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'The Amazing Spider-Man' Director Marc Webb Talks Jamie Foxx, Calls Him "Electrifying" (EXCLUSIVE)

By: Sean OConnell on November 1, 2012 at 2:26PM Comments (16)

Celebrities dress up as the strangest things on Halloween. So when Oscar winner Jamie Foxx Tweeted that he “dressed up as Electro for Halloween last night” and added that the costume “fits well,” very few batted an eye.

Until, that is, Variety ran a story the following day saying that the Django Unchained star was “in talks” to play the classic Spider-Man villain in Marc Webb’s planned sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man. In the blink of an eye – or the flash of lightning – the tweet took on a whole new meaning!
 
As luck would have it, Webb had agreed to speak with me on behalf of the Blu-ray and DVD release of his summer blockbuster. (The Amazing Spider-Man hits shelves on Friday, Nov. 9.) I’ve been a vocal cheerleader for Webb’s vision of Marvel’s beloved Web-head, and couldn’t wait to dig into his plans for the franchise. Our conversation touched on a number of Spidey topics, and will run on our sister site Movies.com a little closer to the DVD’s street date. 
 
But we had to start with the Foxx-as-Electro rumors, which set the World Wide Web on fire minutes before Webb and I spoke. 
 
“What?!” Webb replied when I asked him about the casting news. The director made it clear he was feigning ignorance, and followed up with a very political (yet calculatedly non-committal) answer. 
 
“Look, Jamie Foxx is a genius actor, and I think he’s electrifying. That’s my standard quote right now,” Webb told me, with a laugh. “But I think he’s a brilliant actor. From his work back in In Living Color to Ray to what he did in Ali, he’s just one of the great character actors of our generation.” 
 
And hopefully he’ll make for an outstanding Spider-Man villain. 
 
So it sounds like Webb is playing it safe until contracts are signed. But his use of the word “electrifying” has to be a dead giveaway, no?
 
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has circled May 2, 2014 as its release date. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are expected back for the sequel, which reportedly is eyeing Shailene Woodley for the part of Mary Jane Watson. Things are shaping up so far. Tell us, Spidey fans, what do you think about the direction of the franchise?
 
 
Follow along on Twitter @Sean_OConnell and @Fandango
 

Comments (16)Leave a Comment

  • Nov 2nd 2012 1:30AM

    Dovahkin  said...

    Hey Jamie Foxx? IF...... youre gonna be Electro in the next Spiderman film. Can you PLEASE at least once in the film become WANDA or Homey D Clown LOL. Before the film gets all serious and deep into the story. I think it would be epic and spice the film up abit for some fun LOL. Peter Parker gets a massage from WANDA LOL!

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  • Nov 2nd 2012 12:55PM

    mistercates  said...

    except he didn't play Homey D Clown. That was Damon Wayans.

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  • Nov 1st 2012 4:08PM

    fandad1960  said...

    Sounds surprising I've been a fan of Foxx for 8 years since he wowed and touched us in Ray. Will he turn in another good performance? We shall see

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  • Nov 1st 2012 7:43PM

    red.bean46  said...

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  • Nov 1st 2012 7:50PM

    fandad1960  said...

    I decline

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  • Nov 1st 2012 7:57PM

    mattfan12059  said...

    Spam

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  • Nov 1st 2012 3:19PM

    100003527832392  said...

    At least Dutch gave solid reasons for not liking it. Do you have any reasons for liking it? Just curious.

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  • Nov 1st 2012 6:47PM

    1538134103  said...

    Tons. I think Andrew Garfield tapped into the well-meaning but put-upon Peter Parker that I grew up reading about in the comics. The hero who tried so hard to do right, but often paid a very steep price for his heroism. I thought Marc Webb added some excellent comic pieces, with Peter discovering his powers. Also, Garfield was sarcastically funny ... something I thought the Raimi movies neglected. Spidey's best defense mechanism was his sense of humor, and I thought Webb and Garfield nailed that. Sally Field was a tremendously sympathetic Aunt May. The action scenes was the best I've seen in any Spider-Man movie (with the fight in the high school -- and thre HILARIOUS Stan Lee cameo -- ranking as my fave action scene in a Spidey movie).

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  • Nov 1st 2012 6:49PM

    1538134103  said...

    But most of all, Brian, I thought Webb's movie had heart. Lots of it. The scene in the warehouse, where Peter is perfecting his skills, was beautiful. Peter and Gwen's first kiss was romantic. And that same heart broke when Peter had to isolate Gwen to keep his promise to Capt. Stacey. As a lifelong Spidey fan, this was the movie I was waiting for, and I'm anxious to see what Webb can do for the sequel.

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  • Nov 1st 2012 8:01PM

    fandad1960  said...

    I agree

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  • Nov 1st 2012 2:48PM

    dutch_engstrom  said...

    "I’ve been a vocal cheerleader for Webb’s vision of Marvel’s beloved Web-head." Why? That movie was such a mess. Uncle Ben gets killed across the street from Peter Parker? The gun was accidentally dropped, neutering the whole point of "standing up to evil"? Every good scene between the 2 leads seemed improv'd, not scripted. Denis Leary was the best part of the film, the Lizard was a mess and his motivation made no sense (turning everyone into lizard people? really?). The most memorable image of the film (Emma hiding in the closet as the Lizard gets her) was lifted straight from "Halloween." Jamie Foxx is a terrible idea. This thing is gonna be even worse - wow, what a headache.

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  • Nov 1st 2012 2:51PM

    1538134103  said...

    I thought the movie worked really well. I prefer Webb's version to the Raimi films. Truthfully, it's not even close. Sorry we disagree.

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  • Nov 1st 2012 3:28PM

    mattfan12059  said...

    It does try to reach out to be more like the comics, but it doesn't feel like Spider-Man to me. The movies are supposed to be a fun, action movie like The Avengers or any other Marvel Cinematic Universe films but this one was quite dark. Its not horrible, but I also felt like its not the way Spider-Man is supposed to be. I hope the sequel will be better.

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  • Nov 1st 2012 4:08PM

    fandad1960  said...

    I hope so too matt

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  • Nov 1st 2012 4:14PM

    mattfan12059  said...

    Yep, by the way one more day until Wreck It Ralph!

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  • Nov 1st 2012 4:15PM

    fandad1960  said...

    and 3 more till i see the movie and 85 percent on Rotten tomatoes

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