Though primarily associated with comedies up until now, Paul Feig, the director of Bridesmaids, is reportedly lending some of his considerable writing talent to the upcoming superhero reboot The Amazing Spider-man.
According to Vulture, director Marc Webb enlisted Feig to assist with the writing of a high school scene between Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Initially, this may seem like a strange move on the part of Webb, until one considers Feig’s earlier work on the Judd Apatow TV show Freaks and Geeks, which focused largely on the trials and triumphs of a group of high-schoolers.
The show, initially a flop during its short-lived television run, experienced a revival of sorts after it was rediscovered on DVD. Audience response since then has elevated the 18-episode series to the status of “cult-classic,” and it frequently appears on lists of the greatest television shows of the 2000s. The show also helped propel James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and many other Judd Apatow mainstays into the forefront of American cinema.
What does all this mean for The Amazing Spider-Man? Well, at the very least, Feig seems to possess a real talent for crafting convincing true-to-life high school scenarios and interactions – and according to early reports, teenage awkwardness plays an important role in the film.
Feig’s career to date has largely been confined to the comedy genre. Does this recent contribution indicate he may be interested in branching out into more serious fare? He did direct an episode of Mad Men back in 2007, as well as multiple episodes of both Weeds and Nurse Jackie (all of which contain comedic elements, yet are grounded in very serious subject matter). However, with the blockbuster success of Bridesmaids, the allure of further comedic accolades may steer him away from a less-certain future in drama.
Whatever Feig’s ultimate ambitions, Webb’s apparent willingness to bring in “outside expertise” to help ensure greater authenticity suggests that the director is concerned with crafting the best film possible, rather than his own ego; which is never a bad thing, as far as audiences are concerned.
The Amazing Spiderman hits theaters on July 3, 2012.
