The-Amazing-Spider-Man-IMAX-posterMarc Webb did an awesome job of rebooting the Spider-Man franchise last year, and naturally there’s a lot of anticipated surrounding next year’s sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Production has officially got underway out in New York as of yesterday, and in their official press release, Columbia have been kind enough to give us the first synopsis:

“In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, for Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), life is busy – between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma Stone), high school graduation can’t come quickly enough.  Peter hasn’t forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away – but that’s a promise he just can’t keep.  Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.”

The brilliant Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone will once more be returning in the leads. And joining them this time around will be Jamie Foxx as our lead villain, Electro.

Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson will be debuting in the reboot, with Dane DeHaan and Shailene Woodley playing them, respectively.

Paul Giamatti has also recently come on board, with reports pinning him as the role of the villain, The Rhino. And the ever-brilliant Felicity Jones has also been reported to be in talks with the studio for an as-yet-unannounced role.

Given that Woodley’s MJ doesn’t factor into the synopsis – albeit an early synopsis – I still can’t help but feel that her role will be a minor one in this first sequel, setting her arc up for a more prominent position in the third film. And that, in itself, makes me feel that we’ve got more than a single trilogy to look forward to here. But time will tell.

Webb will be directing from a script penned by the great co-writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Star Trek, Transformers) and Jeff Pinkner (Fringe, Lost), based on a previous draft by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man).

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is set for a 3D release on 2nd May, 2014, and we couldn’t be more excited. This is going to be a lot of fun. More as we get it.

 

New York, February 5, 2013 – Columbia Pictures announced today that filming has begun on The Amazing Spider-Man™ 2 in New York.  The film is the first in the history of the franchise that will be filmed entirely in New York City and New York State.

The sequel to last year’s critical and box office hit The Amazing Spider-Man, the film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Shailene Woodley, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, and Sally Field.

In The Amazing Spider-Man™ 2, for Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), life is busy – between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma Stone), high school graduation can’t come quickly enough.  Peter hasn’t forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away – but that’s a promise he just can’t keep.  Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.

The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner, with a previous draft by James Vanderbilt, and based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are the producers.

The film’s key behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Dan Mindel, production designer Mark Friedberg, editors Pietro Scalia and Elliot Graham, and costume designer Deborah L. Scott.

The latest chapter in the Spider-Man story is set for release in 3D on May 2, 2014.