In an odd bit of news today, it appears completely possible that Marc Webb will be able to return behind the camera for The Amazing Spider-Man sequel after all. The catch? He will have to up his Fox Searchlight obligation from one film to two.
This follows news a few weeks ago that Sony really would like to invite the director back for another round, but the studio said things were complicated due to certain circumstances. More specifically, it was the fact that Webb owed Fox a follow-up to (500) Days of Summer. In the spirit of full disclosure, they were gracious enough to move aside so he could do The Amazing Spider-Man, but obviously therein lies this desire to not wait until that superhero franchise wraps half a decade from now to get what is theirs.
The LA Times says that the price tag may be too high for Webb as he is now in high demand following the successful reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. An extra film is a lot to ask for and who is to say that after The Amazing Spider-Man 2 he might not be in the same boat with Fox hovering over him before tying a bow on the trilogy?
Regardless of circumstances, Sony will definitely want their original director back in the driver’s seat. While the latest Spider-Man movie did not live up to its predecessors at the domestic box office, it did make waves abroad which helped the feature gross over $650 million worldwide. On top of that, people seemed to really like it, even those who did not care for the Sam Raimi trilogy. This suggests that if more of the same releases into theaters two years from now, there will be a sizable sequel bump.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is set to roll out nationwide on May 2, 2014.