Webb and Andrew Garfield

For three films, Sam Raimi stuck to a distinct vision for hisSpider-Man trilogy and there wasn’t a new man behind the camera until Sony decided to pull the reboot card, eventually becoming The Amazing Spider-Man as Marc Webb took the reigns. With a great box office and reception from critics & fans, Sony is still very much on track to deliver a sequel in less than two years already for the hit superhero. However now, it seems that Webb’s past could be catching up with him and his major breakout feature may just cost him the web slinger’s second adventure.

THR interviewed the head of Columbia Pictures Douglas Belgrad, and when asked whether or not Webb would return for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 he said ”We’d really like him back, but there are obstacles. He has an obligation to Fox. [Webb owes Fox a post-(500) Days of Summer film.]” What this means is that while Webb would likely return for a sequel, Fox holds the power to ultimately say whether or not he could make another $500 million for a rival studio.

Obviously some kind of deal could be reached, but as of right now Webb’s only concern is relaxing after the long process of bringing Spider-Man to the big screen. Does he have something in the works for Fox? That’s hard to say as of this moment, and hypothetically he could simply attach himself for a film to shoot sometime this winter in order to free up an April/May production start for Spidey 2. But it sounds like what Fox wants is an original project, and with the Spider-Man sequel creeping up it sounds as if he doesn’t have the time.

Then again, is this necessarily a bad thing if Webb gets cut? Granted audiences absolutely loved the new director’s take on the hero, but there has been quite the rocky road for the indie director turned box office phenom in post-production for the now-hit film. While it’s no secret that some major plotlines were cut in post-production, especially regarding Peter’s parents, there have been reports that Webb’s inexperience in special effects led to a frustrating process that perhaps a more seasoned veteran could have a better time with. Now that Webb has shown what this new trilogy could be, a new director could in fact run with it in a more successful manner.

Currently set for a release on May 2nd 2014, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was drafted by original writer James Vanderbilt and re-written by Star Trek scribes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. We’ll keep you updated on the director situation as it develops.

What do you think? Is this just a minor bump in the road,or will Webb not return due to Fox?