'The Amazing Spider-Man' Update 03.19.11

Lizard finally confirmed!!!


Well, for the most part confirmed. Actor C. Thomas Howell (Yea, that's Pony Boy himself) recently let some information slip regarding his character in The Amazing Spider-Man, and some info on other characters, as well. Spinoff Online reports:

In an interview this week with the Retroradio podcast, actor C. Thomas Howell revealed a little information about his supporting role in the Marc Webb-directed film, while letting slip some significant plot details — including the identity of Spider-Man’s foe.

“There is not a whole lot to talk about. Sony wants us to be hush-hush right now,” he said. “I play a relatively small role. I play a construction worker who’s son is caught in the middle of a battle between the Lizard and Spider-Man on the Manhattan bridge. Spider-Man helps me get my son back from this perilous situation. There is some payback there at the end of the movie. Spider-man is kind of hurting. I help him when all of the other people won’t. Part of the story is, the nation thinks he might be a bad guy. They don’t know what to think. Because of my experience on the bridge with my kid, I know he is a good guy. I pitch in and help out at the end. That is the best way.”

So it's been rumored for a while that Rhys Ifans would be playing Dr. Curt Connors/ The Lizard, it's just nice to see a little confirmation on the villain subject. Especially with so many unknown factors of this movie. While I haven't seen any official confirmation from the studio, this seems to be coming from a pretty reliable source. You know, a guy who has read the script and is in the movie and junk.


There's also been some word that this film might not exactly be a reboot. SuperHeroHype reports:

This week's Entertainment Weekly (featuring new Superman Henry Cavill on the cover) is all about the upcoming wave of superhero movies with a lot of cool information on all the movies coming out this summer as well as those in production and a few that haven't even started filming.  One of the more interesting sidebars is about Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man, due out on July 3, 2012 and it features an intriguing quote from the film's executive producer Avi Arad implying that the movie (as they put it) "won't erase what came before but will try to weave a narrative that could take place within the framework of the earlier films."

Here's Arad's exact quote: 

"It's not a comeback. You have to look at it this way.  Do you want to know more about Spider-Man? This movie is going to tell stories that you didn't see in movies 1, 2 and 3."

Essentially, this means that we're not necessarily looking at another Spider-Man origin story with Andrew Garfield recreating what Tobey Maguire did in the original Spider-Man directed by Sam Raimi, but more of a story that takes place sometime over the course of Peter Parker's early days in the Spider-Man suit.  Our clever pals at ThinkMcFlyThink may have the right idea when they compare the movie to the Marvel series "Untold Tales of Spider-Man," a comic mostly produced by Kurt Busiek and Pat Oliffe between 1995 and 1997 which told stories about the webbed wallcrawler that took place in between the issues by Spider-Man creator Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Moving on to something I'm usually pretty negative towards. Movies being filmed in 3-D. I have... mixed feelings about this. Because I think A Spidey movie just might be the one film that I have to see in 3-D. I know, blasphemy, I can't help it. It would be amazing to watch some web slinging 3-D action.


Splashpage has an interview with the cinematographer describing the 3-D tech:

Schwartzman said that he and his team tested multiple cameras before settling on the 3ality tech. The size won them over, as well as the camera's ability to "shoot in 3D but perform at the same speed as in 2D."

"You don't get the unwanted shadowing effects during shots which sometimes appear using other 3D rigs," he said.

"We wanted a rig that would not only deliver the best quality and performance, but also one that wouldn't delay the production, so we have the benefits of a S3D [or stereo 3D] picture and we're shooting to a 2D schedule."

The press release goes into some detail on how the technology works, able to support "super fast set-ups with lightweight tripods, as well as shoulder mounts for handheld or Steadicam 3D shooting. Unlike other S3D rigs it doesn't lose coverage and also, because it's a compact rig, it maintains the actors' eyeline."

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is the first feature to make use of 3ality Digital's offerings. CEO and founder Steve Schklair is unsurprisingly excited about the development. He said, "Marc Webb is set to take the Spider-Man movies in a new direction and shooting the picture in S3D will certainly add an exciting element."

So I don't know too much about 3-D tech, but I am willing to give Spidey a chance. If the worst part of the movie is the 3-D, then I will be happy.

The Amazing Spider-Man swings into theaters 07.03.12