It seems like only yesterday comic book fans were all excited about the very first Spider-Man movie — Sam Raimi's 2002 take on the webslinging superhero, starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. With Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone stepping in to lead Marc Webb's high school-set The Amazing Spider-Man, a lot of people are wondering if the reboot is any different at all. Time will tell if fans decide Amazing is better or worse, or maybe just the same as Raimi's Spider-Man — but looking back on interviews from 2002's Spider-Man junket, it turned out some of the exact same questions were asked of both sets of directors and stars.
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Summertime is blockbuster season, and with it comes the usual onslaught of promotional tie-ins. Naturally, The Amazing Spider-Man has generated its share of interesting merchandising partners. However, with great products come great risibility, and with over ninety promotional partners it was inevitable that some of the marketing would miss the mark. From odd adult eyewear to a line of cosmetics, take your pick of the items that failed in the goal to get your spending-sense tingling.
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Rebooting the Spider-Man franchise just five years after Sam Raimi completed his own $2.4 billion trilogy was a controversial move in itself, let alone the idea of revisiting Spidey’s origin story, one of the most familiar and popular beginnings in comic book lore, yet again. But whatever qualms you might have about The Amazing Spider-Man treading familiar ground — this time with Andrew Garfield as a skate-boarding high-schooler/vigilante nursing abandonment issues — director Marc Webb himself wrestled with the very same issues from the start.
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So says Marvel superproducer Avi Arad, describing the spark between the on- (and rumored off-)screen Amazing Spider-Man couple: "On camera the chemistry is real. Those scenes are where Marc Webb really gets into his element. It’s the hardest thing to do and they do it. These two are like Hepburn-Tracy of modern time. It’s a war of brains that turns into attraction." Does that make Spider-Man their Woman of the Year? Discuss. [ScreenCrush]
Opening early overseas helped this week's Battleship quietly amass $215 million before its domestic debut, and a few international markets (including Japan, Hong Kong, and New Zealand) may similarly see emphatic pre-U.S. openings for Sony's July 3 tent pole The Amazing Spider-Man when it opens in countries like India days before hitting theaters stateside. Shall we call it, as one Sony Pictures India rep suggests, the "neener-neener" bump? "Each of the Spider-Man franchise films has broken records on its release in this territory. We are very confident that Indian audiences will enjoy the new reboot of the franchise even more because they are watching it before the U.S." [THR]
Because nothing says "blockbuster of the season" like angsty daddy issues -- mingled with a barrage of cool CG-tastic effects and action shots and nerd bait -- Sony's unveiled the latest official trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man, due in theaters July 3. Emphasis this time around is on what made emo-snarky Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) the super-powered jokester hero he is: Namely, losing Ma and Pa Parker as a kid.
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Look, it's Friday. We're all working for the weekend, here. And besides, superhero season is nigh upon us! Do I really need a good reason for posting a collection of YouTube Spider-Men dancing in costumes on the internet? Yeah, didn't think so. ENJOY! With great power comes great responsibility... to get down, Spidey-style.
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As previewed earlier today for select audiences around the globe, here's Sony's brand spankin' new theatrical trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man. (Find my full detailed Spider-Man preview Q&A recap, including descriptions of the sizzle reel that has not yet been released, here.) Take a look and weigh in, Spidey fans -- is this the version of the Marvel superhero we both need and deserve?
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Forget blowing a million or more on a Super Bowl ad; the day after upcoming tentpoles John Carter, Battleship, and G.I. Joe targeted football-watchers with pricey TV spots, Sony went after niche fans with an international simulcast screening of new footage and a 3-D preview of the new Amazing Spider-Man trailer set to hit tonight at midnight PT. Though it included some unfinished visual effects, the sizzle reel featuring 30-40 percent new footage (according to a rep for the studio) hinted at the scope and darkly humorous tone of the Marc Webb-directed reboot.
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When Rhys Ifans crosses paths with Peter Parker & Co. as the villain The Lizard in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot, his performance will partially be obscured by CG accoutrements. But one element of the baddie should be a little more recognizable, even after, as Ifans suggests, audio effects will be employed to make him sound even more otherworldly. Not that he needed much help terrifying intrepid MTV reporter Josh Horowitz, as he did when he unleashed a voice akin to Gollum on steroids. Watch and listen for yourself after the jump.
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Fun factoid, children of the '90s: Did you know that film franchises like X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Spider-Man movies sprang from the same creative force as some of your favorite childhood toys? Movieline caught up with Marvel Studios founder (and producer of the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man, Ghost Rider 2, and The Avengers) in San Diego where the veteran film exec revisited his past as a toy inventor extraordinaire.
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Breaking Dawn highlighted yesterday's announcement of the Day One schedule for Comic-Con, but today's unveiling of Day Two's line-up promises even more star wattage in Hall H. Among the talent making appearances in support of upcoming projects: John Cusack, Steven Soderbergh, Jeff Bridges, Alex Proyas, Guillermo del Toro, Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Nicolas Cage, and Andrew Garfield. Hit the jump to see how many award nominees and Oscar winners will come through the geek event on Friday alone!
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