Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man hit theaters is out loud-and-proud, raking in millions overseas and debuting to mostly alright reviews domestically . Though many reading this post may not have even seen it yet, spoilers, rumors, and hints as to the inevitable sequel’s villain are already making round on the web (see what I did there?).
The director of 2012’s Spiderman reboot himself said that in the sequel, he’s thinking of making a radical departure from audience expectations when it comes to the villain. How radical? The Mime. Ever heard of The Mime? Good. Director Mark Webb has succeeded. “I do think it would be tricky to totally invent a major villain, but if I did that it would be The Mime,” he joked with The Hollywood Reporter on Friday, hinting that he wouldn’t even be above inventing a completely original character to face Spidey. “My big contribution would be a villain called The Mime. That’s a joke, by the way. A joke .”
Oh, okay, he’s joking.
Webb diplomatically insisted that whoever takes the reigns of the sequel will have plenty of colorful villains to choose from. “I think you have to be pretty protective of the canon when it comes to villains,” he said. “And Spider-Man has a great rogues gallery, so there’s a lot to choose from.”
Addressing his spin on a classic character already familiar to film-goers (thanks to Sam Raimi’s trilogy) and how the reboot opens up the possibility of more films, Webb said, “I wanted to create a universe that works in and of itself for one movie, but I wanted to create a universe that not only can withstand but anticipate future storylines,” he says. “Movies like this tend to have sequels, [though] ultimately the audience will tell us if they want one. But I kind of thought it was an interesting thing to anticipate those storylines and think about the backstories and how we can parlay those into an ongoing story.”
The Amazing Spider-Man ‘s Tuesday night screenings have already raked in $7.5 million. Sony is projecting a $110 – $120 million haul over the course of the week, notes E! . I’m sure that if Sony wasn’t thinking sequel before (which you know they were) they will be by the end of the week.
“I think there’s obligations to canon that were fun to explore, but the future is bright,” says Webb. “I think there’s a lot of possibility there.”
Have you seen The Amazing Spider-Man yet?