THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN - Marc Webb Discusses the Film with Scene Details
Empire Magazine recently conducted a great little interview with director Marc Webb, who is hard at work bringing a new Amazing Spider-Man movie to the big screen. In the interview he discusses the film and explains that it's not a remake and that it's much different from Sam Raimi's films. He also showed Empire a few scenes from the film with Spider-Man and The Lizard that they give descriptions of.
I don't have a problem saying that word. It's not a remake, we're not making Sam's movie again. It's a different universe and a different story with different characters. There are certain mythological obligations people have in any story, but it's so radically different in terms of tone and what Peter Parker experiences that I'm very comfortable with the movie occupying a different space.
I wanted to start from a place where it felt like, if you walked into the theatre, that it was the same universe you lived in. Which is difficult when you have a giant lizard running down the street...
He's the literal embodiment of the theme of the movie, which is we all have a missing piece. He has no arm. Peter has no parents, and he fills that void with Spider-Man. Curt is not as strong as Spider-Man on the inside, but he wants to get back his arm and fill that void, and essentially he becomes a big bully.
I love what Webb says here, and I agree with his opinions and his outlook on the character. I'm really looking forward to seeing his vision in action. I honestly think there's a chance that this could be a better film than Raimi's version, and I absolutely love Raimi's vision! Webb then shows a few clips and here are the descriptions...
The movie starts off pretty small and gradually merges into something that's more fantastic and vibrant and filled with scope," he says, and by way of illustration, runs three scenes in which we see Spider-Man swing. The first is entirely practical, with Garfield - in Parker duds - swinging around inside a disused warehouse, with the giant wired rig to which the whooping actor is attached yet to be deleted via CGI.
The second, from a little later in the film, is the only sequence Empire sees that is even somewhat redolent of Raimi-vision, as Spider-Man swings giddily along a bridge in pursuit of something, even running briefly on the side of a passing truck.
The third one, though, shows that Webb hasn't abandoned CG. Far from it. The sequence - which is from the third act so we'll be sure to tread carefully - features Spider-Man in pursuit of The Lizard (here seen just once, in very rough animatic form, from a distance as he scales a building), while being pursued himself by cops. Following an excellently staged fight with the cops, and an emotionally charged confrontation with, erm, A Major Character, the sequence follows a wounded Spider-Man as he tries desperately to swing across New York in order to save the day.
Damn, I wish I could have seen those scenes! At least it's good to know that one day I will. Webb is then asked about the film being compared to Twilight in which he responds,
I haven't seen a Twilight movie, so i don't know how to comment on that. People may assume because it's me doing Spider-Man, it's more intimate. And it is, but one of the reasons I wanted to do it was to [frick]ing blow shit up, swing through the air and kick some ass.
Empire concludes with...
Webb's Amazing Spider-Man will plant Peter firmly in his teenage years. He doesn't have a job (the Daily Bugle is mentioned, but won't be seen until the inevitable sequel), he likes to skateboard, he has uncontrollable hair, he's a kid searching for the truth about his parent's disappearance.
The magazine comes out next week, and if you want to read more you will obviously have to pick yourself up a copy. What are your thoughts on what Webb had to say and the scene descriptions given?