WTF: Spider-Man 4 Gone For Good
2009 saw Hollywood’s rumor mill really do a number on Spiderman 4 (no pun intended), with headline after headline flooding just about every major entertainment website. After 2007′s Schumacheriffic threequel, the wheels had begun to fall off the Spiderman gravy train. Still, a fourth film was always a priority for Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios.
The word was Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire, and Kirsten Dunst — all key players of the successful franchise — had agreed to another outing after much jostling and hefty payouts. This was certainly not for the lack of other projects; Sam Raimi, for instance, had plenty of work lined up, including adapting the “World of Warcraft” game into a movie.
And so, Sony confidently set a May 2011 release date for the project. The only thing that couldn’t be nailed down was a script .How would the filmmakers restore audiences’ good will after the abomination that was Spiderman 3?
A number of A-list scribes were brought on board, including James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), Pulitzer winner David Lindsay-Albitaire, Gary Ross (Seabiscuit), and Alvin Sargent, writer of the last two films. Early on, Sony also considered filming Spiderman 4 and 5 back-to-back ala the Matrix sequels.
Every week, it appeared that rumors about the movie were multiplying faster than jack rabbits, but still there was no concrete script. Just last week, the waters started to grow stormy, when it was announced Spiderman would be pushed back anywhere from two months to a year.
Nobody, however, expected this big of a bombshell: not only is Spiderman 4 not happening, but the series will be completely rebooted with all new talent.
Said Sony Pictures cochair Amy Pascal: ”We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter’s roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios… on this new beginning.”
Sam Raimi also added that “working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime” and that he knows “they [Marvel] will do a terrific job.”
Is your head still spinning? Take a breather, then check back as we follow up on this story and what it means for the Spiderman franchise as a whole. In the meantime, here’s a reminder of what Spiderman 3 was like.
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