Yesterday, we were hit with the insane news that the next SPIDER-MAN film would be a reboot. Fans everywhere were upset, excited, sad, and curious because, other than the fact that Peter Parker will be in high school, we didn’t know what the film will be like.
We know a little bit more now, and I’m not sure you’re gonna like it.
Word is that Sony is looking to make a dark and gritty SPIDER-MAN film. When hearing this, one could assume they were remaking the Symbiote (black suit) story again. Actually, this will be another origin story for our favorite little Web-Head.
I went from being somewhat excited about this project to being completely terrified. Spider-Man is not Batman, he doesn’t work in a gritty “real” world. That would be like making a gritty Superman movie (Hollywood had that idea once, too). I think there are two major problems with this project already, here is what they are:
1. As I stated earlier, Spider-Man doesn’t work in a DARK KNIGHT style movie. He would seem out of place.
2. We don’t need another origin story. The first movie made so much money, which means a lot of people saw it. Everyone knows Spider-Man’s origin story, and there really is no reason to do it again. What they should do is skip the origin story and instead show a short flashback or two for the “great power comes great responsibility” bit.
At this point, there is no stopping this project, and it will happen whether we want it or not. But I’m curious as to what you guys think of a gritty Spidey?
Source Hollywood Insider, via Cinema Blend
John Mulhern Writes 
Couldn't agree with you more on both points. “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” were great movies because they reflected the character – Batman is a loner, someone who is brooding and sullen, given the tragedy that put him on the path to eventually become Batman. So, Nolan was wise to tap into this and bring about that characteristic. Spider-Man, on the other hand, has always been a bit more “glib” – he's a teenager who, despite the circumstances that brought about his becoming Spider-Man, had your typical teenage issues – going to school, trying to win over the girl of his dreams, and basically being a bit of a smart alec. If you want to bring his tone down A BIT, that's one thing; however, don't confuse the success that Batman had with it just being darker. Look to the character and tap into his strengths. Here's hoping that they don't muck this up!
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How many times have we heard a studio say in reference to a comic book franchise that they want to go darker? Just because darker worked for one film…one film that made a lot of money…does not mean that it can universally be applied to every superhero's story. Look at IRON MAN. That film was also a success in the box office. Was it dark? Not at all. What both of these vastly different films show are examples of directors who understood the source material. Nolan made a dark, gritty Batman out of the character's best titles. Favreau made an Iron Man as true as possible to the vibe of the character's books. They made money because they were good films that acted accordingly with the comics that inspired them. Not because they used a formula of what works best to make the most money.I, like you John, was excited when I first heard the news of someone new swinging in to take over the franchise. After all, as I previously said, it is at the very least exciting to see another director's vision of a classic character we've grown up with, complete with new actors. I mean we are talking about films made from COMIC BOOKS…which is exactly what comic books do. They switch up writers, artists, story lines, etc to have the character go new places.With that said, the news has started to sink in and reality is starting to set in. Taking the character back to square one, putting him in high school high school, seems like an odd way to go. Why not just pick up where 3 left off? Or perhaps just ackknowledge that the other series exists yet do not make blatent ties to it (IE: JAMES BOIND) This clearly seems like a way to target the teen audience a la TWILIGHT. I'd like to believe this to not be true, but seeing as how ferverish females are the new fanboys, this may be the direction Sony is headed with Spidey.All in all, what worries me the most is this. The intentions behind the reboot. Is it to “take the character back to formula” to create a new & improved Spidey, truer to the comic books (one thing Raimi never got quite right)? OR is it for less creatively driven reasons? Perhaps to grab a newer, younger audience? And if this IS the case, are they currently searching for a director to make this already-written script that will serve as a studio lap dog, there just to infuse the audeince-tested qualities they know puts butts in the seats and money in the registers for merchandise. If so, my allegiance between Team Peter and Team Harry lies with Team Raimi.
