The Amazing Spider-Man is a 2012 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Directed by Marc Webb and written by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, and Steve Kloves from a story by Vanderbilt, it is a reboot of the Spider-Man film series. It stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field. The plot of the film follows the teenager Peter Parker (Garfield) who gains spider-like abilities and fights crime as Spider-Man, while also attempting to live an ordinary life.
Development of the film began in 2010 following the cancellation of Spider-Man 4, which would have been the fourth film in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man series starring Tobey Maguire. Columbia Pictures opted to reboot the franchise with the same production team, with Vanderbilt staying on to write, and Sargent and Kloves assisting with the script. Using the RED Epic camera, principal photography occurred in Los Angeles and New York City between December 2010 and May 2011. 3ality Technica provided 3D image processing, while Sony Pictures Imageworks handled CGI effects. It was the last film written by Sargent before his death in 2019.
Sony Pictures Entertainment promoted the film with a viral marketing campaign and tie-ins including a video game by Beenox and Activision. The Amazing Spider-Man premiered in Tokyo on June 13, 2012, and was released in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D, and 4DX formats in the United States on July 3 by Sony Pictures Releasing through its Columbia Pictures label. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $758.7 million worldwide, making it the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2012. A sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, was released in 2014. In 2021, Garfield and Ifans reprised their roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home, which explored the concept of the multiverse and linked the Spider-Man series directed by Jon Watts to the films directed by Webb and Raimi.
Plot
After discovering that his home office has been burglarized, scientist Richard Parker and his wife Mary flee to an unknown destination, leaving their young son Peter in the care of his Aunt May and Uncle Ben.
Years later, a teenage Peter attends Midtown Science High School in New York City. He is intelligent, but socially awkward and often bullied. He has a crush on Gwen Stacy, who returns his feelings. Peter discovers his father's briefcase and learns from Ben that his father was a friend of Dr. Curt Connors, a scientist at Oscorp in the field of cross-species genetics. Hoping to learn about his father's work, Peter sneaks into a restricted laboratory at Oscorp, where a genetically modified spider bites him. He develops spider-like abilities, including superhuman strength, agility, speed, and the ability to cling to surfaces.
Connors, whose right arm has been amputated, is conducting experiments to regenerate limbs. Peter discovers the missing piece to Connors' research, the "decay rate algorithm", in his father's papers. Peter visits Connors, reveals that he is Richard's son, and gives Connors the algorithm. At home, Peter and Ben argue, and Peter leaves. While searching for Peter, Ben is killed by a thief. Under the alias Spider-Man, Peter uses his new abilities to track down criminals matching the killer's description. He creates a mask with yellow-tinted glasses and a spandex suit to hide his identity, and builds mechanical web-shooters using a web formula developed by Oscorp. At dinner with Gwen's family, he discovers her father is police captain George Stacy, who holds a grudge against Spider-Man. After arguing with Captain Stacy, Peter reveals his double identity to Gwen, and they kiss.
Connors' superior, Rajit Ratha, demands that Connors begin human trials with his formula to regrow limbs using lizard DNA. Connors refuses to rush into testing, as it could put innocent people at risk. Ratha fires Connors and decides to test the serum at a Veterans Administration hospital. Desperate, Connors tries the formula on himself, passes out, and awakens to find that his missing arm has regenerated. While trying to intercept Ratha on the Williamsburg Bridge, Connors turns into a humanoid reptilian monster and begins a violent rampage; Peter arrives and saves people from Connors' attacks. Unable to piece together a narrative for the incident, the police issue a city-wide manhunt for both the Lizard and Spider-Man.
Connors discovers that Peter is Spider-Man and attacks him at school. Peter pursues Connors into the underground sewer system, where he finds a makeshift lab. He realizes that Connors is planning to release a biochemical agent from Oscorp Tower, which will turn everyone in the city into reptilian hybrids like himself. As Peter tries to stop Connors, the police corner him, and Captain Stacy discovers his double identity. Stacy lets Peter go after Connors, while Gwen creates an antidote for Connors' chemical agent. While Stacy occupies Connors in battle, Peter disperses the antidote into the city, curing Connors and his victims. Dying from wounds inflicted by Connors, Stacy asks Peter to stay away from Gwen to keep her safe. Peter tries to honor this request, but realizes both he and Gwen are unhappy, and he hints to her that he may not keep his promise.
