Spider Man 4 No More!

[Diego440]

The breaking news from Deadline Hollywood is that Spider-Man 4 is gone. Canceled. Good-bye. And Sam Raimi is gone as well. Apparently he told the folks at Sony he couldn't make their deadlines and they told him sayonara.

But wait! It gets worse: Sony wants to reboot Spider-Man. Yes, start over. Yes, get rid of Tobey Maguire and everyone else.

Has the world gone mad? How do you reboot a successful franchise like this? Why would you get rid of your star? I get letting Raimi go (if you're a studio uninterested in making a good movie), but why start from scratch? This isn't like Batmanm, where the series has been sullied - and most importantly, dormant for a while. This is a still successful franchise that has room to grow.

I'm hoping that the scoop at Deadline Hollywood is a touch off and that there is no reboot, that it's just a fourth film, even if Sony weirdly opts to recast. Starting over seems so very, very dumb.

Good for Sam Raimi, though. He doesn't need this ****.

UPDATE! Holy fast paced world - Sony's official Twitter feed has backed this up:

Spider-Man: Summer 2012: Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012.

Morons.

UPDATED AGAIN: Here's Sony's press release. Teenaged Spidey all over again. We're sure to get the origin again, especially since they're going to want to connect Spider-Man tightly with Venom. And it will, of course, be 3D.

Culver City, CA (January 11, 2010) -- Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.

The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.

“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,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, 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,” said Sam Raimi.

“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.”

"Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. "We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen."

The studio will have more news about Spider-Man in 2012 in the coming weeks as it prepares for production of the film.

Link (Language Warning) (Linking to main page, since direct link has AUP-forbidden word)

 

[Northstar]

Why does Hollywood always have to 🤬 things up?

 

[Irons]

Since when has Hollywood not 🤬'ed things up?

 

[CarBastard]

Why does Hollywood always have to 🤬 things up?

Because it's a bussiness. Ruinning stuff, that's how Hollywood goes, sadly .

 

[niky]

Well... it's the Superhero genre...

I mean... how many times have the X-Men gone back to school? Superboy? The "Batman" and "Batman Beyond" series, one with a new teenaged Batman and one with a younger Bruce Wayne? Even Peter Parker loves Mary Jane?

The words "Superhero" and "old" don't sit easily with a media (and book) audience that's constantly being refreshed with young blood. They have to keep reframing stories in modern times to keep them relevant... otherwise they have to kill old characters off to make way for new ones.

Of course... despite many writers' attempts to put an end-note on certain franchises... those evil corporations keep resurrecting heroes like zombies... just to keep the bucks rolling in. Unless the hero has finally lost all relevance with the modern world, doesn't really sell a billion books and cartoon series, and they choose to completely ice him to keep him from falling lower. (Captain America / Superman)

Then after they've generated buzz... they resurrect his rotting corpse to sell even more books. Oh, the irony.

 

[Jedi2016]

Eventually, this is going to devolve into the studios simply releasing the same film, remade, every three or four years.

 

[buickgnx88]

Eventually, this is going to devolve into the studios simply releasing the same film, remade, every three or four years.

"Batman Re-Begins"

 

[Diego440]

as an aside, it seems the lead actor who was going to play Thor has been fired... the day before filming was supposed to begin!

 

[Tornado]

Spider Man 3 wasn't even that bad. If they are that afraid of making another Batman and Robin, they could, you know, just make a good movie instead. Why waste time with this reboot nonsense when Spiderman's origin story is pretty much ingrained in the memory of everyone born since the 1980s? I mean, at least when Batman Begins did it, they looked at things from the angle of Bruce's training and whatnot instead of doing the whole "parent killed = Batman" shtick. This just sounds like "The plot of Spiderman, only 10 years later when there isn't really any way to update it to be any different."

 

[Terronium-12]

I'm not at all surprised considering Punisher: War Zone. I'm still trying to comprehend how you remake....a remake.

The Punisher with Thomas Jane....just worked. If you couldn't get him to do a sequel (I know the story there) then you should just learn to leave things alone.

