Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

[DisneyBlu]

Originally Posted by dgoswald

I'm on terrible form today. So many schoolboy errors. I forgot the Red was in Winter Soldier. Erm... so if Ben is alive then what gives Pete the drive to become Spider-man in this version?

No, if Peter is operating as a superhero, then Uncle Ben is dead. It was Ben's death that was the inciting incident for him to move from selfishly moonlighting as a celebrity to being the selfless Spider-Man that helps people.

And if Uncle Ben is ever used, even if only in flashback capacity, he should be played by Tom Hanks.

[UK_fan_05]

We aren't getting another origin story so Uncle Ben will be dead already. Maybe in some flashbacks we will see Ben.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by UK_fan_05

We aren't getting another origin story so Uncle Ben will be dead already. Maybe in some flashbacks we will see Ben.

Suck on that Uncle Ben! Dying twice on the big screen was enough for you, apparently. I really wish the new Spider-Man didn't look 10.

[DisneyBlu]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

The death of Gwen Stacy would be reason enough to me and honestly more of a reason than the death of Uncle Ben.

Peter will be 15/16, how would the death of a teenage girlfriend be more of a reason for him to dedicate his life to superheroics than the death of the man who raised him?

Changing it from Uncle Ben to anyone else doesn't work. Uncle Ben instilled within Peter Parker a sense of responsibility. Ben and May raised Peter. It would be like having Batman's girlfriend die and then having him say, "I'll become a bat." It's more dramatically powerful for it to be the parents, or in Peter's case, the father figure.

Peter's whole thing is that he tries to live up to the kind of man his Uncle Ben wanted him to be. So when Peter, at first, uses his powers selfishly - for money and fame - and then he arrogantly refuses to stop a criminal (despite having the ability to do so)... it comes back and bites him in the ass when that same criminal murders his Uncle Ben. That's his wake up call; "if only I had done the right thing, Uncle Ben would still be alive. It's my fault..."

And then Peter makes a vow to never let that happen again. Trying to re-figure it and have Gwen die, and have that be why Peter dedicates his life to being Spider-Man doesn't work. With Gwen, it's much better that she dies after he's already made that dedication to Spider-Man and he's an established superhero.

I respect your opinion, of course! But having Uncle Ben be why Peter does what he does is one of those essential musts of the character that should never be changed.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by DisneyBlu

Peter will be 15/16, how would the death of a teenage girlfriend be more of a reason for him to dedicate his life to superheroics than the death of the man who raised him?

Changing it from Uncle Ben to anyone else doesn't work. Uncle Ben instilled within Peter Parker a sense of responsibility. Ben and May raised Peter. It would be like having Batman's girlfriend die and then having him say, "I'll become a bat." It's more dramatically powerful for it to be the parents, or in Peter's case, the father figure.

Peter's whole thing is that he tries to live up to the kind of man his Uncle Ben wanted him to be. So when Peter, at first, uses his powers selfishly - for money and fame - and then he arrogantly refuses to stop a criminal (despite having the ability to do so)... it comes back and bites him in the ass when that same criminal murders his Uncle Ben. That's his wake up call; "if only I had done the right thing, Uncle Ben would still be alive. It's my fault..."

And then Peter makes a vow to never let that happen again. Trying to re-figure it and have Gwen die, and have that be why Peter dedicates his life to being Spider-Man doesn't work. With Gwen, it's much better that she dies after he's already made that dedication to Spider-Man and he's an established superhero.

I respect your opinion, of course! But having Uncle Ben be why Peter does what he does is one of those essential musts of the character that should never be changed.

Gwen Stacy was the love of his life, I would argue he may have cared more about her than his uncle. He really is such a broken man from dealing with all the loss in his life, probably why he tries to use so much levity while he's fighting crime. I hope this Holland kid doesn't come off as completely out of place in Captain America 3.

[dgoswald]

Originally Posted by DisneyBlu

No, if Peter is operating as a superhero, then Uncle Ben is dead. It was Ben's death that was the inciting incident for him to move from selfishly moonlighting as a celebrity to being the selfless Spider-Man that helps people.

And if Uncle Ben is ever used, even if only in flashback capacity, he should be played by Tom Hanks.

