The first Spider-Man (2002) movie was released to great success, sparking a wave of anticipation for more. It not only dominated the box office, reaching the $100 million mark in just a single weekend, but also redefined the modern superhero genre. This success was followed by two more installments, Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), which also received good responses. However, despite being hailed as the best Marvel movies featuring the friendly neighborhood hero, the planned Spider-Man 4 was canceled in 2010 after Raimi backed out. But now, after over a decade, the director is back, hinting at the possibility of doing the fourth movie after giving a promising update, reigniting the excitement among fans.
During his appearance at the Monster-Mani Con at Cherry Hill, New Jersey, on March 8-10, avid Spider-Man fan and X (formerly Twitter) user @LukasASoaresRM had a chance to talk to Raimi and took advantage of the moment to ask him about Spider-Man 4. Just like fans, the filmmaker expressed his desire to see Tobey Maguire don his web-slinger suit on the big screen once again, but only if it would be the right time to do so.
He told me that there are chances of this happening simply because he has the same desire as we do. But if it is to happen, it will be at the right time.
Why was Spider-Man 4 canceled?
Spider-Man 4 entered development in 2007. At the time, Raimi was back in the director’s seat to helm the movie, along with Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and other cast members to reprise their roles. The fourth and fifth films were planned to be in production back-to-back at the time, but Raimi confirmed only the fourth movie would be in development.
The plans were already sealed to start the cameras rolling. Sony Pictures hired the Zodiac screenwriter James Vanderbilt to pen its screenplay, which David Lindsay-Abaire and Gary Ross rewrote in 2008 and 2009. Raimi also revealed his interest in showing the transformation of Dr. Curt Connors into his villainous alter-ego, Lizard, on the big screen and in giving Bruce Campbell to play a significant role. At the same time, John Malkovich was in talks to play Vulture, and Anne Hathaway would play Felicia Hardy.
But amid these plans, Sony Pictures announced in 2010 that Spider-Man 4 had been canceled after Raimi withdrew from the project. According to reports, the director backed out from the film after casting doubts on his ability to meet its May 2011 release date. Allegedly, there were disagreements between Raimi and the studio. As Raimi admitted to being “very unhappy” with how Spider-Man 3 turned out, he felt the pressure to make the fourth film as best as possible. In fact, through the years it was developed, different screenwriters altered the script four times, but he still “hated it," eventually resulting in its cancellation.
This isn’t the first time that Raimi has expressed his interest in doing Spider-Man 4. During the promotion of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which he directed, he was also fascinated by making the fourth movie. By the looks of it, he only wants a good script to make this film possible. So, if that finally happens, fans may see Maguire back on the big screen as Spider-Man.
