Director: Paul McGuigan
McGuigan has director such films as Lucky Number Slevin, Push, Wicker Park, as well as some episodes of the acclaimed 'Sherlock'. His stuff always have a fresh action with a chill vibe that allows some comedy which must be included in a Spider-Man film. His stories are always well told and a maintain a low key intensity the whole time. I'm sure he could do great with the Spider-Man franchise.
The Astonishing Spider-Man
I think the reboot did almost everything right. Gwen is a great girl to start with instead of MJ. The villain I'd start with would be Kingpin who runs the crime world of New York that Spider-Man is trying to stop. He of course can not fight Spider-Man so he recruits Shocker to try and take him out, Shocker's failure gives Kingpin an idea to go a different route as he hires the Chameleon to make the world think Spider-Man is really a villain! This leads to a cat mouse game as Spidey tries to hunt down Chameleon who continues to switch form to get the web slinger off his trail and Spidey must deal with all of this along with his new found powers and the loss of his Uncle Ben, etc.
Jared Kusnitz as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
I've been a big fan of Kusnitz since seeing him in Dance Of The Dead where he played a nerdy teen as zombies took over his school dance and town. In the end Kusnitz ends up being very heroic and of course Spidey needs to be heroic! Kusnitz is full of talent and just really hasn't been given enough of a chance to shine just yet. His look is perfect as he could easily be a nerd or a confident guy and I think it's the look of someone that could lead.
Elizabeth Olsen as Gwen Stacy
One of the most talented young actors on the rise right now, Elizabeth Olsen has starred in mainly horror movies such as Silent House and the cult flick 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'. She oozes innocence but also a nice little seriousness to go along with it.
Dustin Hoffman as Unlce Ben
One of the greatest actors in the world for the past few decades! Everyone knows just how great Dustin Hoffman is so there's not really any need of me telling you, is there? He's really up there in age now and great for a wise role.
Glenn Close as Aunt May
Glenn Close has proved that she's an amazing actress for many many years now. Her best roles may have been in the past but now she's perfect for the role of an older lady.
Brock Kelly as Flash Thompson
I've really only seen Brock as a younger Dean Winchester in Supernatural but I thought he did an outstanding job! He can be a dick easily but also a nice guy for later on when he and Peter become friends. He's another actor that really just needs to be given a chance.
Jane Levy as Liz Allan
Only a small role with Liz showing some interest in Peter but he has feelings for Gwen. Jane Levy is a phenomenal young actress that I really wanted to include but found she didn't work out as MJ. In her upcoming movie "Fun Size" she plays a very "bubbly" girl and I think that suits Liz perfect. As for the red head stuff, it's a Spider-Man movie! Someone has to change their hair color from red to blonde or vice versa for a part! Levy has been a blonde before as well.
Josh Brolin as Captain George Stacy
Brolin's performances in things such as No Country For Old Men should prove that he is a total badass, his role as a young K in MIB3 shows he can very serious which needs to come with being Captain George Stacy but eventually he has to warm up to Peter and deep down we all know Brolin is a softy! He's intimidating and tough all around and really perfect for the part in my eyes!
John Goodman as Kingpin
John Goodman may be the greatest really big guy out there. From his iconic role showing he can be a sadistic son of a gun in The Big Lebowski to more recently with great roles in Red State and The Artist which won best picture at the Academy Awards. Oddly enough out of all of his great roles the one that gave me the idea of him as Kingpin was his part on Community where he played a corrupt Vice Dean who could be very dark for such a light hearted series.
Jared Leto as The Shocker
Some may not like this casting, I feel like Leto gets a lot of hate due to how odd he seems or his music but while it comes rarely when Leto does act he knocks it out of the park! He has starred in such films as Requiem For a Dream and did an outstanding job as the psychopathic Mark David Chapman in Chapter 27, these should show that he's insanely talented! Shocker isn't that hard of a role though really as he's a assassin for hire that Kingpin tries to use to take out Spider-Man.
Sam Rockwell as Chameleon
The first time I saw Moon I knew that not only was the movie special but so was Sam Rockwell. Now I've seen him lots of things and he shows a great range switching from very serious to comedy. This range should be something noted for a role like Chameleon, though he wouldn't really be playing the identical other characters.
