Here comes the new Spidey!

Yep, you heard that right, only three films in and Disney/Marvel is getting ready to relaunch the movie franchise with a new director and a new direction. It has just been confirmed that Sony is about to announce that it has struck a deal with director Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer)to direct the next three Spider-Man movies. It is their intention to reboot the franchise so that it will focus far more on the private life of Peter Parker — as a High School student.

Webb’s other big appeal? He's much cheaper than the old Spider-Man crew. The deal just now being sewn up calls for Webb to be paid roughly $10 million for the first film, with substantial bonuses built in if the picture reaches certain box-office milestones. (Coincidentally, Webb’s deal is being hammered out by the Gersh Agency, the feisty outfit which first put Tobey Maguire into the webslinger's suit a decade ago.) This is a big savings from how his predecessor Sam Raimi was compensated. Unlike the now-departed Raimi, Webb won’t be getting paid a percentage of the films' grosses. Compare that to Spider-Man 4, for which Raimi and star Tobey Maguire were expected to claim more than 25 percent of the gross.

Not quite sure how this is going to all shake out, but I hope that a new director and a new cast will re-invigorate the franchise. I feel that a stripped-down, sleeker version can only help the series. As much as I love the Raimi films, I have to say that I’m not opposed to a re-boot so long as they stay true to what has made this character great.

Sure part of all of that is Peter (I hated the Liefeld run on the adjectiveless Spider-Man series, as it was all Spider-Man and Peter never appeared. I believe that it is Peter’s interactions with the world (and characters) around him that has helped make this character one of the greatest characters in comics), but I’m concerned that a younger high-schooled-age Spidey could possibly have the same effect of screwing the pooch on the franchise as yet another over-blown, effects-laden film.

Needless to say, I’m not interested in going negative with nothing to go on other than the announcement of a new director and lead cast. I’ll wait ‘til later for that.