Getty Images

Last summer's superhero reboot "The Amazing Spider-Man" was pretty cool, mostly because of the chemistry between stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, but as much as we love The Lizard, the action scenes were just kind of ho-hum. You know, fighting a big gekko is cool and everything, but we like our Spider-Men to be in a little more danger.

Well, someone at Sony apparently fells the same way, because according to Heat Vision, Oscar winner Chris Cooper has just signed on to play the sinister Norman Osborn in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

Look out, Spidey, the Green Goblin is back!

Or, at least, he might be back. All we know for sure at this point is that Cooper will be playing the Green Golbin's less goblinly alter ego, who is kind of like the anti-Tony Stark: He's a billionaire inventor, but instead of being a playboy philanthropist, he does sometimes flies around on a creepy hoverboard tossing exploding pumpkins at people.

But he may or may not actually be doing that in this film. After all, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" already has fellow Oscar winner Jamie Foxx playing the supervillain Electro as well as Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti as the hulking Rhino. So this may be a case of setting things up for the third movie.

Either way, we're excited to see what Cooper does with the character so adpetly portrayed by Willem Dafoe in the original "Spider-Man" trilogy. And hey, one word of caution to Emma Stone: Watch your back out there, lady.

Because things we hear the Green Goblin has a thing for blondes.

When Sam Raimi held the reins of the "Spider-Man" franchise he basically kept the webslinger's costume consistent, that black gooey alien Symbiote suit notwithstanding.

Of course, any Batman or Iron Man fan will tell you a character's suit usually changes somewhat from movie to movie depending on the whims of the toy company machine. Hence, reboot director Marc Webb has given ComingSoon the first glimpse of Spidey's new duds from "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

We're relieved about the lack of bat nipples, and the main difference seems to be those big ol' saucer-like eyes on Andrew Garfield. This is very similar to Mark Bagley's Ultimate Universe Spider-Man, although that look really kicked-off with Erik Larsen following up on Todd McFarlane's heels in the early '90s. Comic book geekery forever!

Webb also states that there are various color and texture changes on the suit, but no one could argue that it's Spider-Man doing whatever a spider does.

Columbia Pictures

Director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy was one of the most popular and lucrative series in film history, so it's safe to say that they hold a special place in the director's heart. And that's just compounded by the fact that he didn't actually want to quit the series. So needless to say, his feelings about last year's franchise reboot, "The Amazing Spider-Man," are... complex.

Complex enough that Raimi refuses to even watch it.

That's what Raimi told The Huffington Post yesterday, explaining that the wounds are still too raw. Raimi, you see, was hard at work on "Spider-Man 4" when he decided he just couldn't get the film done in time for Sony's 2011 deadline. So he reluctantly turned the project over to director Marc Webb, who retooled and rebooted the whole thing, delivering an international box office smash. It was a Hollywood ending — for everyone but Raimi.

"Well, I'm a big Marc Webb fan and a giant fan of Emma Stone. And of Andrew Garfield," Raimi said. "And I love the producers of that movie because they are dear friends, and the writer. But, I haven't had the guts to go see the movie yet. Because I don't want to go to my girlfriend's wedding. I just can't bring myself to do it. I don't have the guts. But, I hear it's great. My wife even loved the picture and said it was a wonderful, excellently produced, beautifully acted, brilliantly written Spider-Man picture. She'd tell me the truth and that's what she said."

Not that Raimi is bitter about it (unlike, say, James Franco, who trashed the film last month).

"I think I handed the torch to Marc and I hear that he ran with it and succeeded and made a brilliant picture," Raimi said. "I'm happy for him and all the team. And I only wish him the best and I salute them because it's a tough job, too. And obviously he's pleased the fans -- so, I'm proud for him. I'm happy for my friends on the picture."

Now that's how you handle a painful break-up with class.

Mark Webb Twitter

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but when that picture is a photo of the new Harry Osborn in the upcoming superhero blockbuster 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2," it's more accurate that a picture is worth about 10,000 re-tweets.

So are you ready to meet the once and future Green Goblin?

That charming young fellow, it turns out, will be played by Dane DeHaan, who is probably best known to audiences for his role in the surprise hit "Chronicle" earlier this year. He also had parts in period pieces "Lawless" and "Lincoln" this fall, making 2012 a pretty darn good year for people named Dane DeHaan.

Of course, it helps that DeHaan is an absolute dead ringer for a "Titanic"-era Leonardo DiCaprio (seriously, check out the photo director Marc Webb tweeted to announce the casting decision), which should help fans forget heartthrob James Franco, who memorably played Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy last decade.

So will DeHaan's Osborn follow Franco's path to the dark side and become Spidey's arch-enemy the Green Goblin in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2?" It's too early to say, but one thing is for sure: One look at this photo and your Spidey sense isn't the only thing that will be tingling. Let the re-tweeting commence.

Sony

Look out! Here comes the "Spider-Man" sequel.

The (rebooted) story of Peter Parker is finally set to continue, as star Andrew Garfield and director Marc Webb have officially signed on for the sequel to "The Amazing Spider-Man," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

There was little doubt that Garfield would be returning to the role of the wall-crawler, but there seemed to be a possible snafu in Webb returning to the director's chair for a little while. That seems to have all been worked out, much to the relief of Sony Pictures (and, no doubt, fans of the director's unobtrusive yet surefooted approach to retelling an origin story that's been told a dozen times before).

