DreamWorks is teaming with Working Title Films to produce a remake of Rebecca. This is a Daphne DuMaurier novel that was successfully turned into a film by Alfred Hitchcock. It was first American film, and it still stands up to scrutiny today.

According to Showblitz, Eastern Promises scribe Steven Knight will pen the screenplay after going back to the source material. Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will produce the flick.

Rebecca tells the story of a young woman who falls in love and moves in with a rich widower. Unfortunately the memories of his first wife still resonate very deeply.

Rebecca is one of the few classic novels that resonated with me. It’s a creepy read, and I actually watched the original movie version as a result of reading the book. It’s a great film but I actually think an update wouldn’t be a bad idea.

I would guess that Rebecca will be brought up to date and set in modern times, but I could be wrong. If not then why bother remaking it at all?

Bradley Cooper can cancel his angel wing fitting.

“Paradise Lost” is officially lost. Variety reports that Legendary Pictures has pulled the plug on “Paradise Lost,” Alex Proyas’s big budget adaptation of John Milton’s classic poem about battling angels. Bradley Cooper and Ben Walker were set to play the lead roles, with Casey Affleck, Djimon Hounsou, Rufus Sewell, Camilla Belle, Diego Boneta and Callan McAuliffe also in the cast.

Legendary had already postponed the project in order to give Proyas time to bring down the budget, but they couldn’t do it. Additionally, they felt that the technology just wasn’t there to make the movie Proyas wanted to make. So…see you in ten years, “Paradise Lost,” when kids will be able to make Proyas’s movie on their handheld gaming devices.

Meanwhile, a lot of actors just suddenly became free, most notably Cooper and Walker. Cooper’s been making a lot of indies, so this seemed to be his bid to breakout as a star who can handle an epic action movie. Will someone else give him a chance at that?

Lea Seydoux will put the beauty in "Beauty and the Beast."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vincent Cassell and Lea Seydoux will star in a new version of “Beauty and the Beast.” Christophe Gans will direct.

There actually have been astonishingly few big screen versions of the classic romantic tale. There’s the animated Disney megahit, of course, and the 1946 French version, “La Belle et la Bete,” directed by Jean Cocteau with Jean Marais and Josette Day starring. I’ve actually seen that and it’s very interesting. Definitely worth a look. On the other hand, the story has been a big deal on TV–the short-lived 1980s series starring Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman never had huge ratings, but had a fanatically devoted core fan base. People still talk about it with that lovestruck, dazed look in their eyes. Don’t worry, old fans, though–there’s not just one, but two “Beauty and the Beast” TV series coming to television this year. Can TV support two beasts? We’ll see.

Meanwhile, this movie–this is Gans’s first film since 2006′s “Silent Hill.” No exact word on this, but I guess it will be in French. It appears to be without any singing, dancing, or charming candlesticks. In a statement about the project, Gans said:

“Although I will keep to a form of storytelling of this timeless fairy tale that is in keeping with the same pace and characters as the original, I will surprise the audience by creating a completely new visual universe never experienced before and produce images of an unparalleled quality. Every single one of my movies has presented me with a challenge but this one is, by far, the most exciting and rewarding.”

Cassell was seen last year in “A Dangerous Method” and has Danny Boyle’s “Trance” coming out in 2013. Seydoux was in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” and is in the upcoming Marie Antoinette film, “Farewell, My Queen.”

To watch Mary Poppins, which I would hope most of you, young and old, have done at least once in your life, you wouldn’t realize how much time and effort went into getting it made. Not on the production side of things, although I’m sure that was all-consuming, but just getting the rights.

Mary Poppins is based on a book by P.L. Travers, an Australian author who really wasn’t keen to sell the movie rights, especially to Disney. Walt spent 14 years convincing Travers, but the author was so disappointed with the final result (the animated sequences in particular) that she refused to sell any of her other works to the studio.

This story forms the basis for Saving Mr. Banks, a 2011 Black List script by Kelly Marcel. According to Deadline, Disney is close to acquiring the script with an eye on turning it into an all-star cast vehicle, with Tim Hanks and Meryl Streep two of the names being mentioned.

This sounds like a fascinating story and it makes sense for Disney to take it on itself. And with Mary Poppins nearing its fiftieth anniversary, the timing would be good too.

