2012 Mayans, Elections, Olympics….SPIDERMAN!!
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amazing spider-man amazing spiderman spiderman 2012 spiderman film the amazing spidermanThere’s a lot of buzz in the air centering around 2012. There’s that whole end of the world thing going on, a presidential election, the Olympics in England, but all that pales in comparison to what happens on July 3rd.Yep, that’s right, The Amazing Spiderman will be released on that date of that epic year. Just two months shy of 5 years from the last installment of the franchise Spiderman will once again grace the silver screen, and this time he will do it all in 3D glory.
I know, you think I’m exaggerating, but the Spiderman trilogy is the most successful trilogy of all time. Still think I’m kidding? Alright, did you know that all three Spiderman movies are in the top 20 domestic grossing movies of all time. You have to go down to 44 to find the last Star Wars, 34 to find the last Pirates of the Caribbean, and 28 to find the lowest grossing Lord of the Rings. 2.5 billion dollars world wide just off box office receipts alone. Not included in that enormous number are the toys, DVD sales, clothes, advertising tie-ins, and comic books.
Some would play it safe, go with what brought them to the party. Not so with the folks from Columbia/S
ony. Not only did they bring in a new director and script writer, they fearlessly changed the whole enchilada. Gone are the trio of Sam Raimi, Tobey McGuire, and Kirsten Dunst who helped to make box office history with the first three installments. In their place are some well and not so well known names. Andrew Garfield, fresh off the success of the Social Network in which he was nominated for a BAFTA,
and the Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus takes over as Peter Parker/Spiderman and seems more than capable of filling Tobey’s boots. This movie’s villain the Lizard will be played by Rhys Ifans, you may know him as Hugh Grant’s doofus roommate in Notting Hill, or the obnoxious filed goal kicker in The Replacements. Still no idea? How about the original lead singer of the Super Furry Animals? You get the picture. Helming the way is Marc Webb, whose only big screen release so far is 500 Days of Summer. It made a modest $37,391,374 at the box office, and got praise for its somewhat gimmicky filming style. Marc’s other contributions to cinematic history are music videos. Rounding out the cast are some names you may know. Denis Leary has signed on to play Capt. Stacy, Martin Sheen takes over as Uncle Ben, Sally Fields is playing Aunt May, and C Thomas Howell is simply Ray.
At this point I would like to tell you what I know about the script, and I would if the script wasn’t being protected like a Big Mac at a Weight Watchers meeting. That doesn’t mean I can’t speculate, read the rumor blogs, or visit the local comic book palace and get the unofficial 411. According to EW, Avi Arad Marvels Executive Producer said, “It’s not a comeback. You have to look at it this way: Do you want to know more about the Amazing Spiderman? This movie is going to tell stories that you didn’t see in the movies 1, 2, and 3.” That quote brings up a whole host of other questions. First being, how did he meet Gwen Stacy before film three? As far as I can find neither J Jonah Jameson nor Mary Jane Watson are in this film. Uncle Ben is back so I don’t think he is dead yet and Emma Stone, who plays Gwen Stacy, said on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno that she is contracted to play in several Spiderman movies. Peter’s parents Richard and Mary make an appearance in this movie further complicating Mr. Arad’s claim that this isn’t a reboot. Finally there is an interesting casting note that has Irrfan Khan playing the part of Nel’s Van Adder/ Proto Goblin. In case you’re wondering if you read that correctly…that’s right “Proto Goblin.”
Like every other warm blooded Spiderman fan I’m excited about this movie. I’m pleasantly pleased to see the beloved web shooters make a cinematic debut. I’m also happy that the love of Peter’s life is the one I started with so many years ago, Gwen Stacy. I would be lying if I said there weren’t some “Oh no you didn’t” moments, like the casting of Sally Fields as Aunt May, or the new costume. But overall like I said at the beginning, there’s a buzz in the air, a buzz that hadn’t been there for a couple of years. Forget the Olympics, forget that the Mayan calendar says the world will end, forget that we once again as a nation we will be subject to the political blathering that is a presidential campaign, Spiderman comes out on July 3rd 2012 and this time you can see it in 3D.
By: D L Robertson
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