When Marc Webb was announced as the director of The Amazing Spider-Man, the long overdue reboot of a franchise left sadly rudderless since the first year of the Obama campaign, certain assumptions were made. That Webb just might have the perfect kicky-cool visual style — not to mention last name — to reinvigorate the most pop of popular superheroes. That a greater emphasis would be placed on the story’s sweet-natured romance between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, his doomed (in the comics at least) blonde love. That even if Spidey didn’t tussle with the Vulture he at least might dance with him to some early-eighties Yacht Rock in a totally non-ironic way.
Sorry, Dirk. Tom Cruise is now confirmed to play crime-fighting drifter Jack Reacher in One Shot, Paramount's adaptation of Lee Child's best-selling thriller, to be directed by Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie. Initial reports of Cruise's possible casting caused an uproar among fans of Child's books last month, since Racher is 6'5" tall and Cruise is only 5'7". Said the author at the time: "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way." Maybe his performance will be motion-captured. Grade: C+ [Deadline]
Game of Thrones' Sean Bean will play more royalty, this time the king in the family-friendlier, slightly less ridiculous-sounding one of the two competing upcoming Snow White movies. He'll be the dad to Snow White (Lily Cole) and husband to her Oscar-tarnishing apple-poisoning stepmom (Julia Roberts). Grade: B- [HR]
