“Amazing Spider-Man” Sequel Given to “Transformers”‘ Writers
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Any (tentative) hopes for Sony creating a captivating resurrection of the Spider-man franchise were squelched approximately 24 hours ago, when Deadline dropped the news that the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man (out this July) will be wrenched from writer James Vanderbilt’s (of Zodiac and film one) hands. Producers passed the pen to Transformers’ writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who the studio believes are better equipped to capture what it’s looking to achieve with the reboot.
“Alex and Bob have an unique ability to write great character and spectacular action that makes them pitch perfect for Spider-Man. They’ve been friends of ours for a long time, and they have an exciting take on the franchise — we’re thrilled to have them join the Spider-Man family,” producer Matt Tolmach said.
If by “great character” Tolmach means two-dimensional and superficial and by “spectacular action” he means awesome (if unnecessary) special effects, then the producers are right on the mark. Once again, Hollywood will sacrifice substance for style, and those in the audience longing, begging, dying for intelligent screenwriting will leave theaters unsatiated.
“The duo excel at crafting big, dumb, easily marketable fare, so expect the sequel to have plenty of explosions and very little emotional resonance. After all, character complexity doesn’t sell action figures, right?” John Shannon of MovieVine articulated heatedly.
Shannon points out that the first movie has garnered mixed feelings from studio executives, noting that the writer change-up isn’t unexpected. He goes on to say that while the film’s trailer and marketing thus far has received little enthusiasm from movie-goers, he expects The Amazing Spider-Man to be a sleeper hit this summer. His reasoning is simple: the movie has a strong cast and a “solid” director (Marc Webb, of 500 Days of Summer) and writer (Vanderbilt).
“The last thing I want Spider-Man to be is a mass marketed, four quadrant approved Happy Meal. That’s what the suits want though, and they’re looking to get just that with the sequel,” Shannon quipped.
No need to panic just yet. Webb and Vanderbilt’s first film in the series has studio execs tangled in its web for the summer, where it will attempt to spellbind skeptics. Its success or failure will deem just how big of shoes Kurtzman and Orci will need to fill–or more realistically, how big of an impact their contrived explosions need to make.
Photo from Movie Hype
