10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

10 Facts About The Canceled Spider-Man 4 Film

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Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 never came to be, but what would it have looked like if it actually happened? Here’s what we know.

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10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 seemed like a no-brainer following the smash box office success of the third installment of the franchise. Despite the threequel’s mixed-to-negative reviews, it became the highest-grossing Spider-Man film at the time, leading to a quick greenlight from Sony for a fourth.

Nevertheless, the movie was eventually scrapped in favor of a reboot, which was released in 2012. In the decade since the film was canceled, several facts have been confirmed that give fans a better idea of what it would have looked like. With rampant rumors concerning Tobey Maguire’s possible return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, now is the perfect time to revisit what could have become of his classic franchise.

Sam Raimi And Tobey Maguire Were Set To Return

10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

In September of 2008, MTV reported on the development of the fourth film, indicating that Tobey Maguire was set to return in the starring role of Peter Parker. Joining him in signing on was Sam Raimi, the director of the previous three films.

Judging by today’s standards, it would seem obvious that these two, especially Maguire, would be returning for the sequel, but these were the days long before multi-film contract deals were the norm for superhero films. In fact, many fans may know that Maguire himself was almost replaced in Spider-Man 2 after suffering a back injury prior to filming.

Kirsten Dunst’s Involvement Was Uncertain

10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

Mary Jane Watson is an integral part of the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and her on-again, off-again romance with Peter Parker was a focal point in much of the franchise’s storytelling. However, MTV reported that her involvement with the fourth film was not yet confirmed.

In the report, director Sam Raimi was quoted as saying that he would “love to work with Kristen again,” and “couldn’t imagine making one without her.” Even so, he also indicated that the Spider-Man universe was indeed much bigger than a single character and, though he’d prefer to include MJ, the franchise would be able to carry on without her.

It Was Expected To Release In 2011 (But Wasn’t On Track)

10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

Though Sam Raimi is considered to be one of the greatest comic book movie directors of all time, even he can’t make the impossible happen. The fourth Spider-Man film was tentatively scheduled to release in May of 2011, four full years after the release of Spider-Man 3.

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Despite the large window of release, it was reported in several sources, including Deadline Hollywood, that there was as of yet no official start date for production on the film, citing “story issues” that had to be resolved as the main reason for the delay. With these reports surfacing just a little over a year before the film was to be released, they concluded that the film would inevitably be pushed back.

James Vanderbilt Was Hired To Write

10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

In August of 2009, Variety reported that Sony had hired James Vanderbilt to write the fourth installment of the franchise. At the time, Vanderbilt was best known for his work on 2007’s Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo.

James Vanderbilt was actually hired before even the principal cast members had agreed to sign on, with rumors still swirling of a potential franchise reboot, which of course ended up being the case. When Spider-Man 4 was eventually canceled, Vanderbilt became an integral piece in the development of The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012, as well as its 2014 sequel.

It Would Have Set Up Spider-Man 5 & 6

10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

In the same article that announced Vanderbilt’s hiring, it was revealed that Sony was considering two additional sequels following the fourth installment. Vanderbilt was expected to be heavily involved in the crafting of Spider-Man 5 and 6, though few other details had emerged about the films.

At the time, news of a fifth and sixth film would have been incredibly exciting for Spider-Man fans, who no doubt began hypothesizing as to what the plots of the films would be. One of the most exciting prospects of the movies was the question of just who the featured antagonists might be, as Spider-Man has no shortage of classic villains.

Anne Hathaway Was In Talks To Sign-On

10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

Newswire reported on several exciting casting possibilities for the fourth film in the franchise, including then up-and-coming actress Anne Hathaway. At the time, the actress was best known for her roles in The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada and was certainly a rising star.

Hathaway was in talks to play the character of Felicia Hardy, otherwise known as the Black Cat. This would be a very different take on the villain, however. Reportedly, Hardy would serve as a lackey to the Vulture in the film. While Hathaway never got her chance to portray Hardy, she would eventually appear as the similarly feline villain Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

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The Lizard Was Rumored

10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

Dylan Baker’s Dr. Curt Connors first appeared in Spider-Man 2 as Peter Parker’s physics professor. Fans immediately recognized him as the iconic character from the comic books that would later become the villainous Lizard. His appearance in the 2007 sequel only fueled the fires of speculation regarding his character.

MTV recorded an interview with Sam Raimi in which he commented on the possible appearance of the classic Spider-Man villain in the fourth film: “one day, the Lizard’s story will be told,” he said when asked about the character’s future in the franchise. Of course, the character would later appear in the 2012 reboot, though his depiction was not considered one of the things The Amazing Spider-Man got right about the comic books.

Mysterio Was Confirmed

10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

Fans of the original film franchise were ecstatic when, years after the fourth film’s cancellation, several storyboards for the movie were released to the public, which can be viewed in full on the site Planet Henderson. One reveal from these drawings was that the classic villain Mysterio was to make an appearance.

The reveal of Mysterio in Spider-Man 4 was big news upon its reveal, especially when the character was depicted with his helmet removed, looking suspiciously like Sam Raimi’s frequent associate Bruce Campbell, who appeared in all three of the prior Spider-Man films. Fan theories immediately began to arise, suggesting that each of Campbell’s cameos had indeed been Mysterio all along.

The Vulture Would Have Been The Main Villain

10 Facts About The Canceled SpiderMan 4 Film

One of the biggest reveals from the released storyboards was the reveal of the Vulture, who is seen battling Spider-Man in several of the panels. It is believed, though not wholly confirmed, that he would have been the main villain of the film.

In the same Deadwire mentioned above, it was reported that John Malkovich was being considered to play the aerial villain. While this match-up never came to be, The Vulture would later be one of Spider-Man’s best villains in the MCU.

The Film Was Scrapped In 2010

Despite the many exciting revelations about the upcoming Spider-Man sequel, the film was troubled with delays and story problems that seemingly couldn’t be overcome. Finally, in early 2010, Deadline reported that the film had been “scrapped” in favor of an all-out franchise reboot.

Reportedly, things ended on a relatively good note between Raimi, the cast, and Sony. Everyone involved appeared to be proud of the three films that they had made and, while disappointed, quickly made peace with the franchise’s sudden end. Whether or not Maguire will join certain co-stars like Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina in Spider-Man: No Way Home remains to be seen.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/behind-scenes-facts-about-canceled-spider-man-4-movie/

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