The Amazing Spider-Man Netflix Series (PART 2)

The Amazing Spider-Man Netflix Series

SEASON 2
 

A little while back I posted a fan-cast for my ideal version of a Spider-Man television series. Now I know that the likelihood of this actually happening is next to nothing, as both Marvel and Sony appear to be moving ahead with their own plans. However, for the sake of this piece, imagine a perfect little world where Marvel still owns the legal rights to Spider-Man.

Let me also explain my reasoning for turning Spider-Man into a television series, rather than a movie.

It’s my opinion that Spider-Man's stories work best in a serialized format. He just has too many villains, too many supporting characters, and too many stories to give complete justice to in cinemas. Sure we’ve seen plenty in the films already ... but we never saw a proper Venom. Never saw The Enforcers. We never met police Captain Jean DeWolff, or Mac Gargan, or the Hobgoblin.

Having said all that, here is my idea for SEASON TWO of a Netflix-produced Amazing Spider-Man series. To read the outline of Season One, click here.
 

Executive Producers

• Stan Lee (Spider-Man)
• Stephen Merchant (The Office)
• Greg Daniels (The Office)
• Kevin Feige (The Avengers)
• Joss Whedon (The Avengers)

My general idea for the executive producers was to have a team that would support good storytelling over anything else. For that end I chose both Greg Daniels and Stephen Merchant, executive producers of the award-winning American adaptation of The Office. Their involvement would hopefully help allow some of The Office’s clever humor to bleed into Spider-Man. Kevin Feige has steered Marvel to victory time and time again, and Joss Whedon is the man behind the smash-hit The Avengers, as well as the cult series Firefly. And Stan Lee? That choice probably speaks for itself.
 

Producers

• Sam Raimi (Spider-Man)
• Craig Kyle (Thor)
• Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man)

For the producers, I wanted to focus on people I thought were trustworthy enough to hold the reigns of the Spider-Man franchise. To that end I thought of Sam Raimi, director of the original Spider-Man trilogy; Craig Kyle, a long-standing Marvel Studios producer; and Brian Michael Bendis, writer of the "Ultimate Spider-Man" series since its debut issue. I think (and would hope) they care enough about the story to guide it properly.

Directors

• David Nutter (Game of Thrones)
• Joe Chapelle (Fringe)
• Adam Bernstein (Breaking Bad)
• Rian Johnson (Breaking Bad)
• David Slade (Hannibal)

I wish I could say there was a rhyme or reason to why I picked these directors, other than that most of them -- David Nutter, Joe Chapelle, Rian Johnson and David Slade -- are already familiar with sci-fi. Otherwise, they were chosen mainly just for their talent as directors, having worked on critically-acclaimed shows such as The X-Files and Breaking Bad. That’s pretty much it.
 

Plot
 

How dangerous is the life of a hero?

Peter Parker lives in a precarious balance between super-heroics and high school. But can Peter decide between the weight of his responsibilities, and the happiness of a normal life? And just what happens when his enemies unite against him?

Just as the overarching theme of part one (Season One...) was Peter’s search for a father, this season deals with how Peter shoulders the burden of his great responsibility. Does he go it alone, or is there anyone he can possibly share it with?
 

Cast

Jamie Lee Curtis as May Parker
Age: 56

Jamie Lee Curtis is just a genuinely likable actress, and has come a heck of a long way since starring in the original Halloween. In my imagination, this version of Aunt May would probably be more in line with the younger, healthier, and generally stronger Aunt May from Brian Bendis’ “Ultimate Spider-Man.” She’s Peter Parker’s rock and moral anchor, and that’s a role I could easily see Curtis slipping into.
 

Emma Roberts as Gwen Stacy
Age: 23

For the role of Spider-Man’s first love, I have American Horror Story’s Emma Roberts. She’s come close to starring in comic book movies before, but for whatever reason it hasn’t happened yet. The best example of this would probably be 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man where she was in contention for the role of ... Gwen Stacy. The reason I chose Emma for this part was because she comes across as a very down-to-earth person, and has the kind of cute, “girl next door” vibe that I imagine Gwen having.
 

