Here is my understanding of the current situation.
Despite a world-wide take of $2.7 Billion the Spider-Man franchise has been downgraded by Sony to B-movie status. The next film will not only throw away the first three with a reboot it will have a pathetic budget of $80 million.
A Director with 1 indie comedy and a bunch of music videos to his credit. No money for stars or big effects.
Bendis has been to Sony and the word comes down like this...
"And the story will be pared down to center on a high school kid who is dealing with the knowledge that his uncle died even though the teen had the power to stop it."
"The touchstone for the new movie will not be the 1960s comics, which were the inspiration behind the movies by Raimi, who grew on up on them, but rather this past decade's "Ultimate Spider-Man" ... where the villain-fighting took a back seat to the high school angst."
So 3 blockbusters and now this? Spidey's origin spread over multiple movies? Sort of like a TV show about a certain man of steel's boyhood that has now lasted 9 years. This is really what they are going to do?
Funny thing is that I made some predictions about this little project before I read any of what I quoted above. I thought they would rush through the High School days and just try to do a more conventional CBM. Guess not. So based on what I now know I feel quite confident my intuition was wicked accurate.
I have written a moderately long rant of an article that I decided not to publish. It is what I feel but I just do not want to show that much hostility to anything in such a public way. I do blame the Fan community a bit for their reactions to Spider-Man III. If we had been properly behind it the low Critics score would not have mattered so much.
But this is a place where people can actually suggest that someone could do better than Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus. I mean sure anything is possible but the man was bloody brilliant and to me it is a bit insulting to want more. Gold just ain't good enough I guess. But what I refuse to do is become a Troll about this movie. I will not appear in every Spidey reboot thread to bemoan every little bit of news. I find that rude and childish to be honest.
The one thing that really puzzles me is why?
Ok the deal with Rami did not work out. Frankly I think Sam wanted out anyway but they offered so much he considered it. I get that the whole project was going to shift gears. What I do not understand is the budget and the B-movie approach to everything. They made plenty especially off of III despite the grumbles. They could have gotten absolutely anybody to do Spider-Man IV. I have no idea how talented Webb is I admit. But I do know he is inexperienced and untested. This is opposed to any number of talented, experienced Directors out there.
If anybody has a theory as to what happened here I would love to hear it.
Hollywood cares about $$$. They got them big time from all three. All three exceeded expectations which is the highest mark you can get. They know they cannot get Oscars for popcorn fare like a SuperHero so they are not going for that. The first two movies got very high marks from the Critics and so-so ones for the last. That is similar to a lot of trilogies. People love or hate the end it is just that freaking simple. So Sony is looked at the situation and decides $80 million?
I actually heard more than a couple people say something to the effect that Sony was trying to 'get closer to the comics'. I am sorry but not a chance. They have no more respect for the comics than they do any other source. They take what they wish and ignore the rest. They love it when the Fans of anything are with them and they will court us a little. Consideration is given because Fans can affect the box office. There is however a limit as they usually think of Fans as a mere 10% of the audience at best.
Real Fans of anything are impossible to please because each person has their own unique view of the Characters and events involved. Each person likes different things and each Fan wants to see those on screen. Tyler posted a list of the things he wished to see improved upon in the reboot. It was well thought out and he did give people like Molina and Dafoe their due. I even agree that the wonderful Kirsten Dunst was mis-cast as MJ.
Tyler I am sorry I was a bit of a jackass with you about that. My rage at this idea got in the way of expressing myself clearly. You are a reasonable guy and usually I get along with people like you very well.
The problem was that list. About a third of it I agreed with but the rest I did not. For some of it the 'not' was pretty strong. No film is perfect and no Fan is every really 100% satisfied. That is just how it is really. To me it is unthinkable to even suggest that we could have had a better Doc Ock. Sure 10+ years down the road maybe it might have been time to think about starting over. James Bond managed a few decades I think Spider-Man deserved at least a couple.
This is not about the Director or the Stars. It is about the fact that in the existing movies we have a great Spider-Man. Over the course of three wonderful fun movies he became the Spider-Man that has existed since 1962. He has lost his best friend but saved the woman who will be his wife. His further adventures should have elevated him to his rightful place as one of our greatest fictional Heroes.
I don't think that was too much to ask for. Go back to the beginning with angst replacing action. Sorry I guess I am just too shallow for that. I want to see a Spider-Man movie not Peter Parker goes to Smallville. Sorry.