Sony/Marvel are currently on the race to lock down their next Peter Parker (for his CIVIL WAR appearance), but are also on the lookout for a director for this Spidey’s big solo debut. The shortlist included Jonathan Levine, Ted Melfi, Jared Hess, Jason Moore, and the team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (whose freshman film VACATION hasn’t been released yet).
According to Deadline, that list has been whittled down to two frontrunners: Melfi (ST. VINCENT) and Levine (50/50). Apparently, next on the list is Daley and Goldstein, which makes me think that the Powers That Be are waiting to gauge VACATION’s pre-release buzz and its opening numbers before taking them seriously as contenders. Plus, they’re now also looking at Jon Watts, whose COP CAR (about two kids who steal officer Kevin Bacon’s cruiser) made a splash at Sundance.
Whoever they grab will presumably be signed for a multi-film arc that will take the web-slinger through high school, so it’s no surprise that they want someone good as getting wiseass kid performances. I haven’t seen ST. VINCENT yet, but my vote goes to Levine for his excellent portrayal of awkward teendom in THE WACKNESS and the earnest romance of WARM BODIES. The latter also had a fair amount of violence in it, which makes him the only name on the list with any kind of action experience.
It really seems like they're trying to make straightforward high school flicks out of this run to differentiate it from the Raimi/Webb series, and even if I don't quite know how that'll fit in with the MCU proper, I'm excited to see them take SPIDER-MAN into a new direction. Now we just have to see who they get to play the damn kid (fingers crossed for Asa).
Of these choices, who would you want to see helming this three-incarnation of SPIDER-MAN?
New SPIDEY comin’ at ya on July 28th, 2017