Venomous
Peter is out of high school and going to college now, which he plans to attend with the girl he loves, Gwen. To afford college Peter must get a job, this of course leads him to The Daily Bugel. Peter meets his new boss, J. Jonah Jameson who sends him to take photos of his son John Jameson who is coming back from his trip into space. While there Peter meets Eddie Brock who is also trying to get photos but Peter ends up getting the better shots and the job. Brock is depressed and angry when he finds one of his shirts have a strange black "goo" on it, this is of course the symbiote. Peter meets Flash Thompson on the street, they had become friends after high school. During a brief conversation where Flash tells him that he's going into the army but just then Peter is attacked by Venom! Unable to really fight back Venom defeats Parker lets him live. He reveals himself to be Eddie Brock and claims that he'll take everything Parker ever loved away from him, as Brock is about to leave Peter catches a pieces of symbiote in a web bag. Peter rushes to save Aunt May only to find that she is ok, this is when he realizes Brock had to be talking about Gwen! Spider-Man brings the symbiote to Dr. Curt Connors to examine it and realizes some sounds can hurt it.
After getting suited up Spider-Man hurries to check on Gwen and finds her gone from her home. Captain Stacy walks into Gwen's room as Spidey is standing there and assumes he has something to do with her being gone but he tells Captain Stacy that Venom has taken her and he'll bring her back. Despite Spider-Man's warning Captain Stacy gathers the police force to head out and save his daughter! Spider-Man arrives and sets Gwen free telling her to run as Venom shows up. During the epic battle between Spider-Man and Venom it looks like our web slinger is down and out but just then Venom is phased by gun shots! Of course it's Gwen's father. The gun shots have little effect on Venom but it causes a momentary distraction, as Spider-Man is regaining his strength Venom delivers a fatal blow to George Stacy. Spider-Man isn't strong enough to fight off Venom but just then all that's heard is a loud bell being sounded, Gwen has escaped and is ringing the bell high up on a tower. Venom goes to try and stop her but Spidey tackles him up by the bell until the symbiote crawls off him. Spider-Man can't catch it as he stays with Brock who is sent to a maximum security prison. The last we see of the symbiote it crawls toward Flash Thompson who is standing nearby all the action. The final scene Peter and Gwen make it to college, there they meet their room mates who are also a couple, Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn.
Cast:
Returning:
Jared Kusnitz as Spider-Man
Elizabeth Olsen as Gwen Stacy
Josh Brolin as Captain George Stacy
Glenn Close as Aunt May
Brock Kelly as Flash Thompson
Zac Efron as Harry Osborn
Of course this choice has to come with the warning of please don't hate me. Efron has really come around as an actor, the Disney roles he was cast in before can all be left in the past. Obviously he's shown that he can play the nice guy best friend role perfect but I also have faith that he can pull of a total dick when the time comes. The first time I thought he would do a good job in something like this was when I saw him show a totally different side in a guest spot on Entourage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqASB9VR9fA
Danielle Panabaker as Mary Jane Watson
MJ is supposed to be a stunning model and Danielle Panabaker is one of the most beautiful young actresses coming up right now. She always puts on a stellar performance as the girl next door kind of character, and hey, that's MJ!
Harrison Ford as J. Jonah Jameson
This may seem like an odd choice since he's missing the main thing that everyone looks for in casting JJ, an epic mustache or he's never been known as a hardass like John C. McGinley. Ford however is an icon in Hollywood and Jonah is the biggest boots to fill when casting a Spider-Man movie! Ford has dabbled in comedy so could definitely work as Jonah who is really a comedy value character but also a intimidating character which obviously Ford could pull off.
Ryan Kwaten as John Jameson
Kwaten is a decent actor, John Jameson really isn't that big of a role and I think he could do it. He's got a very nice clean cut look to him which is really John. He's played a hero in Griff the Invisible and John Jameson is a very heroic person.
Ellie Kemper as Betty Brant
Come on, in one of her most well known roles she plays a secretary! Oddly enough that's not what attract me to choosing Ellie as Betty however. Betty Brant is an attractive lady and while I wouldn't include her relationship with Peter into the movie, Ellie as the teacher in 21 Jump Street made me notice that she's actually quite hot! Betty Brant should also be able to make some smart comments and Ellie is totally funny.
