Spider-Man As You Know It Is Kaput

Sony, in a recent press release and Twitter update, has officially closed the book on Spider-Man 4. In it’s place? Spider-Man… Rebooted.

Wait… what?

That’s right, Deadline Hollywood broke the news earlier this evening and Sony : Raimi (God bless you, Man!) basically pulled the plug on his involvement with the franchise. The reason (besides the possible reason cited here in this story)? Sony’s pushing for a 2011 May release would harm the creative integrity of the story. And with that, the cast is gone as well. Which leaves Sony in complete control- control in which they’re bagging a continuation of the franchise as we know it and steering Spider-Man back to High School in a reboot of a hugely successful franchise that’s not even eight years old.

In the mean, smoke is being blown up a variety of asses as Raimi, Toby McGuire and Sony are all bidding one another a fond and superlative adieu in the biggest bull**** statements and press releases of all time. Or at least, all time this week.

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Spider-Man 4 in 2011? Not If The Vulture Says So.

Did you like Spider-Man 3? Sucker.

OK, we can’t hold it against you. There’s some googly-eyed Sam Raimi ridiculousness going on in there that fares the loathed entry better than most of its ilk. Sure there was far too much going on and the studio’s insistence of shoe-horning Venom into the mix only served to dilute and make the whole thing ridiculous. That was because A) Raimi is a classic Spider-Man enthusiast who understands the old villains (Sandman, Doctor Octopus, The Green Goblin) but didn’t really “get” the more recent Venom and B) trying to marry a studios insisted vision with your own can often end badly. Such was the case for Spider-Man 3 and Raimi don’t want no Spider-Man 3.

Still, the studio (rightly so) wanted Raimi back for Spider-Man 4 and spent gobs to get him. But recently, problems are percolating, threatening to judo-chop the shooting schedule and May 6, 2011 release date right in the tenderloin. Apparently, Raimi wants Spider-Man 4‘s villain to be The Vulture. The studio, in their ever present quest for marketability and sexiness, is pushing for another sub-plot romance with the character “Black Cat” and wants any villain but the Vulture. Plot massaging and various writers haven’t been able to make peace with it all and subsequently? Constipation!

Disagreements like this aren’t uncommon for collaborative projects, but to Sony I say,”Muzzle it”. When given free reign, Raimi created a money-magnet franchise entry and one of the best sequels of all time (and a fine movie to boot) in Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. When forced to meddle and acquiesce, Raimi created a soggy-plotted cluster of suffocation in Spider-Man 3. You paid to get Raimi back. Trust your man, trust that The Vulture will work and let’s get crackin’.