Perhaps you've heard of Sony's reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man. We've brought you a ton of coverage over the last few months (the new trailer, over 25 new images, the beginning of the viral campaign, the first clip and a gallery of all the images released thus far), but with the film opening between this weekend's WonderCon and mid-July's Comic-Con, the best is yet to come. Sony was kind enough to share some footage from Marc Webb's gritty take on Peter Parker's origin story and we, being equally kind, are here to share it with you. News outlets got a chance to see the newest trailer and a sizzle reel a short while ago, and this time Sony shared it with the audience at WonderCon.The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field and Denis Leary, opens on July 3rd. Hit the jump for more from the WonderCon presentation. amazing-spider-man-movie-poster-teaserSince Dellamorte wrote up a pretty extensive explanation of the footage screened at the media event, we'll skip down to the panel discussion (since the same footage was shown at WonderCon). On hand for the discussion were producer Matt Tolmach, director Marc Webb and star Emma Stone. Garfield couldn't be present because he was opening for "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway that night. The comments from the filmmakers follow below:

  • Arriving on stage in their 3D glasses, Tolmach and Webb talked about how much of an honor it was to be adding another chapter to the chronicles of Spider-Man.
  • Webb talked about his version of Spider-Man as a trickster, with more of a sarcastic slant than previous iterations. He also mentioned that he was interested in exploring Peter Parker's origins as an orphan before Spider-Man even came into his life. He wanted to explore the "emotional story of a seven-year-old having his parents ripped away from him."
  • Webb was also interested in exploring Gwen Stacy saga within the film.
  • The Lizard is Webb's favorite villain from Spidey's rogues gallery.
  • After Stone took the stage, she talked about the differences between Gwen Stacy and Mary-Jane Watson. In her words, "Gwen Stacy fell in love with Peter Parker; Mary-Jane fell in love with Spider-Man. Gwen is in love with Peter in spite of Spider-Man not because of him."
  • Webb talked about the philosophical differences in the approach of Capt. George Stacy (Leary) versus Spider-Man, even though they're attempting to achieve the same goals.
  • Tolmach touched on the film's exploration of the loss of Parker's parents rather than the loss of Uncle Ben, calling the orphaning an "enormously formative" experience.
  • Stone was drawn to the film because of the love story between Gwen and Peter. She mentioned that the Sam Raimi trilogy was her initial introduction to Spider-Man, but since then has read more of the comics featuring Gwen. She's excited to play a role that is so different from Mary-Jane, especially because Gwen has a sense of doom and looming mortality surrounding her. And for fans of Stone, she mentioned that she does indeed read the message boards, so be nice.
  • Tolmach talked about the incredibly natural and awkward chemistry between Stone and Garfield in "the hallway scene" where Gwen and Peter have their first one-on-one conversation. It really is a great scene and played well to the audience in attendance.
  • Finally, Webb stressed that "Spider-Man is Peter Parker, which makes him the most relatable superhero there is."

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Without question, this is a film to watch for this summer when it opens on July 3rd. While the footage didn't sway me one way or the other, it's going to be a guaranteed ticket sale for me on Independence Day weekend.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Amazing Spider-Man:

The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

For more of our coverage from WonderCon, click here.