Marc Webb Might Not Direct ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’

Earlier this year, The Hunger Games franchise lost director Gary Ross for the sequel due to too quick of a turnaround. Now, at least one exec at Columbia Pictures is unsure if The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb will be back to direct the already green-lit sequel.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Columbia Pictures President Doug Belgrad spoke about the prospect of Webb's return for The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

"We'd really like him back, but there are obstacles. He has an obligation to Fox."

The obligation Belgrad refers to is part of Webb's contract when he signed on to direct (500) Days of Summer. A clause must have comitted him to directing another film for them within so many years.

It's tough to imagine Webb would not be interested in returning and doing whatever it takes to make it work, but with the The Amazing Spider-Man 2 kicking off the summer in May 2014, it would need to start filming by next summer, and that wouldn't give Webb any time to work on another project for quite awhile.

In order to start pre-production, expect Webb or a new director to be in place by the fall. The script for the sequel has already been completed by original writer James Vanderbilt, and famed Transformers and Star Trek writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci were hired to do a rewrite back in April.

The Amazing Spider-Man has already grossed $534.8 million since opening on July 3, and the sequel has been set since last August to arrive May 2, 2014.