Straight off the bat, before you all snap your jaws off with stunned gasps, the Michael Mann Heat starring Al Pacino and Rober De Niro doesn’t figure in this story at all. Instead, this is about the 1986 Heat starring Burt Reynolds.

Heat is being remade by Brian De Palma, and Jason Statham has been chosen for the lead role. William Goldman, who wrote the original, is back to pen the remake. Which should mean we get a tight script which doesn’t deviate from the original too much.

The new Heat is set up at Sierra / Affinity’s. The company’s Nick Meyer stated:

“We are pleased to once again be working with Jason and Steve on another project which in this case is based on great source material from a rare combination of an acclaimed novelist who is also at the top of his game as a screenwriter.”

“We look forward to bringing this elevated action-thriller from Brian De Palma to distributors around the world. We feel this project has it all – a first rate piece of material, a legendary director and a global action star.”

Heat tells the story of a recovering gambling addict who now offers protection to those still involved in the game. He sets off on a revenge mission after discovering a close friend has been badly beaten by a mob boss.

This is one remake that could actually work. And Statham (for all his faults) is a good choice for the lead.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead will get spooked in "The Darkness."

We have three pieces of casting news to tie up quickly this afternoon, so let’s go:

• HanWay Films announces that Mary Elizabeth Winstead will star in “The Darkness,” a thriller to be directed by Daniel Stamm. Here’s the story: “an American student looking after her tutor’s two children in a remote English manor house. She soon comes to believe that she and the children are being haunted when their lives are threatened by mysterious events.” Sounds a little like an updated “The Turn of the Screw.” Good luck topping “The Innocents.” Winstead was most recently seen in “Smash” at Sundance. [News courtesy of ComingSoon]
• Moviefone reports (via paywalled Variety) that John Goodman has joined the cast of “Trouble with the Curve.” Clint Eastwood stars as an aging baseball scout on one last trip to see a big time prospect, accompanied by his daughter, Amy Adams. Justin Timberlake has been cast as a rival scout who’s as interested in Adams as the prospect. Goodman will also play a scout. Baseball scouts everywhere, if you’ve ever felt overlooked, well, your moment is coming. Goodman is in theaters now in “The Artist” and as a Coen brothers regular, will appear in their next film, “Inside Llewellyn Davis,” as will Mr. Timberlake.
• Speaking of “Inside Llewellyn Davis,” Deadline tells us that Stark Sands has joined the cast. The film is set in the folk music scene of Greenwich Village in the 1960s, with Oscar Isaac starring as a musician who’s talented, but never quite breaks through. Cary Mulligan is also in the cast, along with the aforementioned Goodman and Timberlake. Sands will play a young soldier on leave. I’m betting that he’ll be radicalized by the ideas in the folk music. Sands has appeared in several films, but is best known (well, amongst us theater geeks) for his role in the Broadway production of “American Idiot.”

Now if only Winstead had landed in “Llewellyn Davis,” so we could have tied it all together…

Naomi Watts takes on an icon.

Word comes today from Ecosse Films that Naomi Watts will play Princess Diana in “Caught in Flight,” a film about the last two years of Diana’s life.

It’s amazing that Diana died in 1997 and there’s been so few portrayals of her life story on stage, big screen, or little screen, except for, I think, a few dreadful TV movies. I’m not sure whether there’s been some reticence on the part of writers and producers because of how the public worshiped her–they don’t want to get it wrong and raise the ire of her fans. Or maybe there was some fear of offending the royal family? I doubt that–what power could they wield other than saying, “We are not amused”? I think it’s more of the former, that she was just such a big phenomenon and such a complex public figure that the creatives actually aren’t sure how to handle her. A hard-hitting portrait of her would be a box office disaster–alienating your core audience is always a money problem–and a hagiography would be a critical mess. It’s a tough situation. We’ll see how the “Caught in Flight” team handles this.

As for Watts, she was last seen in “J. Edgar” and next stars in “The Impossible” with Ewan MacGregor.

Here’s the press release:

Ecosse Films today announced that British-born Academy® award nominated actress NAOMI WATTS (J. Edgar, Eastern Promises, Fair Game, 21 Grams) will play the role of Princess Diana in the upcoming movie CAUGHT IN FLIGHT.

Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (Academy® Award nominated Downfall), and based on the screenplay by Stephen Jeffreys, production will begin in the UK later this year.

