Fuck!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 Batman, 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 shit. 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. Fuckers. 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.
Sony continues to cast Marc Webb's 3D Spider-Man reboot at a leisurely pace. With Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans cast as Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy and the as-yet-unconfirmed villain respectively, the rumor mill is now turning its attention to the casting of J. Jonah Jameson.While C2F would be all in favor of bringing back J.K. Simmons, who filled the role perfectly in the old franchise, we do realize change must come and WhatsPlaying.com.au claims to have the inside word on two actors who are at the forefront of the JJJ race.Silver-haired Mad Men player John Slattery is said to be a top contender. Marvel fans have seen him previously playing Tony Stark's father in some found archive footage in Iron Man 2. Of course, Slattery's persona is one of suave sophistication, not the bellowing blowhard that Jameson is.Another contender is also a Marvel movie alum. Sam Elliot is a bit more on the Jameson model. Fans know well that he appeared in Hulk and Ghost Rider. He definitely has a good look for the character and a more imposing presence than Slattery.However, neither man may get the role. WhatsPlaying says there are a dozen or so actors reading for the part and more to come so it's still an open field.
