So, Sony and Marvel have joined forces to take the Spider-Man movie franchise in “a new creative direction,” with the next installment planned to hit theaters in July 2017.
That’s right — another “Spider-Man” reboot, announced just nine months after Spidey’s last swing through theaters in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”
Sigh. Already? Seriously?
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a CNN content partner, star Andrew Garfield is not returning as Spider-Man, freeing the producers of the next movie to cast a new face.
OK, so maybe Sony and Marvel are eager to purge the sour aftertaste of the last Spider-Man movie, which was savaged by fans and critics alike. But even by Hollywood’s increasingly impatient time frame for relaunching superheroes, this move feels awfully hasty.
Even the Internet, often awash in enthusiastic fanboys, was skeptical.
“We’re <10 years away from a Spider-Man movie that reboots itself during the movie,” tweeted New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff.
By Tuesday afternoon, Twitter jokesters were rallying around the hashtag #PutSpiderManInEveryMovie.
And among fans another theme emerged: If they’re going to reboot “Spider-Man” again, maybe it’s time to get more creative with casting.
Some people are clamoring for new movies based on an alternate version of Spider-Man by Marvel Comics that replaces Peter Parker — the hero from the original 1962 comic — with Miles Morales, a teenager who is half Latino, half African-American.
Monday’s deal between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Disney’s Marvel Studios allows them to share Spider-Man, meaning that the web-slinging superhero could also appear in movies with, say, Captain America or Iron Man.
Whichever way Sony and Marvel go, there’s a lot of money at stake. The five “Spider-Man” movies have earned more than $4 billion worldwide, making it the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures.
But people may be wearying of the series in its current form. Each of the last four “Spider-Man” movies made less money than its predecessor.
We understand that risk-averse Hollywood loves superhero movies, which earn big profits in overseas markets, jump-start lucrative franchises and sell lots of related merchandise. But rushing out another, similar “Spider-Man” could come across like a creatively empty cash grab.
Wouldn’t it be better for Sony and Marvel give Spidey a break? That way they could give fans time to breathe, build anticipation for a reimagined character and take the series in a bold new direction that reflects 2020, not 1962.