 Days after announcing Raimi 's departure , the studio announced that Webb , whose previous film ( 500 ) Days of Summer was his directorial debut , would direct the reboot . Tolmach , now president of Columbia Pictures and Amy Pascal , co @-@ chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment , said they looked for a director who could give sharp focus to Parker 's life . Webb said he " was a little sceptical at first — you feel the presence of those other movies . But then I was like , ' How could I walk away from this ? What an opportunity ! ' " Webb said in the press release announcing him that , " Sam Raimi 's virtuoso rendering of Spider @-@ Man is a humbling precedent to follow and build upon . The first three films are beloved for good reason . But I think the Spider @-@ Man mythology transcends not only generations but directors as well . I am signing on not to ' take over ' from Sam . That would be impossible . Not to mention arrogant . I 'm here because there 's an opportunity for ideas , stories , and histories that will add a new dimension , canvas , and creative voice to Spider @-@ Man . " Webb felt Spider @-@ Man is different from the Harry Potter franchise , which is based on a few novels and " more like James Bond " because " there 's so much material in Spider @-@ Man that there are so many stories to tell and so many characters . " He described the film as " not a remake " explaining that " we 're not making Sam 's movie again . It 's a different universe and a different story with different characters . " 
