Marc Webb to spin 'Spider-man' franchise reboot (DH, SCR, VAR)

By Nancy Tartaglione

Marc Webb, director of indie favorite "(500) Days of Summer," has been tapped to direct the next installment in Sony's rebooted "Spider-Man" franchise. He'll be directing from James Vanderbilt's screenplay with production set to begin later this year in time for a summer 2012 release.

Webb's name as a possibility first surfaced on Deadline.com last week.

Now that the studio has locked in a director, it can turn to the task of casting. The Marvel superhero will be portrayed as a high schooler coming into his powers.

Although it was first reported that Webb would sling several Spidey pics, the deal is for one with options for future installments.

Sony co-chair Amy Pascal and Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, said in a statement, "At its core, Spider-Man is a small, intimate human story about an everyday teenager that takes place in an epic super-human world. The key for us as we sought a new director was to identify filmmakers who could give sharp focus to Peter Parker's life. We wanted someone who could capture the awe of being in Peter's shoes so the audience could experience his sense of discovery while giving real heart to the emotion, anxiety, and recklessness of that age and coupling all of that with the adrenaline of Spider-Man's adventure."

Webb added, "This is a dream come true and I couldn't be more aware of the challenge, responsibility, or opportunity. Sam Raimi's virtuoso rendering of Spider-Man is a humbling precedent to follow and build upon...I am signing on not to 'take over' from Sam. That would be impossible. Not to mention arrogant. I'm here because there's an opportunity for ideas, stories, and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas, and creative voice to Spider-Man."

Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin are producing.

As was previously reported, Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire recently exited the franchise.