One of the most anticipated panels at this yearâs Comic-Con is Sonyâs The Amazing Spider-Man. Directed by Marc Webb, the film marks a reboot of the franchise following Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguireâs first trilogy, and fans are eager to see how this new version of Spidey stacks up. Steve spoke with screenwriter Steve Kloves last week at length about the project, and now Webb has opened up, discussing how he plans to reinvent the character, the favoring of practical stuntwork over CGI, and the pressure of impressing audiences at this weekâs Comic-Con. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.Speaking with Hero Complex, Webb talked about how his reinvention of Spider-Man manifests itself in the film:
âPeter Parker is a science whiz. If you look back to the early Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comics, heâs a nerd with big glasses. What was important in those early comics was this notion that Peter Parker is an outsider and how we define that in a contemporary context.â
The director also spoke about how his Peter Parker will differ from Raimiâs:
âSo much of the DNA of the character is the fact that he was a kid when he got bit. He is imperfect, he is immature and has a bit of a punk rock instinct. In his soul heâs still a 90-pound weakling even after [the transformative bite].â
With regards to the stuntwork, Webb said that he wanted to take a much more practical approach as opposed to relying on CGI, especially with the web slinging scenes:
âOne of the things we tried to do was keep the stunts more grounded physically and that was a huge challenge because you have a character whose abilities are superhumanâ¦We spent months and months and months developing rigs so he could swing in a way that wasnât computer-generated. Obviously thereâs going to be enhancements and CG [sequences], but itâs based in a physical reality and thatâs a new technique [for this film brand].â
Finally, Webb commented on the pressure of impressing the Comic-Con audience:
âA lot of our credibility is based on fan perception in some way. Iâm really excited to connect with the fans. I feel like weâve been a little bit under the radar in terms of our communication. I think itâs a great way to announce the new qualities that weâre putting out there and just connect with the audience in a way that we havenât before.â
Itâs good to hear that Webb is approaching the character from a fairly different perspective than Raimiâs Spider-Man films. While the project sounds promising, weâll have a much better idea of whatâs in store for us after the filmâs Comic-Con panel this week. Be sure to check back here on Collider for full-scale coverage from the Con. The Amazing Spider-Man opens in 3D on July 3rd, 2012.