CAUGHT IN FLIGHT is a compelling portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales during the last two years of her life. It charts how finding true personal happiness for the first time allowed her to achieve her defining successes evolving into a major international campaigner and humanitarian.

Speaking earlier, Naomi Watts, who will next be seen starring in The Impossible opposite Ewan McGregor said: ‘it is such an honour to be able to play this iconic role – Princess Diana was loved across the world, and I look forward to rising to the challenge of playing her on screen.’

Director, Oliver Hirschbiegel commented: ‘I am delighted to have such a truly exceptional actress who embodies the warmth, humanity and empathy of such a global icon as Princess Diana.’

Ecosse Films’ Robert Bernstein stated: ‘It is very exciting to be working with one of our finest actresses, Naomi Watts, on what will be a powerful and poignant film. She will encompass the role beautifully.’

"The Hobbit" hair and makeup team won't have to do much work to get Billy Connelly dwarf ready.

Just when you thought (or at least I thought) that there wouldn’t be anymore news about “The Hobbit” news until Peter Jackson released a new video or the movie itself was released, we get this little bit of casting news. New Line, Warner Brothers, and the other eight million studios involve have joined together with Jackson to announce that Billy Connelly will play the role of Dain Ironfoot.

Wondering who Dain Ironfoot is? Here’s what the LOTR wikia says:

Dáin II Ironfoot or King Dáin (TA 2767 – TA 3019) was a Dwarven King of Durin’s Folk, the fifth King under the Mountain, and the Lord of the Iron Hills during the War of the Ring in Middle-earth during the late Third Age. He fought alongside King Brand, the King of Dale in the northern battles against the Easterlings during the War of the Ring and died along with him, but his sacrifice helped defeat Mordor’s allies in the north, which helped shield Rivendell, Mirkwood, and Lothlórien from the northern attack of Sauron’s war on Middle-earth.

Well, I’m glad we have all that straightened out. Wondering who Billy Connelly is? He’s a very well known Scottish comedian who says funny things in a heavy Scottish accent. And he comes with dwarf ready hair and beard.

Here’s what Jackson said about the casting in a press release:

“We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connelly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of ‘The Hobbit’ is now complete. We can’t wait to see him on the Battlefield!”

Natalie Portman goes back to work.

2010 was a big year for Natalie Portman–she starred in “Black Swan,” won all kinds of acclaim for it, and announced she was pregnant. In 2011 she won the Best Actress Oscar for “Black Swan,” had the baby in question, and then pretty much dropped out of sight (well, aside from “No Strings” and “Your Highness,” but those were pretty much out of sight as far as moviegoers were concerned). No news, no plans, no announcements about future projects. But now she’s ready to go–Deadline reports that Portman has joined the cast of the two films Terrence Malick is shooting back to back this summer and fall.

(Yes, back to back–Malick has become astonishingly prolific in his old age. For those of us who used to joke about how Malick made about one film a decade, well, we’re out of material.)

Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Isabel Lucas are already set to star in “Knight of Cups,” which shoots this summer. Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, and Haley Bennett star in “Lawless,” which will film in the fall. No word on who Portman, or really anyone will play. What are they about? No clue. Let’s guess. “Knight of Cups,” well, let’s say that’s about Bale being an alcoholic. “Lawless,” I guess that has Gosling and Mara on the run. From something.

More news when anything leaks out about these mysteries.

Vaughn and Wilson will reunite for "Interns." Success guaranteed! Of course not.

Well, that title really says it all–Vulture says that Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, who had a big success with “Wedding Crashers,” will reunite to star in “Interns,” a comedy to be directed by Shawn Levy.Vaughn wrote the script.

Here’s the deal–it’s about:

“…two forty-ish company guys who both get laid off in a downsizing. Convinced they’ve gone about managing their careers entirely wrong, they resolve to become interns at a Google-like dotcom and start anew. Suddenly, the two old chums are competing against wily, fresh-faced 22 year olds for advancement.”

I don’t know about other people, but I see intern jobs all the time for companies or businesses that look really interesting and think, “Wow, maybe I should go into that.” Then I remember that those jobs are only for 22 year olds, the only people who are dumb enough to work for free at jobs that used to pay and be called “entry level positions.”

So yeah, it sounds like a steady enough premise for an innocuous comedy. Of course it’s all in the execution.

