Fanboys Anonymous

Hello there, Fanboys and Fangirls! This is Sam Lascio, giving you the latest news/rumors concerning the Marvel/Sony Spider-Man deal!

According to a report from Latino-Review, the powers that be have chosen Drew Goddard to write and direct the new Spider-Man franchise! It's important to keep in mind that this is a rumor and has not been confirmed by either Sony or Marvel. Here's a rundown of what we're hearing:

• "There is talk about calling the new series The Spectacular Spider-Man."

• Ike Pearlmutter (Kevin Feige's boss) insisted on Avi Arad's removal from the Spider-Man franchise, which allowed Feige to step in. Arad will still receive an executive producer credit on the film, but his attention will be redirected to the Ghost in the Shell series.

• The Sony "Spider-Verse" is dead. This means that although they had decided to move forward with the Sinister Six film, they have now scrapped all intended spinoffs, which includes The Sinister Six, a female-led Spider-Man film, Venom/Carnage, and yes, even the highly anticipated Aunt May film. Although there is still an idea to include the Sinister Six and possibly have a spinoff in the future, there are no longer any immediate plans.

• Drew Goddard, who was previously attached to The Sinister Six, has been moved to the new Spider-Man reboot as writer and director. Goddard's credits include creating the Netflix Daredevil series (starring Charlie Cox), writing Cloverfield, The Cabin in the Woods, World War Z, and The Martian, and directing The Cabin in the Woods.

• We're hearing again that there will be no origin story, and Peter (yes, Peter. Not Miles) will have his powers at the start of the film. Not surprising, since the character will appear in an MCU film before his solo run.

• Because the two studios want to cast young and use this actor for multiple pictures, fan favorite Dylan O'Brien (who is currently 23) is too old for the role. Not to mention that he's already tied up in a big Hollywood franchise at the moment. They may go with an unknown actor, so that he can grow into the role, much like Daniel Radcliffe did in the Harry Potter series.

• The first Spectacular Spider-Man film will most likely involve the Sinister Six forming to take down Spider-Man.

• A major part of the first film will involve Spider-Man fighting Iron Man as an audition to become a member of the Avengers.

Wait…I think I mistyped that. It almost sounded like Robert Downey Jr. will appear in the first solo Spider-Man film, and that the two heroes will battle it out to test Peter's abilities to see if he's Avengers material.


Now, on the surface, this all sounds a little overwhelming, so let's break it down a little:

1. The Spectacular Spider-Man? Cool title, I approve!
2. For the love of all that is good in the universe, get Avi Arad as far away from the Spider-Man reboot as you can.
3. The very fact that the Aunt May movie was a serious thing makes me happy that the Spider-Verse is dead. The Sinister Six just didn't need to happen. You hear me, Sony? Stop trying to make Sinister Six happen. (Mean Girls reference, sue me.)
4. To me, Drew Goddard sounds okay. Daredevil hasn't been released yet, but I liked The Cabin in the Woods. I wasn't a huge fan of World War Z, but I know a lot of people were, so I can't see too much against him, but also not a whole lot in his favor. For now, I'm neutral.
5. No origin story? Good, we don't need one. Although Latino-Review didn't say "no Miles," the original announcement from Marvel said "Peter Parker" by name, so that settles it. Will he be black, white, or something else? That's still a topic of discussion.
6. If Dylan O'Brien at 23 is too old, that also eliminates Logan Lerman (23), Donald Glover (31), and possibly even my pick, Asa Butterfield (17) from Ender's Game. I eliminate Butterfield not for his age but because he's a relatively known actor, and the studios seem to want an unknown. Don't be surprised if the actor ends up being 15 or 16 years old. It would make sense, since the report says they'd want this actor for perhaps multiple trilogies.
7. I wouldn't object to the Sinister Six being in the MCU, but the first film? This isn't The Amazing Spider-Man 3, so stop trying to make it The Amazing Spider-Man 3.

All right, time for an unpopular opinion, so instead of making this #8, I'm going to take a paragraph on this. My favorite MCU film for the longest time was Iron Man from 2008. Even when Marvel's The Avengers came out, I still loved the two films equally. However, after Iron Man 2, Iron Man Three (or Iron Man 3, as it should have been), and reports that he sort of muscled his way into Captain America: Civil War before they decided to go the Civil War route, I'm getting a little tired of RDJ. Is he still just as charming? Certainly. He is the living embodiment of Tony Stark, but this is Spider-Man's movie. If Chris Evans was going to appear in the film, I'd think "Cool, I'd love to see Cap and Spider-Man fight side-by-side," but RDJ? I can't help but feel think he'd want a huge part. I want to see Spider-Man fight his villains and save the day, not have Stark there the whole time hogging the limelight (which you know he'll do). Also, it would be really cool if Iron Man made a cameo in the film and the two auditioned Spidey to be an Avenger, but the report is saying that this would be a major part of the first film. Leave that shit for Captain America: Civil War.

This also doesn't seem to make a lot of sense for what we're seeing as far as the films go. Although I'm sure the film won't paint Iron Man as the "villain," it seems as though the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron will set Iron Man and Cap on opposite sides of their arguments, culminating in the third Captain America film. So are we to believe that after Peter sees Iron Man and Cap duke it out in Civil War, that he'd audition with Stark? This almost sounds like after Civil War, Cap and Stark will be friends again. Unless, Stark and Cap are recruiting for their own separate Avengers teams. But then why would Peter want to be on Stark's team? He does side with Iron Man in the comics at first, but after he has a change of heart, he joins Captain America's Secret Avengers. So…what the hell. If these rumors are true, they certainly seem confusing at face value. Hopefully when Sony and/or Marvel makes the formal announcement, things will be a lot clearer.

So what do you think of these rumors? Is Drew Goddard a good choice to write/direct the first film? Do you like the title The Spectacular Spider-Man? Would you approve or disapprove if Iron Man played a major part in the first solo movie against the Sinister Six? Let us know in the comments section! Thanks for reading everyone. My name is Sam Lascio, and I am a Fanboy!