I don’t know all that much about this guy, other than that he’s starred in the Nickelodeon series House of Anubis ... and that for whatever reason, he has a really punchable looking face. Of course I don’t know him, so in all likelihood he’s a really good person ... but if there is one thing Flash Thompson ought to have it’s a punchable-looking face.

 

Claire Julien as Liz Allan
Age: 19

Liz Allan is Flash Thompson’s girlfriend, and a classmate of Peter Parker. The real reason I chose Claire Julien for a supporting role was for the same reason I chose Burkely Duffield as Flash: they’re both rising young stars who haven’t been seen in much else. I think that’s a good thing for both characters.

Jack Gleeson as Harry Osborn

Age: 22
 

This is a choice I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Jack Gleeson’s face is recognized by countless people as “that little brat from Game of Thrones.” I know his character in that series is sort of one-note, but let’s be honest -- it takes a good actor to intentionally make a character so universally hated. Something makes me think people will dislike this choice, but if you’re familiar with his character on Thrones, you’d see he’s actually a surprising fit. My idea for Harry Osborn would be that he’s a spoiled rich-kid transfer student to Midtown High, having been kicked out of a string of prep schools. Despite his smug self-superiority, he becomes a tentative friend of Peter Parker.

The Daily Bugle’s belligerent publisher with a personal axe to grind against Spidey. Tom Selleck, of Magnum, P.I. fame, can now be seen in the CBS cop drama, Blue Bloods. He’s developed this extremely gruff exterior in his age that would be absolutely perfect for J. Jonah Jameson. Plus -- does he not have the look?
 

Dennis Haysbert as Joe “Robbie” Robertson
Age: 60
 

Dennis Haybert has been cast in this role a few times before, but for good reason. He projects this kind of wisdom befitting of the Daily Bugle’s editor. After all, Robbie is  so often portrayed as hotheaded J.J.J.’s voice of reason. I'm sure Haybert would give an enormous presence to this character.
 

Willa Holland as Betty Brant
Age: 23
 

Betty Brant, as imagined here, would be a young intern working in the offices of the Daily Bugle, who must often contend with Mr. Jameson’s conflagrant temper. Willa Holland is known to most as Oliver Queen’s younger sister on the CW’s Arrow. She just looks like the kind of girl a kid like Peter would easily develop a crush on -- however, unlike the comics, there would be no serious romantic interest between them.
 

David Morrissey as Norman Osborn
Age: 50
 

The overbearing father of Peter’s friend Harry Osborn, who seems to relish making his own son’s life miserable. Once we see how bad Norman is, we can’t help but feel sympathy for Harry -- but we have no idea how deeply Norman’s madness really runs. David Morrissey is known to most as “The Governor” from AMC’s The Walking Dead. He can be charming when he wants -- but when he wants to be cold, he’s cold. And when he wants to be scary, he’s scary. He’d be perfect for an evil bastard like Norman.
 

Matthew Fox as Dr. Curt Connors
Age: 48
 

Dr. Curt Connors is Peter Parker’s biology teacher. Having gone through the nightmare of The Lizard in the last season, Connors is a changed man. Though trying to do the right thing with his life, he is unable to shake the idea that deep down, he may not be such a good person. Matthew Fox is a very subtle, versatile actor -- he’s immensely likable in one moment, but then a complete jerkass in the next. That kind of complexity is what makes Connors an interesting character, and that kind of complexity is why I think Matthew Fox is a good choice for this character.
 

[Redacted] as "The Green Goblin"
Age: ?
 

This might seem confusing, but bear with me. In my original fan-cast I suggested the idea of keeping the Goblin’s identity a secret, as it was in the character’s original debut. At this point Spidey would have faced the Green Goblin maybe once before, though we have no inkling yet that he and Norman Osborn could be one and the same. In fact, the Goblin himself would only make maybe one appearance throughout this entire season. Who would play him? Probably just a stunt man, really.
 

