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Amazing Spider-Man Director Marc Webb Talks Avengers, Sequels and Supervillains!

Exclusive! Get the inside scoop on the web-slinging reboot, teaming up with Iron Man or the Hulk and so much more

By Marc Malkin Jul 02, 2012 7:30 AMTags
The Amazing Spiderman, Spider-Man, Andrew GarfieldColumbia Pictures

Ready for Andrew Garfield to swing into theaters in the ... much anticipated release of The Amazing Spider-Man?

You should be!

"I'm genuinely excited," director Marc Webb told me this week. "We finished the film about six weeks ago, and it's been such a long ride. It's a bittersweet moment because I've become so close to so many people on the shoot. It's sort of surreal that it's coming to a close."

But is it? Webb also dished on an Avengers crossover and planning a sequel with Garfield and his on-screen (and real life) leading lady Emma Stone:

An Amazing Sequel

Webb describes himself as a "pretty serious Spider-Man fanatic," but that doesn't mean he's jumping at the chance to direct an Amazing follow-up. "I don't know," he said. "I've said this before, but it's like asking a woman who's just given birth if she wants to get pregnant again. You know, I need to nurse the baby for a little while."

Maybe he'll decide after a much needed—and deserved!—vacation. "I think I'm going to go to a beach somewhere, have a glass of whiskey and watch the sun stroll across the sky," Webb said of his post-release plans.

The Lizard: It's Complicated

In The Amazing Spider-Man, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) wants to help mankind but once he injects himself with that not-for-human-consumption DNA he turns into something quite the opposite. For Peter Parker, he's not exactly keen on killing the Lizard because Connors was once partners with his father.

"I don't think he's really that bad," Webb says of Connors/Lizard. "He's corrupted by the DNA and Peter had to stop him, but he's also going to protect him because he knows at some point he was, and is, a good man."

What Makes This Spider-Man Different Than All the Rest

"I think what defines Peter Parker right now is something that we haven't seen before—is that he was left behind by his parents when he was seven years old," Webb said.

"And that's a huge emotional area different from the Spider bite. It's as much a part of his story and what colors his character as the bite is and that's going to impact the rest of his life."

An Avengers Crossover?

Spider-Man is a Marvel crimefighter and so are The Avengers. So why not bring the two box-office parties together?

It's complicated. Blending the two is unlikely, at least at the megaplex, because Spidey is a Sony property and Disney owns Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, etc. "It certainly would be fun. I can't deny that," Webb said. "But there are all these twists in Spider-Man. There's a lot to explore before that would probably happen."

How about a Spider-Woman flick? "You never know," Webb said with a laugh. "I don't know if I'd direct it, but I'd certainly see it."

Mila Kunis, anyone?