After helming the first two films in the recently rebooted Spider-Man franchise, it seems Marc Webb's now planning a pulling a Sam Raimi (The original Spider-Man trilogy) on us. And by that I mean, like Raimi, Webb has announced he'll be stepping down from the director's chair once he's done with The Amazing Spider-Man 3, despite the series currently set to conclude with a fourth film in 2018. While many fans and movie goers alike didn't exactly welcome Webb and his new take on Spider-Man with open arms when the first film was released two years ago, it seems the director has a much better understanding of the character and what the fans want from The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The news came courtesy of Webb himself in an interview with The Daily Beast at the SXSW festival. In the interview, Webb reveals that while he's signed on to direct the next Amazing Spider-Man film, he won't be on board the fourth time around, or at least not as a director. Webb cause on to say that he hopes to produce the film and stick around as a sort of consultant for the new director, similar to what George Lucas will be doing for Star Wars: Episode VII. While some may come to the assumption that Webb may be having disagreements with Sony over the route the fourth film will be taking (Like Raimi did), it seems the director still sees himself as a heavy influence throughout the duration of this franchise.
Of course, it's never good to hear news about a director leaving a franchise this big before it's over, especially when that director was the person who started it in the first place. Webb has really blossomed from directing music videos and smaller film's like 500 Days of Summer to a fully fledged blockbuster director, so it's understandable that he'd like to try his hand in another genre. As for who will replace Webb for The Amazing Spider-Man 4, your guess is as good as ours, but with talented director Alex Kurtzman (People Like Us) directing the upcoming Venom film, and Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods) on board for the Sinister Six film, I wouldn't be too surprised if Sony tapped one of those to to take the reins from Webb.
Coincidentally, just a few months back the series' titular star Andrew Garfield was asked about the possibility of returning for the fourth film, though he stated it had "nothing to do with him". Garfield when on to specify that he only signed a contract for three films, which has left many fans confused as to why The Amazing Spider-Man 4 is set for a 2018 release when it's main star doesn't seem to be returning. It's possible that Sony may be planning on introducing a new main character for the franchise following the third film, with current Ultimate Comic Spider-Man Miles Morales seemingly the most viable candidate.
So what do you think of Marc Webb not directing The Amazing Spider-Man 4? Who would you like to say take the helm of the fourth film? Let us know below!
