With Raimi having hit the road and a sooner-than-you-think 2012 summer release date looming, Sony hasn’t wasted any time nabbing a new director for the money-shoveling franchise Spider-Man. Sony has confirmed a three picture deal Spider-Man deal with (500) Days of Summer (review here) director Marc “the new hotness” Webb. Marc Webb!?

Yes, Marc Webb.

Apparently, Columbia (owned by Sony) head honcho Amy Pascal wants to have Marc Webb’s cinematic baby and has had his name in her pocket for some time. He must be awesome as a small romcom for dudes doesn’t feel like it’s a go-to for the next major franchise director. But never mind that. Now it’s ON. Final script details will need to be pounded out with casting (with all kinds of wild rumors already circulating– Joseph Gordon Levitt as Peter Parker!!) soon to follow.

Personally, I’m feeling it. Webb is a safe and pretty solid choice. Safe in that he’s new and doesn’t have the leverage to ask for hefty percentages of the film’s gross profits (Raimi was going to receive a hefty percentage) and solid in that he brings a Gen Y sensibility with him. That sensibility has the potential to make this whole reboot an involving and fun time, continuing Raimi’s trend of character over spectacle. Webb’s action chops will certainly be tested here, but as much as the cost of this film has now been brought down (read more about it here) to a fiscal plane Sony’s got to be salivating over, that’s probably a non-issue.

Either way, it’ll be fun to see how this one develops.