What’s up with these two? Wilson had a big success this year in “Midnight in Paris,” something I don’t think anyone saw coming. The only thing he has booked is a comedy called “Freezing People is Easy,” with Kristen Wiig and Paul Rudd. It’s about the early days of cryogenics. Hmm. Vaughn has had some bombs lately, such as “The Dilemma” and “Couples Retreat.” He’s in “Lay the Favorite,” a film that was not well received at Sundance, but not because of him. “Neighborhood Watch,” out this summer, is a better prospect. He stars along with Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill, and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote the script.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt looks just like a director in this picture.

Deadline reports that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will make his directorial debut with an untitled comedy that he also wrote. Oh, and he’ll star. With Scarlett Johansson.

The film is described as, “a sexy comedy about about a modern-day Don Juan, and his quest to become less of a “selfish dick.” Gordon-Levitt says this is what he came up with after many other failed attempts to complete a screenplay, including “one mammothy huge sprawling thing that encompasses my entire point of view of everything since I was 20 years old.” I think we all feel like we dodged a bullet when he shoved that in the proverbial drawer.

As for the acting, Gordon-Levitt says, ““I wrote myself a helluva role, one that people wouldn’t necessarily thought of me for.” In addition to Johansson, there’s another major female role to be cast.

Directing seems like an inevitable step for someone who’s been on the acting side as long as Gordon-Levitt. As always, any actor who’s been around enough good directors should be able to competently direct a modestly scaled script where the focus is on the acting rather than large set pieces or action. That’s not to say that an actor couldn’t make his or her debut with a big action picture, just that it’s a bigger risk. With a script that sounds like a pretty small sale romantic comedy, Gordon-Levitt should be okay. The script is a bigger worry. There’s a reason so many romantic comedies flop–they’re really hard to write.

Gordon-Levitt will be all over screens this year, with roles in “Premium Rush,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Looper,” and “Lincoln.” He was supposed to do a small role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” but now might not be able to stay with that.

Not content with having acted on TV as a youngster before making a successful move to the movies as an adult, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is about to become a writer/director. And all while he still looks about 12. Life is unfair!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gordon-Levitt will star in and direct a new comedy at Voltage Pictures. He also wrote the screenplay which tells the story of a modern-day Don Juan who tries to turn over a new leaf.

Scarlett Johansson will play one of two big female roles in the flick, with production set to begin in L.A. on April 16. Meanwhile Gordon-Levitt will be seen in The Dark Knight Rises, Lincoln, Looper, and Premium Rush.

Gordon Levitt first rose to prominence in 3rd Rock From the Sun but has now evolved into a leading man. Judging by this latest news the sky is the limit for his career. What’s next? Owner of a Hollywood studio?

Deadline is reporting that a sequel to Machete, titled Machete Kills, is on the way. Shooting is set to start in April, with a bigger and better plot planned.

Machete Kills, the second film in what was always planned to be a trilogy, will see the character of Machete hired by the U.S. Government to battle his way through Mexico in order to take down a mad cartel leader intent on causing mass global anarchy. Which sounds like lots of fun.

Many of the cast of the original Machete, which included Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, and Robert De Niro, are expected to return. And yet it appears that Danny Trejo, who IS Machete hasn’t yet put pen to paper. Which is an oversight.

Surely if there is no Trejo there are no Machete sequels. So I expected producer Alexander Rodnyansky and director Robert Rodriguez to have secured his services before announcing the movie. What if he now says no? I can’t imagine he would, but you can never be sure about these things.

I’m an oddity in that I prefer the Twilight movies to the books. I struggled through the first book but cannot be bothered to read the rest. The movies, however, aren’t as bad as I thought they would be. Maybe it’s just because I’m a guy and the Twilight books are for girls.

Katherine Hardwicke, who directed the first Twilight movie, wasn’t a fan of the script when it first passed in front of her field of vision.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Hardwicke recalled how she was seated next to the heads of Summit Entertainment at Sundance when she was handed five scripts for potential movies. One of which eventually became Twilight.

“Every one of those scripts sucked. Oh, Lord, did they suck. I thought the [Twilight] script was horrible, but then I looked it up on the Internet and I thought, Okay, it’s based on a book and people tend to like it. There’s gotta be something there. So I read the book and I thought it captured that feeling of being madly in love. And I thought, That’s kind of a good challenge, to see if, as a filmmaker, I could make you feel that giddy, crazy … ”

In the end Hardwicke agreed to direct Twilight if the studio would allow her to rewrite the script from scratch. They did, so she did, and the rest, as they say, is history. Whether Hardwicke managed to make the core audience “feel that giddy, crazy” is dubious though.

