Spiderman 4 cancelled; series to get reboot

source: moviehole


When I spoke to Sam Raimi mid-last year for “Drag Me to Hell” he told me he’d signed on to direct the fourth installment of “Spider-Man” – but had some pretty crucial requests pre-commitment.

Raimi, who seemingly loathed “Spider-Man 3” (what with its multitude of villains and ridiculous musical sequence) as much as the audience did, told Sony he’d do another only if he could have full creative control. In other words, there would not be more than one (maybe two) villain in the picture, but more so, Raimi gets to pick the rogues.

Not surprisingly, Sony went back on their word. They not only commissioned scripts that featured multiple villains, but they were pushing for baddies that Raimi wasn’t.

As it turned out, Raimi understandably had had enough with the back-and-forward bickering, not to mention the substandard scripts he was being presented with, so he asked for a ‘time-out’. Sony obliged – pushing not only the start date (it was originally set to film next month), but the release date. It was expected everyone would regroup shortly.

But in the interim, seems Raimi had decided he didn’t wish to return for “Spider-Man 4”. And, as far as I can gather, Tobey Maguire followed suit (he’d said he’d only do the film if Raimi returned). As a consequence, Sony have decided to scrap plans for “Spider-Man 4” and instead…. Reboot the series.

Yeah, my stomach dropped too when I heard.

Doesn’t surprise me at all though…. What with Fox rebooting “The Fantastic Four” and “Daredevil” – already!

Nikki Fenke revealed the news of the restart over on Deadline Hollywood Daily (notice most sites aren’t giving her her credit, c’mon fellas!), and the studio later confirmed her scoop.

Question is : Who will direct? (please, please, please don’t let Joel Schumacher or Brett Ratner anywhere near this thing!) Who will play Spider-Man? (what’s the bet “Twilight” fave Taylor Lautner is approached?) and will The Vulture/John Malkovich be retained for the reboot?

What we do know is Jamie Vanderbilt ("Zodiac") is penning the reboot script and... well, that's about it (Though there is speculation that the new film will be in 3-D - not surprisingly).

"The studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job," Raimi, amicably, said in a statement.

Sony chief Amy Pascal said, "A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three 'Spider-Man' films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. 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, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning”.

"We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade. This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else's hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable," said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio's chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. "Now everything begins anew, and that's got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can't wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012."

Tobey Maguire told Nikki Fenke, "I am so proud of what we accomplished with the Spider-Man franchise over the last decade. Beyond the films themselves I have formed some deep and lasting friendships. I am excited to see the next chapter unfold in this incredible story.”

Expect more news on “Spider-Man” in the coming days. Meanwhile, we Sob.

well they had said that the same guy who played Peter in the movies wouldnt do the 4th one probably...which i think would suck. he makes a good dorky peter parker.

another spidey series? boo nothing will be as good as the 90s show.

theyre gonna reboot the movie series, not the cartoon lol

Sonic the Hedgehog wrote:

theyre gonna reboot the movie series, not the cartoon lol

damn..I'd rather another cartoon remake than another movie....especially with many actors saying they dont want to do a spidey movie anymore. It wont be the same...and harry's dead...

this sucks.

i never cared for the movies anyway. im more partial to Batman

i thought the 3rd one was not as good as the first one but it was better than the 2nd one.
I would like to see the 4th one they where going to bring in carnage he is the best thats the only reson i want to see the 4th one.