Although the second film in the rebooted Amazing Spider-Man series won’t open until May 2, that film is already old hat. A third film is still two years off as well, but that’s yesterday’s news. Instead, we have some info about the fourth film to pass on, specifically about who will direct – or rather who will not direct.
In a recent interview with The Daily Beast, past, present, and future Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb, who is currently promoting the second film and will soon start work on a third, has confirmed that he won’t be back for a fourth film, at least not as director.
“I’d like to be involved as a consultant, and I’ve already talked to these guys about it, but in terms of directing it, that will close out my tenure,” Webb said. “I’ve had so much fun doing it, but after the third movie, it’ll be the time to find something else.“
Following Webb’s work on the third film, it will mean that 75-percent of Webb’s big film resume will be Spider-Man films. After a lengthy career in music videos, Webb made his big screen debut with 500 Days of Summer, earning a decent sized following for his work on the indie film. That landed him the job of rebooting the Spidey franchise with 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man. Since then his career has been all Spidey, and includes plans to help grow the Spidey film universe. As it stands now, Webb will have spent over six solid years almost exclusively dedicated to making Spidey movies. The guy was due a little time off.
Sony’s current plan is to continue to expand the rebooted Spidey universe, and eventually churn out a Spidey related film every year starting with The Amazing Spider-Man 3 in 2016, and then alternating with Spidey spin-offs beginning in 2017; at the moment Sony is discussing a film based on Venom and one based on The Sinister Six, although both are still in the early stages of planning. A fourth Spider-Man film would then likely be set for a 2018 release.
The studio has shown an incredible amount of confidence in Webb’s Spider-Man films. After releasing just one movie in the series and filming another, Webb’s work has spawned as many as four additional films, if not more. The director helped to craft this new universe, and the odds are that Sony will want to keep him involved in some capacity at least.
Of course, a lot can still happen in the coming years. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 could be so bad that theaters refuse to screen it for fear of harming their customers. Spider-Man could suddenly fall out of favor and be considered gauche and the franchise could wither and die. Marvel may pay Sony the equivalent of a medium sized country’s GDP to regain the rights. Things could happen between now and a fourth Spider-Man film, but it appears that Sony may be on the hunt for someone new to step behind the lens.
