I just published my interview with Sarah Silverman and talked about how strange a fit that seems to be at first, the gleefully filthy stand-up and the biggest family brand in the world, but it really works. She gives a lovely performance in the film. And it’s a nice reminder that it’s not wise to prejudge what someone can or can’t do as an actor.
When Jamie Foxx was cast in “Django Unchained,” I had a hard time picturing it. I think he’s a very modern presence and some people simply don’t strike me as period actors, as people we’d believe in certain other contexts. The early footage and trailers for “Django Unchained” make me think I was wrong in my knee-jerk reaction, and I am now fervently hoping he pulls it off and does something wonderful. He’s certainly got the right script and the right cast surrounding him.
And while I didn’t love “The Amazing Spider-Man,” I think the team that’s in place could easily improve from the first film to the second one. Raimi had a learning curve on his “Spider-Man” movies, so Webb could easily do the same thing. The success of a superhero movie, at least creatively, depends in large part on who they pick as the villain. And while Jamie Foxx isn’t the guy I would think of first as Electro, it sounds like that is the role he’s in negotiations to play.
Variety broke the story, and around noon PST today, Foxx tweeted the following:
“Dressed up as Electro for Halloween last night. Costume fits well.”
I’m happy to see it’s not going to just be villains we’ve already seen. This reboot so far hasn’t covered the same ground as Raimi, and as long as they can keep it that way, I think it makes things more exciting for fans. I’m not terribly interested in another Green Goblin at this point or another Doctor Octopus, but seeing The Lizard and Electro and Mysterio and whoever… that’s cool. That’s a new corner of Spider-Man’s world to explore, and it sounds interesting to me.
We’ll have more on the film and Foxx’s character, an criminal who is able to control electricity and wield it as a weapon, as details become available, but for now, this is an intriguing indication of where the film is heading.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is due in theaters May 2, 2014.