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sony should kiss sam raimi's butt to come back
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Couldn't agree with you more on both points. “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” were great movies because they reflected the character – Batman is a loner, someone who is brooding and sullen, given the tragedy that put him on the path to eventually become Batman. So, Nolan was wise to tap into this and bring about that characteristic. Spider-Man, on the other hand, has always been a bit more “glib” – he's a teenager who, despite the circumstances that brought about his becoming Spider-Man, had your typical teenage issues – going to school, trying to win over the girl of his dreams, and basically being a bit of a smart alec. If you want to bring his tone down A BIT, that's one thing; however, don't confuse the success that Batman had with it just being darker. Look to the character and tap into his strengths. Here's hoping that they don't muck this up!
LikeLike
How many times have we heard a studio say in reference to a comic book franchise that they want to go darker? Just because darker worked for one film…one film that made a lot of money…does not mean that it can universally be applied to every superhero's story. Look at IRON MAN. That film was also a success in the box office. Was it dark? Not at all. What both of these vastly different films show are examples of directors who understood the source material. Nolan made a dark, gritty Batman out of the character's best titles. Favreau made an Iron Man as true as possible to the vibe of the character's books. They made money because they were well-made, entertaining and creative films (believe it or not a big film can be all three) that happened to act accordingly with the comics that inspired them. I, like you John, was excited when I first heard the news of someone new swinging in to take over the franchise. After all, as I previously said, the prospect is at the very least exciting to see another director's vision of a classic character we've grown up with, complete with new actors. I mean we are talking about films made from COMIC BOOKS…which is exactly what comic books do. They routinely change writers, artists, story lines, etc to have the character go new places.With that said, the news has started to sink in and reality is starting to set in. Taking the character back to square one, putting him in high school, seems like an odd way to go. Why not just pick up where 3 left off? Or perhaps just acknowledge that the other series exists yet do not make blatent ties to it (IE: JAMES BOIND)? This clearly seems like a way to target the teen audience a la TWILIGHT. I'd like to believe this to not be true, but seeing as how ferverish females are the new fanboys, this may be the direction Sony is headed with Spidey.All in all, what worries me the most is this. The intentions behind the reboot. Is it to “take the character back to formula” to create a new & improved Spidey, truer to the comic books (one thing Raimi never got quite right)? OR is it for less creatively-driven reasons? Perhaps to grab a newer, younger audience? And if this IS the case, are they currently searching for a director to make this already-written script that will serve as a studio lap dog, there just to infuse the audeince-tested qualities they know puts butts in the seats and money in the registers for merchandise. If so, my allegiance between Team Peter and Team Harry lies with Team Raimi.
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Yeah, dark and gritty doesn't work for Spider-Man. If they were smart their reboot would follow the Ultimate Spider-Man iteration. I almost like Spider-Man/Peter Parker more as as a teenager, it fits his character more I think.
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Yup, There have always been dark moments in the series, but a dark Spidey film is just way off. We'll see what happens.
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You and I share the same opinions on this one good sir. The only different opinion, is that I like the idea of taking him back to High School. High school age Peter Parker is one of my favorite times for the character. Thats why Ultimate Spider-Man is one of my all-time favorite comics. They rebooted Spidey, made him accessible to a younger audience, but made such a HIGH QUALITY product.They need to just hire Brian Michael Bendis to write the movie. If they did that… life would be perfect.
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I agree entirely, and you know how much I love Ultimate Spider-Man. If they made the movie like Ultimate, they would have a hit on their hands. Guaranteed.
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Yup, There have always been dark moments in the series, but a dark Spidey film is just way off. We'll see what happens.
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You and I share the same opinions on this one good sir. The only different opinion, is that I like the idea of taking him back to High School. High school age Peter Parker is one of my favorite times for the character. Thats why Ultimate Spider-Man is one of my all-time favorite comics. They rebooted Spidey, made him accessible to a younger audience, but made such a HIGH QUALITY product.They need to just hire Brian Michael Bendis to write the movie. If they did that… life would be perfect.
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I agree entirely, and you know how much I love Ultimate Spider-Man. If they made the movie like Ultimate, they would have a hit on their hands. Guaranteed.
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