The Amazing Spider-Man Makes Paris Bow

Fans turned out in force Tuesday night for the Paris premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man. Cast members Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans joined director Marc Webb for the launch of Sony’s anticipated summer blockbuster that bows in France on July 4th.

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French fans braved a rainy night outside Paris movie theater Le Grand Rex as the film's talents arrived on the red carpet to fete the highly anticipated reboot of the Spider-Man franchise.

The Amazing Spiderman premiered in the UK at the Odeon Leicester Square on Monday, the first of nearly eight legs on a global publicity tour.

The team will next fly to Berlin, Madrid and Rome then NY and LA before the film is released in the U.S. on July 3rd. “We’re only here for a few hours so we’ll maybe get one good meal then we’ll be back on the plane again,” Webb said of the whirlwind European tour. The film’s producers — Matt Tolmach and Avi Arad — also joined Webb and the cast for the premiere.

“Once you find the actor, everything else is easy,” Tolmach said of casting Garfield as beloved comic book character. “We had a great story and a great director. The biggest challenge was finding our Peter Parker.

Garfield, who made a fashion statement at the premiere in a red Balenciaga suit, said he was happy to be rid of his “uncomfortable” Spiderman costume. “It’s a bit boring. All actors who play superheros always complain about it, but it’s true. It sucks.”

Ifans was also happy to be out of the gear and makeup that he says lasted “at most eight hours a day” to transform him into the film’s villain, The Lizard. Despite the time spent in the makeup chair, Ifans said of making the film: “Every day was awesome.”

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Stone, who plays Peter Parker’s love interest Gwen Stacy, turned heads at the premiere in a long, black sequined Gucci gown and graciously signed autographs for fans, often telling them “J’aime la France” (“I love France”).“It’s amazing. It’s my favorite city,” Stone told THR of her trip to the romantic Gallic capital.

“Gwen is universal in that she’s a girl falling in love for the first time and I think everyone can relate to that first story,” she said. The Spider-Man/Peter Parker character has strong universal appeal, according to Webb.

“There’s something innate in the Spider-Man character. If you’re loyal to the character then you’re loyal to the fan base that extends beyond the borders,” the director said. “Peter Parker is the most relatable comic book character. He’s not a billionaire, he’s not an alien, he’s this kid who has the same problems that we all do.”

Garfield agreed: “I relate to every aspect of Peter Parker,” he said, adding that he did feel pressure to live up to the iconic superhero. “Everyone loves him so much, including me, so I had a lot of empathy for the fans. You want to do the character justice, you want to do Stan Lee justice and you want to do the heart of the story and the character justice,” he said.

Despite being in the world capital of romance, Garfield and Stone walked the red carpet separately and were coy with local journalists who asked about their off-screen relationship. “There was a spontaneity and humor that came out when they were together that was very magical,” said Webb of the on-screen chemistry between his leading man and lady.

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The director added that the latest installment in the Spider-Man franchise is a more character-based than typical Hollywood superhero films.
Said Webb: “We all like a little bit more reality in our fantasy.”