That's what I thought.

[toddly6666]

Of their best acting films ive seen with Toby Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland, I definitely was most impressed with Tom Holland in The Impossible.

[imsounoriginal]

Uncle Ben - Bruce Greenwood
Aunt May - Mary Steenburgen

and for fun, Mary Jane will be the girl from the last half-hour or so of Boyhood.

[Sylentwolf]

Originally Posted by DisneyBlu

How about Helen Mirren?

I want the kind of Aunt May that J. Michael Straczynski wrote in his Spider-Man run. Smart, aware, a tough cookie. When she found out Peter was Spider-Man (since undone after the One More Day comic), she was - alongside Mary Jane - a source of strength for Peter. Very strong woman.

I don't want the frail, could keel over any minute Aunt May from the early comics. As much as I love them, in the early days, Aunt May was a clueless, helpless old biddy. She looked like the Crypt Keeper and she was in danger of dying every time the wind blew.

A nice blend between Ultimate Aunt May (without the neuroticism) and J. Michael Straczynski's portrayal of Aunt May would be nice for the MCU Aunt May. She should be the kind of strong woman that leaves no doubt and makes you go, "yeah, Aunt May raised Peter Parker to be the man he is."

I think the idea of Aunt May played by Helen Mirren would be a wonderful choice. Tom Holland along side Helen Mirren would look good on screen.

As far as the idea of Tom Hanks playing Uncle Ben (a character more surrounded in flashback scenes), wouldn't really strike me as a good character for Tom (Hanks) but, I wouldn't mind seeing Tom Hanks as Peter Parker's father, similar to how we saw Campbell Scott play Richard Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man 2

With all the details surrounding Marvel and Sony' Spider-Man/Avengers future collaborations, five Spider-Man motion picture films and two actors (one American, one British/American) later, I'm quite exhausted with how Sony has carried the Spider-Man character for the last 13 years.

It was eight years that bridged a gap between George Clooney's Batman & Robin (1997) and Christian Bale's Batman Begins (2005), however, it was only five years that bridged a gap between Tobey Maguire' Spider-Man 3 (2007) and Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). And now, we will only be two years removed from Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and new comer Tom Holland's (cameo like appearance) in Chris Evan's Captain America: Civil War (2016)

I think the reason why this new direction for the Spider-Man franchise will work, not because of Marvel's years of such dynamic success, but due to the fact that the next Captain America film will be one that will house many characters on one screen. Just as we recently saw from Avengers: Age of Ultron (which may become a film that I learn to enjoy and maybe even love, as time goes on), we were given a film that surrounded the silver screen with not one or two but, 12 Marvel characters on one screen. Captain America: Civil War will be another coming out party for more Marvel characters in an epic Captain America film that will complete a cinematic trilogy, that only began five years ago (2011) That in itself is an amazing feat when you look at the quality and time that was taken in order to produce and complete such films. 'Civil War' will keep you engaged with every character, and not soil your viewing pleasure with just two many characters. There will be many things that take place in the film that will open doors for future Marvel installments. 'Civil War' won't saturate the screen with death and destruction, but more of combat and dynamic comic-charisma. By the time 'Civil War' is released, your every focus may be on one character's screen time, Spider-man (Tom Holland, our newly casted Spider-Man) but by films end, it will be on everyone involved.

Captain America: Civil War will release May 6, 2016, and it may become the one film that fans will love and cherish for many years after it's release

[midnightalpha]

I nominate Bella Thorne as MJ, if it's not too early to cast. She's 17 and looks the part, and is growing into a promising actress.

[kamphausd1]

Originally Posted by DisneyBlu

How about Helen Mirren?

I want the kind of Aunt May that J. Michael Straczynski wrote in his Spider-Man run. Smart, aware, a tough cookie. When she found out Peter was Spider-Man (since undone after the One More Day comic), she was - alongside Mary Jane - a source of strength for Peter. Very strong woman.

I don't want the frail, could keel over any minute Aunt May from the early comics. As much as I love them, in the early days, Aunt May was a clueless, helpless old biddy. She looked like the Crypt Keeper and she was in danger of dying every time the wind blew.

