Untold Tales

Untold Tales
    I'm not sure why this story hasn't yet gotten more attention today, but "Amazing Spider-Man" director Marc Webb has confirmed to MTV that the film isn't just re-telling the title character's origin story... it's re-writing it, too. More after the jump:

    Speaking to MTV, Webb delivered the "headline" story that - as pretty-much everyone has been guessing since the first teaser - the mystery of what happened to Peter Parker's biological parents will form the background continuity of the (hoped-for) new series. But buried amid the quotes was this doozy, which seems poised to confirm some of the speculation that came out of the "sizzle reel" presentation back in February:

    "This is probably a reveal," [Webb] said, "but there is no wrestling match in this movie. The character is evolving in a different way. It's about finding a balance between iconic elements of the 'Spider-Man' mythology—like how Uncle Ben's death transforms him emotionally—but it happens in a different way."

    No Wrestling? Well, okay, maybe a necessary concession to reality - unlike the early 60s, people pretty-much know that pro-wrasslers don't generally issue take-on-all-comers challenges to random folks off the street now. But the circumstances of Ben Parker's death - shot by a criminal who pre-vigilante Spider-Man had earlier let escape - strikes me as one of those perfect/necessary details you just can't change without essentially creating an entirely different character. Then I think back to some educated-guessing Badass Digest's Devin Faraci did back when the aforementioned "sizzle reel" showing took place. Said Devin:

    "There’s one more thing I took away from this footage presentation: I’m worried that Uncle Ben’s death is changed. In the footage Ben has to come to school when Peter gets in trouble for humiliating Flash Thompson using his new powers. He tells his nephew that because of this incident, he had to change his shift at work. I am willing to bet that this shift change leads to his death in some way. But the footage (which felt really comprehensive) doesn’t have Peter using his powers to make money, or a scene where he lets a criminal go. Could Ben’s death just come from the shift change? That would be a massive disappointment, as the set-up of his death in the original origin is, frankly, perfect. Again, there’s not enough to know, and I’m not against this film changing up things to find its own identity, but not having Ben killed by a crook Peter let get away is like having Bruce Wayne’s parents killed by a drunk driver. It just doesn’t work."

    Sigh. Still waiting for something significant about this movie to look interesting/optimistic without some kind of gigantic caveat.

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