Spider-Man' Reboot Villain?
Just a little while ago, news hit the wire that "Slumdog Millionaire" actor Irrfan Khan was cast as a second villain in Marc Webb's "Spider-Man" reboot. The character's name was listed as "Van Atter," leaving many comic fans to ask, "Who?"
Well, it looks like we might have an answer to that question in the form of late-1990s character Nels Van Adder, an early test subject for one of Norman Osborn's projects who mutated into a creature called "Proto-Goblin." The character's one and only appearance can be found in 1997's "Peter Parker, Spider-Man" #1, in a story written by Howard Mackie and titled "The Macabre Mystery Of The Proto-Goblin."
If this is indeed the character Khan will play in the film, it sheds some light on a few potential elements of the plot and timeline for the as-yet-untitled 2012 reboot of the "Spider-Man" movie franchise. . . .
The story also features a prominent role for Captain George Stacy (played by Denis Leary in the film), the father of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). . . .
MTV Splash Page, December 3

[NBooth]

First look: Garfield as Spider-Man

[SDG]

NBooth, on 13 January 2011 - 04:11 PM, said:

First look: Garfield as Spider-Man

Um. Oh my. That'll take some getting used to. Not that that's a negative reaction, necessarily.

[Overstreet]

I love it. I like Garfield a lot, so I'm excited to see him in the role. But they're going to have a tough time distinguishing this from the bazillion other superhero movies and make it something special.

[Peter T Chattaway]

SDG wrote:
: Um. Oh my. That'll take some getting used to. Not that that's a negative reaction, necessarily.

I'm not a Marvel fan, so I don't have a whole lot invested in this personally, but I have to say it seems to me that this costume redesign is motivated by the need to be different just for the sake of being different. The costume in the Sam Raimi costume could at least strive to be "faithful" to the comics while making whatever changes were necessary for the production design of a major motion picture... but with the franchise being rebooted so soon after Raimi made his films, and with no serious change in aesthetics between now and then, the filmmaker's only recourse was to change the outfit's design, and to therefore be NOT so "faithful" to the comics. And, like you say, it'll take some getting used to.

BTW, does anyone know if the web-shooters in this film will be organic (a la Raimi's films) or mechanical (a la the comics)?

[SDG]

Overstreet, on 13 January 2011 - 04:41 PM, said:

I love it. I like Garfield a lot, so I'm excited to see him in the role. But they're going to have a tough time distinguishing this from the bazillion other superhero movies and make it something special.

Spider-Man is already special. I don't think it's tough at all.

It would be awesome if they set out to make a really good movie, period, not just a "superhero movie."

Also, while there's certainly darkness in Peter's life, I hope they're not going all Dark Knight on us. Peter's sense of humor and his wit are a crucial part of his appeal. We didn't get enough of that in the Raimi/Maguire films.

Also, do more with Peter's smarts. Not just techno-babble smart -- make him really smart, insightful, intellectually engaged.

[SDG]

Peter T Chattaway, on 13 January 2011 - 04:53 PM, said:

I'm not a Marvel fan, so I don't have a whole lot invested in this personally, but I have to say it seems to me that this costume redesign is motivated by the need to be different just for the sake of being different. The costume in the Sam Raimi costume could at least strive to be "faithful" to the comics while making whatever changes were necessary for the production design of a major motion picture... but with the franchise being rebooted so soon after Raimi made his films, and with no serious change in aesthetics between now and then, the filmmaker's only recourse was to change the outfit's design, and to therefore be NOT so "faithful" to the comics. And, like you say, it'll take some getting used to.

BTW, does anyone know if the web-shooters in this film will be organic (a la Raimi's films) or mechanical (a la the comics)?

I am a Marvel fan, but my love of Spider-Man transcends brand or universe considerations. In fact, I got into Marvel because of Spider-Man, not the other way around; I can never remember not being a Spider-Man nut.

I can understand the need/desire to differentiate the look of the character from the Raimi/Maguire version. I'm not freaking; I'm willing to let this grow on me.

Please, please, mechanical webshooters this time around. (If anyone's curious, I have some sweet ideas on how that could be semi-plausibly handled (going back to before the first movie, when I actually hung around in the comboxes at aintitcool.com!).)

[NBooth]

Quote

Also, while there's certainly darkness in Peter's life, I hope they're not going all Dark Knight on us. Peter's sense of humor and his wit are a crucial part of his appeal. We didn't get enough of that in the Raimi/Maguire films.

Yes. Part of what soured on me on the previous three Spider-Man movies was the eternal mopiness of Tobey Maguire. Of course, I've not seen Garfield do much that doesn't require a certain degree of mopiness, so I'm not sure how well he handles lighter fare.

I have no ties to Spider-Man at all, and I'm digging the new suit, myself.

[N.K. Carter]

My cautious optimism remains... cautious.

It certainly doesn't look like a bad costume, and I like the notes of texture, although I can't quite figure out what's battle damage and what's just part of the costume. I can certainly appreciate the need to differentiate this film from the previous ones, too.

I will say, though, that Spider-Man has one of the truly great superhero costumes; it's unusual but elegant, neither too simple nor too busy, and perfectly specific to the character. (Tim Gunn agrees!) Any major modification to the costume, with the exception of adjusting for texture (as was necessary for the film), is likely to be a step down.

More than the costume itself, though, my curiosity is peaked by the choice of this particular image as a first look, which looks very much like Spider-Man after a particularly rough night. I had assumed, when they hired Marc Webb, that they meant to keep the films playful, and I had hoped that script I would allow Peter himself to be more playful. This does seem to play up the "dark" look that's in among superhero films these days (going "all Dark Knight on us"), but then, the Lizard has always been a pretty dark counterpoint to Peter's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man persona. Let's just hope they can strike the right balance.

[Peter T Chattaway]

SDG wrote:
: Please, please, mechanical webshooters this time around.

FWIW, some bloggers think we can actually SEE mechanical webshooters peeking out from behind Spidey's wrists in the pic that was released today.

[Ryan H.]

Peter T Chattaway, on 14 January 2011 - 02:39 AM, said:

SDG wrote:
: Please, please, mechanical webshooters this time around.

FWIW, some bloggers think we can actually SEE mechanical webshooters peeking out from behind Spidey's wrists in the pic that was released today.

Yeah. What else could the gold things on his wrist be?

[Thom Wade]

Cuff links?

The logo on the uniform looks very much like Ultimate Spider-Man...so I suspect the reboot is going to be borrowering a bit from that.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Looks like there will be no J. Jonah Jameson in this movie.

Meanwhile, a bit of behind-the-scenes stunt footage:

[Thom Wade]

Peter T Chattaway, on 21 January 2011 - 12:37 AM, said:

Looks like there will be no J. Jonah Jameson in this movie.

GAH! (although, I don't know if I would want to see someone other J.K. Simmons in the role anyways)