I know a lot of fans of the books who hate the movies. Even if they don’t hate them they feel they could have done a better job translating the source material to the big-screen. And I’m not sure anyone would have cast Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan.

This means back off for a safer release date.

Why, it seems like just a few weeks ago that 20th Century Fox announced that they were moving the release of “This Means War” up from February 17th to February 14th. At the time, the studio said:

This audacious strike comes on the heels of outstanding test screenings and strong word of mouth.”

The idea was to tie the romantic comedy, starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and Tom Hardy, with Valentine’s Day. Today, though, they have scaled back their ambitions–Deadline reports that the studio will now just “sneak” the film on the 14th with the official release back on the 17th.

Apparently the problem is “The Vow,” another romance, but of the weepie variety. That film, which opens the 10th, is tracking really high on the awareness and “want to see” levels, while “This Means War” is languishing. So the studio probably felt that “The Vow” had Valentine’s Day wrapped up, so they might as well give up on their attempt to launch big that day. Instead they’ll hope for good word of mouth from the Tuesday preview to give them a stronger opening on Friday the 17th. Well, the only competition that day is “Ghost Rider II,” and you couldn’t get two more different audiences. So maybe there’s hope yet for “War.”

Alas, no Harrison Ford for the new "Blade Runner" film. But this is a cool poster.

Yesterday we heard the potentially interesting news that Harrison Ford was in talks to join Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” project (reminder: we refer to it as project because there’s no decision yet about whether it will be a prequel, sequel, or only just barely related). Today we hear that that potential is not even potential; Alcon, the studio financing the film, has put out a vehement denial that they were involved with any kind of talks with Ford, the star of the original “Blade Runner.”

Andrew Kosove, one of the film’s producers, told Deadline:

“It is absolutely patently false that there has been any discussion about Harrison Ford being in Blade Runner,” Kosove told me. “To be clear, what we are trying to do with Ridley now is go through the painstaking process of trying to break the back of the story, figure out the direction we’re going to take the movie and find a writer to work on it. The casting of the movie could not be further from our minds at this moment.”

Kosove went on to say that the relationship of the “Blade Runner” film will be like the relationship of Scott’s “Prometheus” to his earlier “Alien,” that is, they’re associated but is a standalone film. Kosove didn’t completely rule out the involvement of Ford’s character, Rick Deckard, in the new film’s story, but it didn’t seem likely.

Ford’s busy, anyway–he’s booked for “42″ and “Ender’s Game.”

The Amazing promotion begins.

Yesterday some fans got a chance to see and hear more about “The Amazing Spider-Man,” thanks to a multinational event held by Sony to promote the film. They showed some footage, a trailer, and then did a Q&A with Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and director Marc Webb.

Most of the descriptions from people who were there have said that this version focuses heavily on Peter Parker trying to find out what happened to his parents and his relationship with Dr. Curt Connors aka The Lizard. Director Webb said he wanted to tap into, “the emotional consequences of what it means to be an orphan.” Oh, like Batman?it also reveals what some are describing as a more sardonic, cocksure Spider-Man.

The big quote from Emma Stone was that her character, Gwen Stacey, “falls in love with Peter Parker, but Mary-Jane falls in love with Spider-Man.” I think this is her way of saying Gwen is a better person (this comment is from a more sardonic, cocksure me). Garfield won points by saying that the next actor to play Spider-Man should be Hispanic/African-American, to fit the version of the character in the Ultimate Marvel Universe.

Movieline has a pretty good summary of the event. For a blow by blow, detailed description of the footage, go to SuperheroHype. You can watch the new trailer any number of places, including here at ComingSoon.

"You sunk my movie studio!"

The Playlist has a big breakdown of this year’s blockbuster movies that could turn into big flops. Their list is a lot longer, but here are my top contenders, in order of release:

John Carter (March 9th) Based on a series of scifi novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs that were popular about a hundred years ago, the generic title doesn’t help audiences much. Taylor Kitsch is hardly a box office draw, and the film reportedly went millions and millions over budget. It’s going to have to do huge money to be respectable.

