Marc Webb talks The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and addresses the Jamie Foxx/Electro Rumors

Several days ago, a rumor came out that suggested that Sony/Marc Webb was eying actor Jamie Foxx for the role of Electro in the upcoming sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, which as of now is only titled The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (seriously, they could come up with a better name than that). While the Internet went rampant with this rumor, some even suggesting that Jamie Foxx had already gotten the role and it was simply a hush hush kinda thing.

Recently while speaking to Fandango about the upcoming Blu-ray/DVD release of The Amazing Spider-Man, Webb was finally asked about this recent rumor in the casting of his sequel.

“What?!” Webb replied when I asked him about the casting news. The director made it clear he was feigning ignorance, and followed up with a very political (yet calculatedly non-committal) answer.

“Look, Jamie Foxx is a genius actor, and I think he’s electrifying. That’s my standard quote right now,” Webb told me, with a laugh. “But I think he’s a brilliant actor. From his work back in In Living Color to Ray to what he did in Ali, he’s just one of the great character actors of our generation.”

I absolutely love his response. Unlike most directors who simply say they cannot comment, Marc Webb generally sounded surprised by the news.

Now before people start speculating that hes up to no good, I want to address this one tiny thing. If Jamie Foxx is indeed cast as Electro, all we are getting is a Marvel rip off of Black Lightning or Static Shock. Fans would tear this apart. Obviously it would be funny thing if it does turn out true, and I know fans all around would call shenanigans on this, but I really don’t hold much faith in the idea that Jamie Foxx is going to play Electro. Personally I think he would either pass on the project or the studios would pass on him due to his star status.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is set to hit theaters May 2nd, 2014.