 

[YSSMAN]

As someone who generally liked the first Spider-Man, loved the second, and hated the third, I'm not totally blown away by the move... But I'm also not that disappointed. All of the talk in a lot of the comic film circles is that they're going to reboot everything. Especially those that were sold out early before Marvel started their own studio (before Disney bought them). So, they're re-launching Spider-Man, X-Men is getting their own refresh, as well as Fantastic Four, and probably Superman too.

It all gets a "meh" from me. If they think they can do a better job with a different cast, whatever. I just wish Marvel could get all their IP ducks in a row, and that would definitely guarantee continuity, and ultimately make for a more awesome Avengers movie.

 

[Terronium-12]

As someone who generally liked the first Spider-Man, loved the second, and hated the third, I'm not totally blown away by the move... But I'm also not that disappointed. All of the talk in a lot of the comic film circles is that they're going to reboot everything. Especially those that were sold out early before Marvel started their own studio (before Disney bought them). So, they're re-launching Spider-Man, X-Men is getting their own refresh, as well as Fantastic Four, and probably Superman too.

It all gets a "meh" from me. If they think they can do a better job with a different cast, whatever. I just wish Marvel could get all their IP ducks in a row, and that would definitely guarantee continuity, and ultimately make for a more awesome Avengers movie.

Superman is DC.

I know what you mean though. I wonder if they'll reboot Iron Man?

And to anyone who's thinking "Mike, what are you, stupid?" Remember, this is Hollywood. The same Hollywood that wants to re-boot Robocop that will absolutely nothing to do with the original 1987 release. 👎

 

[niky]

I'm not at all surprised considering Punisher: War Zone. I'm still trying to comprehend how you remake....a remake.

The Punisher with Thomas Jane....just worked. If you couldn't get him to do a sequel (I know the story there) then you should just learn to leave things alone.

Hey... Dolph Lundgren was the best Punisher ever!

Mhmmm... laser-whip bondage.


Whoops. Wrong movie.

 

[Diego440]

and this just in...

Mark Webb Directing Spider-Man Reboot?

Following on from Monday's big announcement about Sony's plan to reboot Spider-Man sans Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire, talk has naturally turned to who can take over the franchise as it goes all Batman Begins. And among the current front runners? Marc Webb, the man behind successful romantic comedy drama (500) Days Of Summer.

His name has apparently been bandied around for a while now, but don't go thinking that this is anywhere near a done deal: all that Deadline Hollywood has heard is that he's met with the film's producers and executives about the job and is definitely on the team's wish list. But it's a long list that includes just about every available director. Yes, James Cameron, David Fincher and even Wes Anderson are being pondered.

While he might lack the experience of those big names, consider the advantages. He's a lot cheaper and has less bargaining power when it comes to following the studio's wishes than those noted auteurs.

And let's not forget that Chris Nolan wasn't exactly a superhero expert when he made his first Batman movie.

The one extra new wrinkle? The fact that the delay is not just because of the shake-up behind the scenes, but so that there's time to shoot it in 3D if Sony decides that's the way it wants to go.

We'll have to wait and see now if Webb really does A) want the job and B) gets the megaphone, but for now, all he really has is the perfect name. You can just imagine studio types thinking of the free publicity from jokey "Webb spins Spider-Man" headlines...

Link

 

[Terronium-12]

It's getting to the point where fans actually should go to film school.

As long as Michael Bay isn't named, I'm all good. Nothing against him, but Spiderman doesn't need buildings falling from 10ft spontaneously exploding which triggers seventeen other explosions.

 

[Diego440]

Next Spider-Man movie coming in 3D, expect it in 2012

 

[Blitz187]

Hey... Dolph Lundgren was the best Punisher ever!

Mhmmm... laser-whip bondage.


Whoops. Wrong movie.

LOL... I know its off-topic, but I watched Universal Soldier 2009: Regeneration, which includes Van Damme and Lundgren.... Dolph has gotten OLD!!!! WOW!! and he seems to have a bit of a speech impediment like Stallone now... Oh, and the movie is not great by the way.... Hope Spider-man turns out better