Sony has announced that The Amazing Spider-Man 2, directed by Marc Webb, has officially entered the production phase and has released the film’s official synopsis. The studio also confirmed a couple of new casting additions, one of which we reported on just days ago. Hit the jump to check out the plot description and the two new casting additions.

Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Sally Field all return to reprise their respective roles. Jamie Foxx, Dane Dehaan, and Shailene Woodley will join them in the highly anticipated sequel. In addition to those three, Paul Giamatti, who is rumored to play The Rhino, has been confirmed. Colm Feore (Chronicles of Riddick and Thor) also joins the cast.

After The Amazing Spider-Man debuted, there was a little debate as to whether or not director Marc Webb would return to helm its sequel. Webb was contractually obligated to give Fox another feature film within the next few years, because they were the ones who had helped finance and distribute (500) Days of Summer.

However, it looks like he may have straightened a few things out with the studio as a Columbia Pictures press release reveals that Webb is set to direct The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The press release also confirmed that Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone would reprise their respective roles.

Just in time for the release of The Avengers across the country tonight at midnight comes the third and final trailer for Sony Pictures’ The Amazing Spider-Man.

You can watch it here below.

I must say, I really like this trailer. Obviously not everyone is going to be as impressed as I am, but history has taught us that if you try to please everyone you end up pleasing no one. After this trailer your mind will be made up. Personally I’m intrigued by the film’s story that explores the backstory of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and the mystery of what happened to his parents (Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz). I love how the filmmakers have embraced the science geek side of Peter, as well as his wiseass nature when he takes to the streets and skies of New York City to fight crime; the Sam Raimi trilogy seemed to mostly gloss over those aspects of the character. The police manhunt led by Captain Stacy (Denis Leary), the father of Peter’s girlfriend Gwen (Emma Stone), also plays an important role in the film.

We still have a little under a year before Marc Webb‘s reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, titled The Amazing Spider-Man, arrives in theaters on July 3, 2012, but plans on the sequel are well underway.

If you’ll recall, it was announced back in March that screenwriter James Vanderbilt was already fast at work on the script for the sequel, and now Sony and Columbia Pictures have laid claim to the May 2, 2014 calendar spot to unveil their follow–up effort, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

After a poor quality copy leaked online several days ago, and with the San Diego Comic-Con gearing up this week, Columbia Pictures decided to release the first official teaser trailer for their major 2012 summer release The Amazing Spider-Man.

The past week has seen the movie getting a lot of exposure after going into production late last year, and in addition to the new trailer, the new issue of Entertainment Weekly devoted the cover and lead story of its new Comic-Con-themed issue to the Marc Webb-directed reboot.

You can watch the much clearer version of the teaser trailer for The Amazing Spider–Man here below.