Given the fact that Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man banked a whopping $751 million bat the global box office, it would have been an insult not to have the director return to this rebooted franchise and take the next steps with everyone’s favorite wall-crawler. 

 

Crisis averted. 

 

Webb has signed on to direct The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony Pictures has confirmed in a press release. Andrew Garfield will reprise the role of Peter Parker and his masked crime-fighting alter ego, Spider-Man. At the moment, Emma Stone is “in talks” to reprise her role as Peter’s love interest, Gwen Stacy, but given the amount of praise generated by the duo’s chemistry in the first Spider-Man film, consider this a formality that will be resolved shortly. 

 

That’s because Webb needs to get shooting, so to speak. Sony already has circled May 2, 2014 as the release date for the as-yet-untitled sequel. And now the speculation can begin. Who will be Spidey’s main adversary? Will Norman Osborne surface as the Green Goblin? And if so, does that mean Gwen’s life is in danger? 

 

Webb certainly hinted at the promise of tragedy in the closing scenes of his The Amazing Spider-Man. And Stone told several reporters that she signed on to the role knowing that Stacy dies at the hands of the Goblin in the Marvel comic books. It’s such an iconic moment, the filmmakers need to address it. But will it be in the second chapter, or will they hold out hope for a trilogy and walk down that difficult road then?

 

These are the questions facing Webb and his screenwriters: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner. Either way, I’m thrilled that Webb is being given the chance to continue his journey with Garfield and Spider-Man. What about you? Are you happy Webb is back? And where do you hope they go with a sequel?

 

Follow along on Twitter @Sean_OConnell and @Fandango.