Cast Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man: A highly intelligent and introverted teenager who develops spider-like abilities after being bitten by a genetically-modified spider. Max Charles plays a young Peter Parker. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy: Peter's high school classmate and his love interest. She is an intern at Oscorp. Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors / Lizard: A leading scientist at Oscorp who attempts to engineer a serum to regrow human limbs. After testing the serum on himself, he transforms into a large reptilian monster. Denis Leary as George Stacy: A police captain and Gwen's father. He distrusts Spider-Man and seeks to apprehend both him and the Lizard. Campbell Scott as Richard Parker: Peter's father. He is a former Oscorp scientist who intentionally disappeared with his wife for unknown reasons. Irrfan Khan as Rajit Ratha: An Oscorp executive and Connors' immediate superior. Martin Sheen as Ben Parker: Peter's uncle and Richard's brother. Sally Field as May Parker: Ben's wife and Peter's aunt. Embeth Davidtz as Mary Parker: Peter's mother. Chris Zylka as Flash Thompson: A bully at Peter's school.
Leif Gantvoort plays the burglar who shoots Uncle Ben, and Michael Barra plays T-Bone, the store clerk. Tom Waite plays Nicky, a thug whom Peter mistakes for his uncle's killer. Hannah Marks portrays Missy Kallenback, a shy girl who has a crush on Peter, while Kelsey Chow appears as Hot Girl. C. Thomas Howell plays the father of a boy rescued by Spider-Man, while Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee has a cameo appearance as a school librarian. Michael Massee plays the mysterious man who talks with Connors in his prison cell in a brief scene during the end credits. Michael Papajohn, who appeared as the burglar Dennis Carradine in Spider-Man (2002), has a cameo as Alfred, Dr. Ratha's limo driver. Papajohn asked to reprise the role of the burglar in The Amazing Spider-Man, but the part was given to Gantvoort. Kari Coleman portrays Gwen's mother Helen Stacy, while Charlie DePew, Skyler Gisondo and Jacob Rodier play Gwen's brothers Philip, Howard, and Simon respectively.
Production
Development
Following the release of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 (2007), Sony Pictures Entertainment announced a May 6, 2011 release date for the next film in the series. By this time, James Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire and Gary Ross had written several screenplays for the film, which were rejected by Raimi. Alvin Sargent, who co-wrote Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, was working on yet another script. On January 11, 2010, Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced that instead of continuing the Raimi series, they were rebooting the series with a new cast and crew. Deadline Hollywood reported that Raimi had pulled out of the project, and the studio did not want to continue the series without him. Additionally, Avi Arad felt that the writers had not produced a story of sufficient quality to warrant a continuation of the Raimi series. Arad, Matt Tolmach and Laura Ziskin were retained as producers for the upcoming reboot. Includes separate full text of Columbia / Marvel Studios press release. According to Tolmach, the producers felt the core story of Spider-Man was that of a boy becoming a man, which could be depicted again in the reboot.
Tolmach, now president of Columbia Pictures, and Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, sought a director who could give sharp focus to Peter Parker's life. Kathryn Bigelow and David Fincher were considered for the job before Marc Webb was selected. Webb had recently made his directorial debut with 500 Days of Summer (2009). Webb praised Raimi's version of the Spider-Man character and said it was a challenging precedent to follow. He did not want to tell another story with Raimi's version of the character, but instead wanted to present a new version of Spider-Man. He later said that the world of The Amazing Spider-Man was influenced by the Ultimate Spider-Man comic series, but was also dreamed up by the filmmakers. The finalized screenplay was written by Vanderbilt and Sargent, with contributions from Steve Kloves and Paul Feig.
Casting
Peter Parker / Spider-Man Before Andrew Garfield was cast as Spider-Man, other actors were considered for the role, including Michael Angarano, Drake Bell, Jamie Bell, Frank Dillane, Alden Ehrenreich, Josh Hutcherson, Aaron Johnson, Joe Jonas, Logan Lerman and Anton Yelchin. On July 1, 2010, it was announced that the role would go to Garfield, who said he calmed his anxiety about getting the part by pretending he was auditioning for a Spider-Man short film made by his friends. The film's director, Marc Webb, said that Garfield brought humor, emotional weight and physicality to the role. Garfield and Emma Stone were screen-tested together, and Webb said there was instant chemistry between them; they began dating while shooting the film.
Garfield described Peter as someone he can relate to, and said the character had been an important influence on him since he was a young boy. To prepare for the role, he studied the movements of both athletes and spiders, and incorporated spider-like movements into his performance of Peter, even when the character is not wearing his Spider-Man suit. Garfield practiced yoga and Pilates in order to be as flexible as possible. He said the physical training for the role was demanding and exhausting; he had three different stunt doubles during filming. Garfield admitted to shedding a tear when he first wore the Spider-Man costume, and that he tried to imagine a "better" actor in the suit, because seeing himself as Spider-Man did not make sense to him. He said the suit was uncomfortable and that he was not allowed to wear anything underneath except underwear, because it was skintight.