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September 5, 2008


Spider-Man director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire have reportedly reached deals to reprise their respective duties for not only Spider-Man 4 but a fifth installment in Sony's web-slinger franchise as well.

Furthermore, the studio is mulling filming the sequels back-to-back a la Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings in an effort to minimize the problems in reassembling the cast.

According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, Maguire's deal was only very recently made as a source for the site claims that Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal had been spending the last few weeks looking for possible replacements.

No deal has been made yet for Kirsten Dunst, but DHD insists the studio won't recast the role of Mary Jane Watson. However, there will be a second female role included this time .

As for the villains, DHD columnist Nikki Finke reports "Sony is taking its time officially hiring the movie's villain since principal photography doesn't start on Spider-Man 4 until next fall because of the recently postponed May 2011 release. I am told, however, that 'once you find out who the villain is, you'll know who's playing it.'

That should lead to speculation that Dylan Baker's character of Dr. Curt Connors will ultimately turn into The Lizard as he did in the comic books."

DHD adds that Daniel Gillies, who portrayed John (the future Man-Wolf) Jameson in Spider-Man 2, might also be a contender.

The site adds that the next Spidey sequels won't be as dark as Spider-Man 3 or The Dark Knight. "Peter Parker has no dark side himself. In Spider-Man 3 it was the black costume. Peter Parker's struggle is about sacrifice," DHD's source said.