A nice blend between Ultimate Aunt May (without the neuroticism) and J. Michael Straczynski's portrayal of Aunt May would be nice for the MCU Aunt May. She should be the kind of strong woman that leaves no doubt and makes you go, "yeah, Aunt May raised Peter Parker to be the man he is."

And pretty much every interaction she ever had with Peter consisted of her reminding him about how frail he is even if his friends or girlfriend were standing right there (which was only for the purpose of being ironic since a guy with super-strength was being coddled by an old lady who didn't know any better) and then Peter would in turn make a lame joke about how he didn't want her practicing pro football or something like that. For me personally, scenes like that almost make the older comics unreadable these days.

But I don't think you should worry about that portrayal being featured in the movies, because just about every adaptation of spidey in the last 2 decades or so has tried to do away with that, and I think the only person who ever really liked it to begin with was Stan Lee himself. If you've ever seen an interview with him, you'd know that he has some weird boner for irony in storytelling (and don't get me wrong, I love Stan and all, he's the still the man, but he definitely has his fair share of weaknesses as a writer).

[kamphausd1]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

Uncle Ben - Bruce Greenwood
Aunt May - Mary Steenburgen

and for fun, Mary Jane will be the girl from the last half-hour or so of Boyhood.

I think Greenwood would be much better for Captain Stacy actually. I was kind of disappointed that they didn't get him for the first Amazing Spider-Man and instead went with Dennis Leary of all people.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by kamphausd1

I think Greenwood would be much better for Captain Stacy actually. I was kind of disappointed that they didn't get him for the first Amazing Spider-Man and instead went with Dennis Leary of all people.

You're right, I like your idea better. If Uncle Ben is really gonna be a glorified cameo then they may end up going with a bigger name anyway. Maybe Ben Kingsley.

[kamphausd1]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

You're right, I like your idea better. If Uncle Ben is really gonna be a glorified cameo then they may end up going with a bigger name anyway. Maybe Ben Kingsley.

I'll tell you one thing I'm especially hopeful for. If they feature Robbie Robertson in this new series of films (and I really hope they do because he's one of my favorite spidey supporting characters), then there's only one person I can think of who could perfectly play the role. This guy:

[DisneyBlu]

Originally Posted by kamphausd1

And pretty much every interaction she ever had with Peter consisted of her reminding him about how frail he is even if his friends or girlfriend were standing right there (which was only for the purpose of being ironic since a guy with super-strength was being coddled by an old lady who didn't know any better) and then Peter would in turn make a lame joke about how he didn't want her practicing pro football or something like that. For me personally, scenes like that almost make the older comics unreadable these days.

But I don't think you should worry about that portrayal being featured in the movies, because just about every adaptation of spidey in the last 2 decades or so has tried to do away with that, and I think the only person who ever really liked it to begin with was Stan Lee himself. If you've ever seen an interview with him, you'd know that he has some weird boner for irony in storytelling (and don't get me wrong, I love Stan and all, he's the still the man, but he definitely has his fair share of weaknesses as a writer).

Yeah, back in the day Aunt May was just oblivious to the point where you started to think she was a straight up moron. In the 90s they started moving towards Aunt May being sharper and stronger (when she told Peter she knew he was Spider-Man... and then she "died"... and then we found out that was an actress hired by Norman Osborn... ) and then JMS came in and wrote a realistic and much more likeable portrayal of Aunt May.

She was wise. She was strong. She had suffered many losses in her life but continued on, same as her nephew. You could really see why Peter turned out the way he did. With Aunt May of the 60s/70s, it's a wonder Peter made it past age seven. The JMS Aunt May was a pillar of strength and when she came across Peter's secret... she went and collected herself, then they had a talk, and she said she didn't like what Peter did, putting himself at risk every day, but she supported him. She didn't drop dead from shock when she found out (which was something Peter was always worried about in the old days).

She processed it and they moved forward -- together. Peter would then come to May for advice and that was a really nice period of the comics... when Peter had MJ and May to lean on, and May was portrayed as a sharp old cookie instead of a doofus old bat. (Then Marvel ruined it and undid it all...)

