Marc Webb won’t direct ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 4’.
The 39-year-old director has announced plans to step down from helming the superhero franchise after the release of 2016’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 3’, but hopes to stay on as a producer.
He told The Daily Beast: "I’d like to be involved as a consultant. I’ve already talked to these guys about it, but in terms of directing it, [‘Amazing Spider-Man 3’] will close out my tenure.
"I’ve had so much fun doing it, but after the third movie, it’ll be the time to find something else."
Webb rebooted the Sony Pictures franchise in 2012 with ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and has also helmed the upcoming sequel.
Last year, Sony announced ambitious plans to release two more ‘Spider-Man’ films in 2016 and 2018, as well as expand the franchise with two spin-off movies, ‘The Sinister Six’ and ‘Venom’, which will concentrate on the web-slinging hero’s most famous foes.
The two films will be released in the intermittent years between new ‘Spider-Man’ intallments, meaning there will be a fresh ‘Spider-Man’-themed film every year.
Webb also touched on his decision to cut rising star Shailene Woodley – who had filmed scenes as Peter Parker’s future girlfriend Mary Jane Watson – from the film entirely.
He explained: "It was really clear that the movie was about Peter and Gwen [Stacy], and to introduce any other elements that people knew had a romantic possibility, it felt wrong. But it wasn’t a love triangle. It was just Peter seeing Mary Jane once or twice next door. Shai was only there for a couple of days and it was a very minor part."