Michae Ealy as Robbie Robertson
Admittedly I haven't seen too much of Ealy's work but Robbie Robertson isn't that hard of a role now is it? His new show Common Law caught my attention and looks good, surely Ealy can play a nice guy like Robbie.
Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Curt Connors
I'd originally chosen The Lizard as the first villain but really wanted to change things up. Dr. Connors role would be small in this movie but someone has to inspect the symbiote. I've always believed Dr. Connors was supposed to be a dashing scientist, like a parody on the Grey's Anatomy type of shows so who better for the role then Dempsey?
Josh Hartnett as Eddie Brock / Venom
I've always been a major fan of Hartnett, I thought he was fantastic at the start of his career in supernatural thrillers like H20 and The Faculty, later on although briefly he would play one of his only villainous roles that I'm aware of in Sin City, while he was only on screen for a moment he gave off a perfect dark vibe. He certainly knows his way around the field of dark / gritty as well as action movies with fantastic performances in The Black Dahlia, 30 Days Of Night, Black Hawk Down. I would say the best evidence that Hartnett could work as Eddie Brock would be Lucky Number Slevin which is also likely his best performance. He plays a down on his luck guy with things just not going his way and later turns out to be a murderer who thinks he's doing the better thing. Hartnett has also worked with Paul McGuigan multiple times in lead roles.
Web Of Darkness
Peter, Gwen, Mary Jane, and Harry are all getting along fine. Not a fan of the campus Harry opts to get an apartment off campus so they must visit his father, the man that's only been mentioned but not seen yet, Norman Osborn. After they leave we see Norman battle a severe headache. A voice in his head can be heard out loud telling him not to trust Peter Parker. As Peter is leaving his new apartment to go patrol the city Norman Osborn is pulling up to pay Harry a visit and see's Spidey exit! His alter ego finally takes control goes to chase Peter Parker. Spider-Man is too strong for him though. The Mr Hyde to his Dr. Jekyll tells him another way to kill Peter Parker, emotionally. Goblin comes up with a hover board to make sure he can get the upper hand on the web slinger!
As Peter and Gwen are out for a walk one night Peter has stopped her telling her how much he loves her, as she is about to say "I love you too" Green Goblin swoops down and grabs her! Peter quickly changes runs through an ally to change into his alter ego and chases after them! The end of the line is at a bridge where Goblin stops and mocks Spider-Man before tossing Gwen Stacy off! Spider-Man tries to chase after her but can't catch her as she's falling, he goes to shoot a web but has a problem shooting anything! Gwen falls to her death. Peter finds Green Goblin and they engage in the epic battle scene which ends with Peter swinging at Goblin knocking him off his hover board from high in the sky! As Goblin falls Peter almost shoots out to save him but stops letting him fall to his death the same way Gwen did. Spider-Man lands on a nearby building and looks down on Goblin wondering if he's gone too far when he sees Goblin shift back to his original form, Norman Osborn. Peter can't believe what he's done as the police and loads of pedestrians begin to gather around the body and look up to see Spider-Man looking on, making him public enemy number one and a wanted criminal.
Cast:
By this time most characters have been introduced even if just briefly so the cast is mainly returning characters aside from the main villain.
Returning:
Jared Kusnitz as Spider-Man
Elizabeth Olsen as Gwen Stacy
Glenn Close as Aunt May
Zac Efron as Harry Osborn
Danielle Panabaker as Mary Jane Watson
Ellie Kemper as Betty Brant
Michael Ealy as Robbie Robertson
Harrison Ford as J. Jonah Jameson
Christoph Waltz as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin
Waltz is a natural born villain. Playing a great and intelligent antagonists in Inglorious Bastards, Norman Osborn sure isn't a stupid man. Waltz was also the obvious highlight as a villain in Green Hornet and the Three Muskateers. For what's considered by many as Spider-Man's great rival and best villains I see nobody better than this natural.
I would not have a metal suit for Goblin like the Rami films since the Green Goblin must show emotion with his constant cackling and smiling that really makes the character.
NEXT: THE SCARLET SPIDER TRILOGY