There’s been some Amazing Spider-Man 2 talk over recent weeks, so what has been said and what direction is a sequel likely to go in?

The Amazing Spider-Man is on track for a $140 million six-day start, which is slightly down from Raimi’s Spider-Man movies, but still very impressive. Good reviews and audience feedback suggest a healthy run. I enjoyed the film a lot.

Development on the next chapter is well underway, with the duo behind Transformers recently brought in to rewrite the already-completed first draft. And Sony have announced the release date – May 2, 2014.

While both stars are firmly on board for The Amazing Spider-Man sequel, the director, Marc Webb, doesn’t sound especially keen to return. “Well, I don’t know if I want to do it, but I love the process. It’s like asking a woman who’s just given birth if she wants to get pregnant again. I need to nurse the baby for a little while.” But jumping straight back in is what would be required to make the release date, so don’t be surprised if he exits.

What does the plot have in store? *** MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD *** The Amazing Spider-Man does much to set up The Green Goblin at the sequel villain. It’s mentioned that he’s dying, and is pulling the strings at Oscorp. In the end credits scene a sinister man visits the Lizard in his cell to ask if Peter has been told the truth about his father. All signs are that this is the Green Goblin. (Or, possibly, Mysterio since he manages to disappear implausibly from the room.) No one has been cast in the role yet, so for the moment it’s a stand-in actor whose face is kept in shadow.

And there’s another Goblin villain set-up in the first movie, Rajit Ratha (Irrfan Khan) who played Connors’ villainous boss. When the actor was cast it was revealed, somewhat accidentally, that he would be playing the Proto-Goblin. The ‘Prototype-Goblin’ in the comics is a man used as a test subject by Norman Osborn before he became the Green Goblin. This fits perfectly with the direction of the story.

Most significantly, and most famously, Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone) is killed by the Green Goblin in the comics, leading Parker to the arms of Mary Jane. It’s such a key early event in Parker’s life that it is to be expected in the next movie. Especially since they refused to keep Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) alive because it would have been “a violation of the canon”, according to Webb. They’ve already covered the death of Gwen’s father which precedes Gwen’s demise in the comics. Indeed if you know her death is coming then it gives the last ten minutes of The Amazing Spider-Man a lot more power – they are setting up this event and Peter has made the wrong decision. However the dilemma for producers is that they’ve cast someone too popular as Gwen. Emma Stone really connects with females and is perhaps the biggest box office draw for an actress of her age. They must be seriously tempted to delay this event until further down the line. The timing of the death will dictate whether Mary Jane shows up in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

What about the newspaper photography? J. Jonah Jameson was not in The Amazing Spider-Man, partly because J.K. Simmons was so strong in Raimi’s films. “He was such a bombastic character,” says Webb. “It would have been difficult.” But the character will be rebooted soon enough. “The Daily Bugle is a really important part of Peter Parker’s universe. That bridge will have to be crossed.”

And we haven’t heard the last about Peter’s parents. That search for answers will continue across a trilogy, according to producers.

If you want to experience a sequel right now, the videogame picks up where the movie left off and does a decent job of it. In their version, the animal-human genetics at Oscorp have led to the creation of Scorpion and Rhino, amongst others, and when they break loose Oscorp’s own cross-species eradication measures also target Spider-Man :

What would you like to see happen in an Amazing Spider-Man sequel? Should the Green Goblin be the main villain? Should Gwen Stacey live until the third movie? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Update (October 2102) – Mary Jane will be played by Shailene Woodley (The Descendants). The Hollywood Reporter says “the role is very small in Amazing Spider-Man 2 but blossoms into an integral lead for the planned third movie as the studio seeks to build to the classic ‘Death of Gwen Stacy’ story.”

Update (November 2102) – Jamie Foxx is set to play villain Electro in the sequel. While it’s an unexpected choice, it was subtly hinted at by the lightning in the end credits scene.

Source: Huffington Post