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Marc Webb recalls offer to first helm Spider-Man


Marc Webb thought it was "crazy" when he was first offered the chance to direct ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’.

The 39-year-old filmmaker – who was recently confirmed to helm Andrew Garfield in the third instalment of the superhero franchise – was initially surprised when he was approached by Sony boss, Amy Pascal, to make a remake of Sam Raimi’s 2002 film ‘Spider-Man’.

Talking at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, in Austin, Texas, he told the audience: "I thought it was crazy."

Pascal responded to his hesitations by saying: "Honey, you can’t turn down Spider-Man."

Webb wants the film franchise to be "fantastic" and "big", in keeping with how children feel when they read about the Marvel superhero, who was first created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko.

He added: "I’m going to embrace the spectacle. There was a moment deep in the [first film’s] post-production process where a giant lizard smashed through a wall chasing a boy-man in a unitard and I said, ‘This is not grounded. I’m not going to be beholden to smallness. I want it to be fantastic, to be big, to command and express that feeling when you’re a kid and reading the comics.’ I didn’t want to hide or shy away from that."