Kevin Durand as Mac Gargan
“Scorpion”
Age: 40
 

Mac Gargan is a man selected by scientist Spencer Smythe to become the first in a line of “Spider Slayers” designed to specifically destroy Spider-Man. After being fused to a suit resembling a Scorpion, Gargan begins to lose his mind and turn on Smythe. Kevin Durand is a solid actor known mostly for playing very “physical” roles, such as The Blob in X-Men Origins or Little John in Robin Hood. I think he’d fit nicely into a character whose physical prowess is arguably greater than Spidey’s own.
 

Malcolm McDowell as Spencer Smythe

Age: 71

Spencer Smythe is a brilliant engineer working for OsCorp Industries. Seeking his fame and fortune, Smythe creates the “Spider Slayer” program that eventually births the Scorpion. It is later revealed in a twist that J. Jonah Jameson was one of many to help fund Smythe’s research. There were two reasons I picked Malcolm McDowell for this part: one was his voice, and another was because he’s flown under the radar now for a few years. I love the guy’s work, and I think he plays wonderful villains. Spidey purists might be miffed that I chose to say Smythe is involved in the Scorpion’s creation, but to me it just makes sense.
 

Michael Pitt as Mark Raxton
"Molten Man"
Age: 33

 

Here’s a villain that holds some strange sentimental value for me, despite being one of Spidey's lesser-known enemies. Mark Raxton is the step-brother of Peter Parker’s classmate Liz Allan. A former criminal, Raxton resurfaces in New York having been transformed in a walking crucible of molten metal. Michael Pitt is probably best known as Jimmy Darmody from HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. His performance as a conflicted criminal makes me believe he’d make a potentially-silly character like Raxton into someone genuinely sympathetic.
 

Ron Perlman as Aleksei Sytsevich
"Rhino"
Age: 64

 

Aleksei Sytsevich is the name of the brute who would become “The Rhino.” He is a low-level Russian mobster who has the Rhino suit grafted onto his skin through an experimental procedure. I think Ron Perlman is overqualified for such a simple character as Rhino, but I chose him mainly because the Hellboy films have proven his acting capability when laden with excessive makeup. There’s also something endearing about Rhino’s enduring stupidity, and I think Perlman could make us (in a weird way) actually like Rhino a little bit.
 

Rutger Hauer as Miles Warren
Age: 70

 

Rutger Hauer is a veteran actor with an impressive filmography, ranging from Blade Runner to Batman Begins.  He’s capable of some very creepy performances, and I think he’d be a fine match for Miles Warren, known to some as the super-villain “The Jackal.” However, his Jackal alter-ego likely wouldn’t make an appearance. In order to distance this character from Otto Octavius and Spencer Smythe, Warren would likely be a therapist rather than a geneticist. 

 

That might upset purists, but hey, I'm just trying to make things sound good.

 

The Sinister Six
 

August Diehl as Dr. Otto Octavius 
"Doctor Octopus"
Age: 38

Colm Feore as Adrian Toomes 
"The Vulture"
Age: 56
 

John Cena as Flint Marko 
"Sandman"
Age: 37
 

Adam Godley as Quentin Beck 
"Mysterio"
Age: 50
 

Eugene Byrd as Max Dillon 
"Electro"
Age: 39
 

Dominic West as Sergei Kravinoff 
"Kraven the Hunter"
Age: 45
 

So here we are at the Sinister Six. Under the leadership of Doc Ock these six super-villains would unite to overwhelm Spidey, forcing him to fight tooth-and-nail to protect his loved ones -- specifically his Aunt May. As far as the cast goes, we have German-born August Diehl as Spidey’s nemesis Doc Ock; Colm Feore as the miserly Vulture; John Cena as the bruiser Sandman; Adam Godley as Mysterio, master of illusions; Eugene Byrd as the living lightning-bolt Electro; and Dominic West as the savage Kraven the Hunter.

 

That’s quite a lot Spidey will have on his plate at one time.
 

 

If you're wondering where to find Mary Jane, Eddie Brock, or anyone else, that's a story for a different article.

And that just about wraps up part two of this fan-cast/fan-fic. Hope you enjoyed reading, and if you have any comments or suggestions, leave them below.