Many fans of Sam Raimi’s initial Spider-Man trilogy were skeptical when – only five years later – director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) delivered The Amazing Spider-Man to theaters. Some balked at the thought of rebooting the franchise so soon after Spider-Man 3, while others were hopeful that this new version could rectify the mistakes of that previous film and give the character a fresh start.
Reaction to The Amazing Spider-Man may still be a bit mixed, given the film’s tendency to tread on a bit too much familiar ground regarding the origin of everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood webslinger. However, one point that most fans can agree on is that this series seems intent on opening up Peter Parker’s world a bit more and including more classic characters from the comic books (a wise move considering the character will likely remain out of Marvel Studios’ hands for the time being).
Principal among these new additions is Jamie Foxx as the classic villain Electro. We’ve already gotten hints at how The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will portray the character’s origin as well as looks as both his human and super-villain forms. Now Foxx – speaking with Yahoo! Movies – has commented on the experience of being a part of the Spider-Man universe. Here’s what the Oscar-winning actor had to say:
“Oh, man ― it’s so much fun. The costume is great. They were very creative with it. … It’s part of a remarkable legacy: Spider-Man. I mean, when you’re growing up as a kid, you know, that’s everything. So to be able to be in that is just amazing.”
Indeed, Spider-Man remains one of the most recognizable and beloved superheroes in comic book history (as well as the star of Sony’s highest-earning franchise currently), but with the bar for comic book films seemingly raising year after year, the film’s success rides, at least in part, on the buzz it builds this summer at Comic-Con.
Foxx, for one, is looking forward to the opportunity to share the film with fans:
“Now I’m just waiting to get to Comic-Con and see how people respond to it. [Director] Marc Webb is a genius, and Amy Pascal and everybody at Sony have just been so gracious to allow me to have this opportunity. So it’s cool.”
Considering how much affection the movie-going public has for Spider-Man, it’s a credit to Sony that they’ve gotten an actor of Foxx’s notoriety to take on the villain role in the franchise, especially if the filmmakers are hoping to build to a Sinister Six storyline several films down the road. Amazing Spider-Man 2 itself is introducing a number of key villains (or villains-in-waiting), such as Rhino, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin and Harry Osborn (who becomes Venom in the Ultimate version of the character).
Foxx’s apparent passion for the world of Spider-Man means that he’s far more likely to reprise the character of Electro, if needed, in sequels. Here’s hoping that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 truly does live up to the hype being generated by its impressive cast.
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 swings into theaters on May 14, 2014.
