The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the upcoming American 2018 superhero film directed by Marc Webb and written by Andrew Barrer and Ryan J. Johnson. The film is scheduled to be released on May 3, 2018 by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The story follows the title character, who returns home from a five-year absence to find everything changed. He finds his city transformed by urban planning and mega-corporations, and his friends and family have been replaced by robots and holograms. To save his city from corporate control and chaos, Spider-Man must decide if he will be a hero or a villain.
Synopsis
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 begins five years after the events of 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man. Spider-Man has been raising his child (with wife Mary Jane Watson) in the countryside, until the day he receives a visit from his former teacher Adrian Toomes (Alejandro Jodorowsky). The eccentric octogenarian gives Spider-Man a case file that threatens to unravel the entire hero’s (Peter Parker’s) personal life.
Toomes’ plan is to reveal that Spider-Man is in fact the great-grandson of Peter Parker — the original Spider-Man. Toomes claims that this revelation will cause a massive resurgence in interest in the webslinger’s legacy. In order to keep his identity secret, Spider-Man agrees to meet with Toomes and attend a party in New York City on April 29th — five years to the day that he first appeared in film.
Characters
The following is a list of the main characters in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The list includes both the protagonist and the supporting characters. The entries are listed in alphabetical order:
Peter Parker
The film’s protagonist and star, Peter Parker is played by actor Robert Pattinson. Since 2009, Pattinson has portrayed the famous journalist in both The Twilight Saga and the upcoming Snow White and the Huntsman. The Hollywood Reporter notes that the 56-year-old actor was initially hesitant to take on the role of Spider-Man, fearing a repetition of the curse that made it difficult for him to gain weight as an adult. Yet, after reading several drafts of the screenplay, Pattinson became attracted to the character of Spider-Man and decided to accept the part.
Pattinson trained for three months with a professional stuntman and worked closely with physical trainers to shape his body into the desired Spider-Man form. The actor was also aided by CGI technology that helped him to bulk up and fill out the bodysuit.
Mary Jane Watson
The film’s other lead protagonist is Mary Jane Watson, portrayed by actress Rachel McAdams. McAdams is best known for her work in the romantic comedies Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Notebook, for which she has received multiple award nominations. While filming The Amazing Spider-Man 2, McAdams learned to fly a helicopter and earned her pilot license.
Alicia Vikander, Claire Foy, and Kate Beckinsale were also considered for the role of Mary Jane Watson, but the producers decided to go with McAdams due to her chemistry with co-star Pattinson. The actress has stated that her portrayal of MJ is based on Annie Lennox, an older sister of the late musician Lennox. Lennox was raised by their mother, a former opera singer, after their father died when she was young. The late musician is best known for her work with The Rolling Stones and her contribution to the band’s 1974 album, Some Girls.
Adrian Toomes
The film’s antagonist is Adrian Toomes, portrayed by actor Paul Bettany. Bettany is perhaps best known for his role as J.A.R.V.I.S. in the 1999 Marvel Comics adaptation of The Iron Giant. Since then, he has appeared in numerous film and television projects. His characters typically possess advanced technology and advanced mathematics.
The actor underwent several weeks of intensive training for the role, including stunt work, martial arts, and magic. Toomes’ final battle with Spider-Man was choreographed by Justin Gatien and featured stuntmen from the United Kingdom. A source said that the fight sequences were “all pretty amazing.”
Harry Osborn
Harry Osborn is the son of Norman Osborn, the leader of the reclusive, multinational supervillain group, the Masters of Evil. Norman is described in the comics as a scientific genius who is almost exclusively interested in money and power. His son Harry is portrayed as an irresponsible playboy who is more interested in women and parties than in his family’s lucrative business.
Osborn first appeared in the comics in 1967 and has since become a prominent supporting character in both the Marvel and DC Comics universes. He made his live-action debut in the 2017 film, Brightburn, and reprised his role in the upcoming sequel, which is scheduled to be released in 2021.
Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn is the father of Harry Osborn and the film’s main antagonist. Portrayed by actor Tommy Lee Jones in the 2017 installment of the film franchise, The Wickerman, Osborn is a wealthy industrialist who inherited his business from his father and is the head of a reclusive, multinational supervillain group known as the Masters of Evil. The group’s interests range from biotechnology to military weaponry.
In the comics, Osborn began his career as an architect and designed the Baxter Building (the home of the Fantastic Four) alongside his lifelong friend, Dr. Miles Warren. He later founded a company that produced life-saving drugs and devices, which grew into a pharmaceutical empire that made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. Osborn is known for being one of the few people who have ever lived to be a hundred years old. His family has a tendency to live, work, and play in the shadows so as not to be overshadowed by the fame of their infamous relatives. Dr. Osborn is the only member of the family to have ever gotten married. His son, Harry, often acts as a stand-in for him in public appearances so that his father does not have to reveal the secret of his identity.
Jones gained 40 pounds for his role as Norman Osborn and had to wear a fat suit for much of the filming. The actor had to diet and exercise daily to maintain his shape as the character. When asked about the physical transformation required for the part, Jones replied:
“To be honest, I did a lot of research. I read a lot of biographies, saw a lot of interviews, looked at old photos, and spoke to a lot of people who knew the man. It took a lot of work to get there. It wasn’t easy, but it’s great when it all comes together and you feel like you can really step into the shoes of the character.”
Otto Octavius
Otto Octavius is an original, technologically-advanced villain who first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (June 1962). Although he does not appear in the comics until many years later, his appearance in the film series is largely considered to be a nod to that story’s main villain, the sinister Dr. Otto Mann. The character is named after Marvel Comics founder and editor-in-chief Stan Lee, who died in 2018.
Like Mann, Octavius is an alien who took a human form after being exposed to an atmosphere containing human DNA. As with Mann, the main purpose of Octavius’s agenda is to use his scientific knowledge and inventions to take over the world.
Lex Luther
Lex Luther is the main antagonist of the 2018 film adaptation of Marvel’s Death of Wolverine. The character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #117 (November 1974), alongside the final, mortal battle between Peter Parker and the original Wolverine. Since then, Luther has become a prominent supporting character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and gained a devoted following among fans of the comics.
Luther is a genius mechanical engineer who invented the particle accelerator, which he used to create a compound that gave him the ability to clone creatures and organisms. He also engineered numerous life-saving medical devices, which he sold to the highest bidder.
Luther holds a Swiss passport and is frequently seen wearing a watch designed in the shape of a snake’s head. It is unknown if any of his other interests, such as skiing or scuba diving, have led him to travel abroad.