Ted Milfi, Jared Hess, Jason Moore, Jonathon Levine, John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein

Avengers: Age of Ultron has grossed over $643.5 million worldwide and is breaking records left and right. Because of that success, Marvel is fast-tracking their upcoming Spider-Man reboot and Deadline reports that Marvel and Sony are planning to make a decision on a director by the middle of this month. They also reported on the rumored short-list of directors for what they’re describing as a coming-of-age movie that combines “John Hughes humor and emotion” with “all the superhero stuff”.

“Ol’ Webhead” has appeared in five movies so far and rebooted once before, but with Sony giving permission for Spider-Man to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe he’s expected to show up in Captain America: Civil War next year and his own solo film in 2017.

Some have complained that none of the of directors are action directors, but The Amazing Spider-Man 2 proved that a good Spider-Man movie isn’t all about action. The weakest part of the last film was the under-developed characters. Also, the best Spider-Man comics focused on his relationships and the challenge being an awkward teenager and a superhero.

While it would have been awesome to see Miles Morales on the big screen we’re still excited to see Spider-Man again.

Jonathan Levine 

Jonathan A. Levine

38-year old Jonathan A. Levine is both an American film director and screenwriter. Levine won an Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for his coming-of-age comedy film The Wackness set in the 1990s. He directed the 2011 film 50/50 and the 2013 zombie romance film Warm Bodies.

Why it works

Spider-Man is from New York City and Levine perfectly reflected the look of the city in The Wackness. While the movie Warm Bodies was not well-received it was a box office hit and managed to make a touching Romeo and Juliet love story out of a quirky premise. Spider-Man movies have always focused on the love story between Mary Jane (or Gwen Stacy) and Peter Parker. If Levine can make zombies romantic, then he can make a teenage superhero love story.

Theodore “Ted” Melfi

Theodore Melfi

 Ted Melfi is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his big screen debut film St. Vincent. Melfi’s screenplay was listed as one of the best unproduced scripts of 2011. It tells the story of a surly old alcoholic who becomes a reluctant surrogate father to a pre-teen in Brooklyn. Melfi’s first spec commercial for MTV won Silver at the London Advertising Awards and got him nominated among the Best New Directors at the Cannes Film Festival’s Ad Festival and Top 15 New Directors at the Clio Awards. 

Why it Works

St Vincent was a story of honest humanity and finding the good in everyone, which perfectly reflects the journey Peter Parker takes to become Spider-Man. While Melfi’s first theatrical film is far from a coming-of-age film, it does capture quirky relationships. Spider-Man films are all about quirky relationships. Think about his motheraunt relationship with Aunt May for example. Scripts for Marvel films usually take a lot of tinkering and Melfi is capable of writing the script or reworking the script to match his sensibilities. Plus, he’s from Brooklyn and knows the city inside and out.

Jason Moore

Jason Moore

44-year old Jason Moore started out as a Broadway director and was nominated for a Tony Award in 2004. He also worked on television, directing episodes of American teen dramas like Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, Everwood, and Brothers & Sisters. Moore made his film directorial debut with Pitch Perfect in 2012 and is working on the estranged sister comedy Sisters (previously known as The Nest) coming out this year and an upcoming Live Action Archie movie.

Why it Works

Moore knows teens and that’s what made him successful as a director on Broadway, television and movies. Since Marvel is focusing on Peter Parker as a teen film, he has what it takes. Plus, he’s a huge fan of director John Hughes and put a bunch of homages to the director’s work in Pitch Perfect. If the studio is looking for “John Hughes humor and emotion” then he’s the right guy.

Jared Hess 

Jared Hess

Jared Lawrence Hess is 35-years old and has mainly worked with his wife Jerusha Hess on films like Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Nacho Libre (2006) and Gentlemen Broncos (2009).

Why it works

His style helped redefine the teen-comedy genre and the “teenage dork”. Spider-Man is the quintessential lovable dork and that’s what he can capture. Plus, he’s able to squeeze every penny out of a big budget film and make it work.

John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein

John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein

 29-year old John Daley played high school freshman Sam Weir on the NBC comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks and FBI criminal profiler Dr. Lance Sweets on Bones. Daley began directing television shows before making short films starting in 2000. He and his writing partner 44-year old Jonathan Goldstein wrote the black comedy Horrible Bosses among other films. They also teamed up to direct The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

Why it Works

Weir played a small and skinny geek in Freaks and Geeks which is exactly where Peter Parker starts out. If the two can make laughs out of friends plotting to kill their bosses, they can make Spider-Man funny. Both Goldstein and Weir grew up in New York and understand the feel of the city which is like any other. So, while neither is known for directing Hollywood movies, the studios took a chance with Sam Raimi and he made one of the greatest superhero movies of all-time back in 2002. Anything is possible.

What do you think of the possible directors for Spider-Man? Which would you prefer? Who would you cast as director of the next Spider-Man movie?

Via /Film

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