Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and the rest of the Spider-Man crew are being forced to take their ball and go home, mostly it seems because the studios learned nothing from the unabashed failure that was Spider-Man 3. Rumor on the farm is that Raimi wanted to focus on one villain while the studio wanted at least one more as well as the inclusion of the Black Cat. Not wanting to let the fans down again Raimi stood his ground so the studio swine took their normal cash money route. Instead of working on a new script and not rushing the film it’s been regulated to the dreaded reboot. This means that all the Spider-Man stuff we’ve seen is out the window in lieu of an entirely new series of movies.
Regardless of my personal feelings about the whole “reboot” idea, the studio and Raimi have made their decisions, a fact we can tell from the politically correct press statements both have released. Now the studio is forced with the difficult task of how to try and introduce a fresh angle to an already beloved franchise. The initial reports are that the new films will focus on Peter Parker in High School, which could work but only if done correctly.
Studios are notorious for taking something like Spider-Man and creating a movie based more on what they think people want to see than anything having to do with the actual material. Marvel is now way too beholden to Disney’s bottom line to rock the boat so the idea of Joe Quesada fighting for the integrity of the work is pretty unlikely. If the studio wants these pictures to work to not end up as disasters they need to create something that excites the fans again. Funny enough I have some ideas in that respect.
First of all, and I can’t stress this enough, NO ORIGIN STORY. Everybody and their grandmother knows how Spider-Man got his powers so please don’t make us sit through two hours of spider bites and Uncle Ben dying. If Spidey’s origin must be in there let it be shown in flashbacks instead of the main focus. The film could open with Spider-Man stopping a robber and having a flashback to when Uncle Ben was killed. I would also be careful not to make this some kind of wacky teen romp in the same vein as what Kick Ass is shaping up to be. Just because this new reboot is based in High School is no reason to make this a high school movie. Don’t try and appease the Twilight crowd or bend Spider-Man to fit some kind of tween focus group.
For instance don’t make Peter Parker sexy or cool, not even “geek” cool. Don’t make him brooding or dark and please don’t make him wear some kind of cool band shirt, skinny jeans wearing indie hipster. Leave Parker alone; let him be the science geek he always has been. I’d also be careful not to pepper the script with too many hip phrases or too much teenage dialog, that’ll date the film instantly. This reboot is a way to maybe write some the wrongs done in the original set of films not a way to make it easier to sell merchandise.
Now as far as what should be done, that’s easier because there are these great guidelines to follow called comic books. The studio and Raimi kind of shot the Spider-Man series in the foot by introducing the major villains early, letting them battle and then killing the villains off. Much like the origin aspect audiences aren’t going to want to see more of the Green Goblin, Dock Ock, Venom or Sandman. It’s time to dig deep and pull out some of the old school villains, the ones that first gave Spidey a run for his money.
Start with somebody like Electro or Mysterio, two villains that would be awesome to see brought to life with today’s technology. If the studio really wants to give the fans what they want then stop jerking around and let The Lizard loose on us. Whatever new villains the studios they need to make sure there’s plenty of action. One problem with the first Raimi Spider-Man is that it dragged severely in the middle. Take a page from the second X-Men movie or The Dark Knight and give us as much action as you do character development.
