With the clock winding down for Sony, the studio is feeling the pressure to not only cast the reboot of SPIDER-MAN but also to find a writer and director. Amy Pascal and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige are close to finding a filmmaker to spearhead their new franchise and have narrowed the shortlist from 12 contenders down to four. According to Deadline, those contenders are Ted Melfi, Jonathan Levine, John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein, and Jon Watts.
Some of the names are recognizable while others may be new to you, but all four candidates are young filmmakers who also have track records as screenwriters. There is no confirmation as to whether the director of the new SPIDER-MAN will also write it, but it would seem a distinct possibility with this group.
Jonathan Levine is best known for ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE and WARM BODIES along with his Seth Rogen/Joseph Gordon-Levitt collaborations 50/50 and XMAS. Ted Melfi received acclaim for the Bill Murray-led ST VINCENT while John Francis Daley is best known for his starring role on Freaks & Geeks but has also partnered with Jonathan Goldstein to direct the upcoming Ed Helms-led sequel VACATION. The outlier here is Jon Watts who directed the Kevin Bacon thriller COP CAR. Of these candidates, there doesn't seem to be a consistent tone, style, or theme to their work but there is clearly a lot of comedy work here rather than action. It also seems reminiscent of the selection of Marc Webb who was known for indie work like (500) DAYS OF SUMMER before he helmed THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN movies.
No matter who gets selected, I just hope this is finally the time they get the character right. Sam Raimi's films felt like living comic books and Webb's series got the Peter Parker character down pat. This new SPIDER-MAN needs to get it all right as well as work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. Here's hoping they make the right choice from this interesting array of candidates.
SPIDER-MAN hits theaters on July 28, 2017.