Ultimate Aunt May was even more feistier, although she had a little too much edge (kicked Peter out of the house at one point because she was so pissed over how he had been lying to her). But in the end, once she found out his secret, she was supportive. (Then Marvel ruined it and killed Peter...)

So in the end, they have at least two versions of Aunt May that deserve to be depicted on screen. The Amazing Spider-Man's Aunt May came close, but they still have some perfecting to do.

[Drookur]

Tim Robbins for Uncle Ben! Flashbacks only. Maybe some voiceover. Peter's always replaying his failures in the comics. Inner monologue might add some drama and fill in the backstory as he's web-slinging around. Maybe reference Gwen Stacy so it's a soft reboot? Might confuse general audience members. Speculation is fun.

Focus smaller, more on Peter's struggle to be a hero rather than trying to tell the origin, then tell two or three villain origins all while throwing in a bunch of random "world building" characters. No one wants that. Except J. Jonah Jameson. He is a must. This could go very right and win everyone back. Or go very, very wrong and kill the viability of the franchise.

[DisneyBlu]

Marvel and Sony's hunt for the new Spider-Man was not an easy one, especially as they were searching for a director at the same time. The Hollywood Reporter has a report up about how the whole thing went down, and we've got the highlights for you here. The site confirms that Peter Parker will first appear in Captain America: Civil War before headlining a trilogy of movies.

The studios looked at over 1500 actors for the coveted role, but were assisted by Marvel's regular casting director Sarah Finn to help them get that list down to just six; Tom Holland, Asa Butterfield, Judah Lewis, Matthew Lintz, Charlie Plummer and Charlie Rowe. Robert Downey Jr. is set to share scenes with Spider-Man and participated in screen tests with each of the actors above as Marvel looked to find out who had the best chemistry with the Avenger. However, while the decision did come down to Holland and Rowe, only the former was asked to test with Chris Evans.

So, what about the director? Well, Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal were apparently keen on "someone with comedy experience but also with a perspective that would distinguish the new movies from the five already made in the past 13 years. Feige is said to have handpicked Watts, falling for the filmmaker’s take on the world of Peter Parker/Spider-Man." It was Sony boss Tom Rothman who have Feige his blessing to choose Watts, and the hope is that he will acheive the same success as indie director James Gunn did with Guardians of the Galaxy.

Thank God Feige got to choose the director. I wish they would give Amy Pascal a popsicle and tell her to go sit in the corner. That woman has no business being near a Spider-Man movie. You too, Rothman. Go color with some crayons and let the people who know what they're doing make this movie. At least he had enough sense to let Feige pick the director.

LEARN YOUR LESSON, SONY! Keep your hands out of the creative process!! If you don't work for Marvel, you don't get a say in this movie. That's how it should be. F%*$.

On a positive note, can't wait to see RDJr and Evans interacting with Peter Parker. Wow.

[kamphausd1]

Originally Posted by DisneyBlu

She processed it and they moved forward -- together. Peter would then come to May for advice and that was a really nice period of the comics... when Peter had MJ and May to lean on, and May was portrayed as a sharp old cookie instead of a doofus old bat. (Then Marvel ruined it and undid it all...)

To be fair though, they still didn't go back to portraying her as the one-note old biddy from the Stan Lee era who did nothing but fret and worry.

Originally Posted by DisneyBlu

The Amazing Spider-Man's Aunt May came close, but they still have some perfecting to do.

Yeah, and even the cheesy as hell Raimi films didn't go with the ridiculous Silver Age portrayal. So I think it's safe to say that one way or another, we'll be getting the stronger and wiser depiction of the character from here on out.

And I'm all for Helen Miren playing the role, that's just as perfect a casting choice as Dennis Haysbert for Robbie Robertson

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by midnightalpha

I nominate Bella Thorne as MJ, if it's not too early to cast. She's 17 and looks the part, and is growing into a promising actress.

She's the best possible choice to be the new Mary Jane, even if she looks a lot older than this Holland guy.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

She's the best possible choice to be the new Mary Jane, even if she looks a lot older than this Holland guy.

Well, its often said that girls mature both first and faster.

In all seriousness though, I could see her as MJ. I'm not familiar with her work, but she looks right for the part.