“We could not be more confident in the direction we are taking this new Spider-Man storyline, and we are tremendously excited to be ramping up production again with Marc at the helm and Andrew continuing on as Peter Parker," Columbia president Doug Belgrad said. "We can’t wait to share what we have in store for Peter and Spider-Man with audiences worldwide.”

Emma Stone is currently in negotiations to reprise her role as Gwen Stacy, though there's no doubt in our minds that she'll be signing on the dotted line. We've got to see if her Gwen is headed for the same tragic fate as her comic book counterpart.

So, let the speculations begin! Who will be our villain(s) this time around? We wouldn't be surprised if the Green Goblin made an appearance (Norman Osborn was mentioned more than once in "The Amazing Spider-Man"), though our money's also on a bad guy that never appeared in the Sam Raimi movies. Rhino? Vulture? Or, perhaps best of all ... Mysterio? As long as it's not Man-Wolf, we'll be happy with whoever it is.

How about the title? "The Spectacular Spider-Man" seems to be a likely candidate. "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" might be a little too goofy. "Ultimate Spider-Man" they'll probably want to save for the very last outing.

What do you think?

The sequel to "The Amazing Spider-Man" will commence with production early next year with a look toward a release date of May 2, 2014 (take that, Marvel Films!).

Columbia Pictures

Usually when a big Hollywood studio has to decide whether or not to give the greenlight to a potential sequel, it can be a long and arduous process. First they have to consider box office recipts and weigh them against production and marketing costs. Then they need to factor in ancillary revenue streams like merchandise and Blu-ray sales. And even if the money part works out, then they still have to check their upcoming slate of projects to see if it fits in. It can take a long time.

Unless, of course, the film in question is "The Amazing Spider-Man," which according to Total Film did so well at the box office yesterday that Sony has already officially decided to make not one but two sequels.

Are we sure they didn't confuse Spider-Man with The Flash?

Of course, considering the massive success of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy last decade (nearly $2.5 billion worldwide), Sony no doubt had put some thought into this one already. But even the most slap-happy execs couldn't have banked on "The Amazing Spider-Man" earning $35 million in its first day to smash the record for the biggest Tuesday release ever.

And that has Sony thinking trilogy.

"'The Amazing Spider-Man' is the first installment in a movie trilogy that will explore how our fave hero's journey was shaped by the disappearance of his parents," Sony announced on its Facebook page.

Of course, there are still some minor details to work out, such as the fact that director Marc Webb isn't yet under contract for "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." But with stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone all wrapped up and "The Amazing Spider-Man" headed towards a $150 million opening week, it looks like your neighborhood is going to stay friendly for years to come.

Check out more 'Amazing Spider-Man' in our gallery:

View Gallery »

Columbia Pictures

Spider-Man: He does whatever a spider can, including spinning a web any size and catching thieves just like flies. It's a scientific fact.

But will the new "Spider-Man" relaunch, starring fresh-faced newbie Andrew Garfield, catch movie fans like flies? To find out, we've crunched the numbers and pored over all the latest reports -- and now we're ready to bring you all the buzz there is to know about next summer's epic blockbuster, "The Amazing Spider-Man."

Release Date: July 3, 2012

Star Power: Garfield has some momentum thanks to "The Social Network," but the biggest names are in his supporting cast, with Hollywood icons Martin Sheen and Sally Field playing Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Meanwhile, the always incredible Emma Stone plays Spidey's love interest Gwen Stacy, with Denis Leary playing her dad (!) police captain George Stacy. In other words, the casting director is a genius.

Next Factor: This is the chance of a lifetime for Garfield. Sure, he already earned a Golden Globe nomination for "The Social Network," so there's no doubt he's going to have a long and productive career in the movies. But "Amazing Spider-Man" has the potential to make him a household name and an A-list superstar. It doesn't get any bigger than this.

Columbia Pictures

Behind the Camera: Marc Webb doesn't have quite the same filmography as "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi did, but even though he's only made one previous feature film, it was a doozy: "(500) Days of Summer" earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical last year and earned Webb a seat at the big table. Whether or not he brings his indie sensibilities to the relationship between Peter and Gwen could determine the tone of the film.

Movie Math: "Brick" ÷ "Batman Begins" x "Arachnophobia" = "The Amazing Spider-Man"

Backstory: The original "Spider-Man" trilogy from Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire was one of the most popular film franchises of the last decade, earning nearly $2.5 billion worldwide. So when those two called it quits, Sony decided it would really rather not lose untold billions in future profits and instead relaunched the series with a new director and lead actor. Will fans buy into it? That's the billion-dollar question.

In a Nutshell: Sony isn't tipping its hand too much in terms of the plot, but there are some things we know. Peter Parker is, as always, a geeky high school kid who gets bitten by a radioactive spider. It can be assumed that at some point, Uncle Ben dies, leading Pete to become Spider-Man. And we know that Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), better known by his sinister alter ego The Lizard, is the bad guy. So an origin story mixed in with an awkward teen romance and an attack by a sub-human supervillain? Hey, being Spider-Man is no walk in the park.

View Gallery »

Why We're Psyched: "(500) Days of Summer" is a beloved favorite. Emma Stone is one of our favorite actresses alive. And we still wear our Spider-Man Underoos to work. Add all three of those things together and you get the formula for both a potential restraining order as well as one of the most exciting blockbusters in recent memory. Can Webb reimagine "Spider-Man" as successfully as Christopher Nolan reimagined "Batman"? We think -- and hope -- the answer is a resounding yes.