Battleship (May 18th) A very expensive (over $200 million) film…based on a board game. As the Playlist notes, it could be the big, dumb actioner that hits the right spot with audiences and becomes a “Transformers” type hit. Or it could turn out to be another long, boring, loud bust. Taylor Kitsch has the dubious honor of appearing in two potential big budget flops this year (see “John Carter”).

Men in Black III (May 25th) I guess “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” proves that even the most moribund franchises can be revived, but this one has been gone an awful long time. After advertising, the cost will probably be well over $300 million. Plus it’s hard to feel good about a movie that was constantly rewriting its script during production.

The Amazing Spider-Man (July 4th) I know, this seems like it should be a hit, right? But this summer also brings us two more surefire prospects: “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Avengers.” Between those two, it seems like “Spider-Man” could get lost in the shuffle. It also hasn’t been that long since the original cycle of “Spider-Man” films, so there could be a certain amount of “didn’t we just see that?” fatigue amongst audiences choosing their movies. The budget is likely in the $140 million range. Not cheap, but not the worst mountain to climb…

47 Ronin (November 21st) Keanu Reeves starring in a period Japanese tale that suffered from horrific budget overrun woes? So far the cost is around $200 million, but it would be a tough sell at half the cost.

Will Deckard be back for the "Blade Runner"...thing?

Here’s an interesting one–Twitch reports that Harrison Ford is in talks to join the cast of Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” project. Ford, as I’m sure you know, starred in the original “Blade Runner.” The film was a flop at the time but in the years since has taken on the reputation of a brilliant movie that was just way ahead of its time.

Note, by the way, that I just refer to this as a “Blade Runner” project. That’s because as recently as December the producers were saying that Scott hadn’t decided if the film was going to be a prequel or sequel or what; it does seem pretty clear that it’s not going to be a remake. It seems like they’re going to just hire some writers and figure it out, somewhat like the way “Prometheus” evolved from a prequel to “Alien” to just a movie loosely connected to the “Alien” universe.

Of course, with all that in mind, we have no idea if Ford would be starring or if this would just be a cameo, or if he would be playing Deckard, his character from the original film, or someone else. I think it would be fun just to have him involved.

The new Spider-Man will be a fun-filled, wit-fest.

Now that the Super Bowl is over, all gazes are firmly turned towards the summer, where a number of blockbuster movies await us. One of those is “The Amazing Spider-Man,” the latest take on the web slinging superhero.

Latino Review has some quotes from director Marc Webb in an interview he gave to Comic-Con Annual magazine. Here’s one to get you started:

Looking at the trailers and the poster, this film seems to have a bit of a darker tone to it, yet Spidey has always been a wisecracking, fun kind of super-hero. Are you able to maintain that humor in your film?

Webb: There’s this trickster quality we were very keen on exploring, with that humor and that fun and that wisecracking stuff. We wanted to keep that alive, but we wanted it to be realistic. We wanted that humor to come from a real place. My aim was to create a world where you could feel all those emotions. There are certainly darker, more intense feelings in this movie. There is betrayal, there is tragedy, but there’s also humor and romance. So it’s a very complex bouquet of emotions, but what you have to tread on is what feels authentic and what feels real, and you have to earn those different emotions. There are moments of furiousness and gravity, absolutely. But are there moments of humor and levity and whimsy? Absolutely. Andrew was really great. He used this term to describe Peter Parker in Spider-Man and Spider-Man in particular: he’s a trickster. He was like “How would Spider-Man web this guy? He’d give him a wedgy or he’d dos some awful graffiti.” There’s a punk rock quality to Peter Parker that’s really irreverent and fun and that’s something that Andrew embodies in a way that we haven’t seen before. Certainly the materials that have come out have a darker sentiment or there’s a darker projection, but we’re very keen on staying loyal to the humor of Spider-Man.

In the interview, Webb talks about how this is NOT a remake of the Sam Raimi films, why they decided to focus on Gwen Stacey as opposed to Mary Jane Watson, and how they use 3D in making the film; you can read the rest here.

I’ve said a million times that I don’t have a lot of enthusiasm for this movie. Webb’s “(500) Days of Summer” was one of my most hated movies of the 2000s so far, which doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence in me. There’s casting that doesn’t thrill me. But I know a lot of people are excited about it, so yeah, well, I guess I hope it will be okay.