Spiderman 4, 5 & 6

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The Internet loves casting rumors, but the gears of speculation are always at their highest when the topic is a superhero. Or, more accurately, who a superhero is going to be fighting in his/her's next trip to the big screen; and with Spider-Man 4 snowballing into production, the rumors have once again begun swirling around who Spidey is going to be web-punching this time around.

First reports that Dylan Baker would finally be transforming into The Lizard seemed to confirm Sam Raimi's return to making a single-villain picture, but now a new name has been tossed into the ring.

Mania.com is reporting that their sources have cited Rachel McAdams as in talks with the film's producers to take on the role of Felicia Hardy, also known as Black Cat. Not only that, but Romola Garai has even auditioned for the role. Garai is a 27-year-old British actress who starred in Amazing Grace, The Other Man and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

If you're unfamiliar with the character, she is a sometimes good, sometimes bad cat burglar who, in addition to being a possible love interest of the web-crawler's, tries to use her less-than-legal prowess to break her father out of jail.

In the latest issue of The Observer, Garai shared the details about what she was up to last week, which included a video audition for the latest Spidey:

"Love is at the root of everything good that has ever happened and will happen.” This phrase swam into focus as I moved up the escalator at Oxford Circus tube on Tuesday morning on my way to put myself “on tape” for a part in Spider-Man 4. This is the acting equivalent of the London Marathon in that it’s important to try your best as long as you understand that you aren’t going to win.

Garai is only a few years younger than McAdams, and certainly has the same look, which makes one believe there might actually be something to this Black Cat rumor after all.

It would be an interesting spin to have villainess for part four, but it's unclear at this point as to whether or not the film's Black Cat will ultimately be friend or foe.

Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard, Black Cat first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #194, published in July 1979. While the character is sometimes confused as a copy of DC Comics’ Catwoman, the character actually predates the look of the Batman villain by almost a decade. The daughter of a world-renowned cat burglar, Black Cat first met Spider-Man while trying to break her father out of prison. Felicia quickly fell in love with Spidey and looked for a way to earn his trust while continuing with the Black Cat persona as “a misguided attempt to attract his affection.”

A bigger shake-up to the film's line-up could come by way of the second bit of Mania's news, which stakes that the producers are also currently out casting a male villain. Assuming Raimi hasn't already broken with his desire to keep the baddies solo, this would mean that Dr. Curt Connors is not fulfilling his destiny as The Lizard after all, despite Dylan Baker confirming he'd be returning in the role.

It's all very fluid and salty at this point, but if Mania's sources are indeed correct, Spider-Man 4 has either multiplied its villains once again or kept The Lizard caged until a later date.

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With Spider-Man 4 set to go before cameras in early 2010, the rumor mill is working overtime churning out names of characters who might be in the sequel and the actors purported to be playing them.

Last week's buzz that Rachel McAdams was up for the role of the villainous Black Cat has been shot down by the actress herself. "That's a total rumor, I have to say," McAdams told Entertainment Weekly. "I was hanging out in Toronto the other day and someone came up to me and said, 'I just heard you're doing Spider-Man 4.' And I said, 'Really? No one told me!' It's not true."

EW adds that a Sony rep also dismissed the report as being a mere "Internet rumor," which is not the same as calling it untrue. Sony also denied that there was a new Karate Kid movie in the works with Will Smith's son ... until there was a new Karate Kid movie in the works with Will Smith's son.

Replacing McAdams as the rumored Black Cat contender du jour is Julia Stiles. UGO claims that the Bourne Ultimatum and 10 Things I Hate About You actress "has met with a casting company in New York to discuss (the project)." If true, that doesn't mean Stiles has landed the role just that she's being considered for it.

Last but not least, Spoiler TV claims to have received an official casting call notice for Spidey 4. It says the producers are looking for a 2 or 3-year-old male Caucasian toddler with red hair. The red hair description has led to much speculation that Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson might have a kid in the next movie. Or maybe director Sam Raimi just needs a red-headed tyke for a few scenes and it's not an indication that Spidey 4 is going the Superman Returns route and giving its superhero a son. However, Raimi has always made Peter's journey into adulthood the overriding arc of his Spider-Man movies and so making Peter a dad would seem to be a natural step in his evolution.

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If there’s one thing John Malkovich does well – does really well – it’s give good villain.

This, after all, is the man who was Cyrus ‘The Virus’ Grissom in Con Air, and the chameleonic assassin Booth in In The Line Of Fire. And who can forget his spine-chilling turn as Pascal Sauvage, the Greedy Frenchman in the epoch-making comedy, Johnny English?

Yep, nobody does a nice line in on-screen evil quite like Malcatraz, and that’s something Sam Raimi knows all too well. After all, Raimi offered Malkovich the role of the Green Goblin in Spider-Man waaaaaaay back in 2001. For whatever reason – he was booked up, he didn’t like the script, he didn’t like the costume – Malkovich passed on the role, leaving it to Willem Dafoe to snap it up and try desperately to act while stranded in a completely expressionless helmet roughly the size of a small fridge.

But Raimi, it seems, is a determined man and, almost nine years on, it looks like he’s going to get his wish at last, and see Malkovich as a Spider-Man villain after all.

That is, if you believe the rumours currently springing forth from Movieline, which is claiming that, with just a couple of months until Raimi starts filming on Spider-Man 4, Malkovich has been offered the part of the movie’s villain, the bald-as-a-coot winged menace, The Vulture.

But wait – there’s more. Davis is also saying that The Vulture – aka aged robber, Adrian Toomes, who takes to the skies wearing a hi-tech flying harness – won’t be alone. In fact, he’ll be joined by the beautiful and ravishing Anne Hathaway as… The Vulturess?

Spider-fans, of course, may now be scratching their heads in bemusement at a character that Raimi and his writer, Gary Ross, have apparently conjured up out of thin air. Although it wouldn’t be the first time – technically speaking, the New Goblin, as played by James Franco in Spider-Man 3, was a new character.

But it would seem that The Vulturess – who, presumably, will be able to fly but who won’t be sporting a shiny Matt Lucas-style bald bonce – will, like Franco’s Harry Osborn, be a pre-existing Spider-Man character given a brand-spanking new makeover. For The Vulturess may be the new nom de plume for Felicia Hardy, the white-haired vixen who enters Peter Parker and Spider-Man’s tangled life as the villainous Black Cat.

It’s no secret that Felicia Hardy will show up in Spider-Man 4. Over the last couple of months, virtually every hot young actress in Hollywood, from Romola Garai to Rachel McAdams, has either auditioned for the part, or held talks about it. But it would seem that Hathaway has clinched a role that will be markedly different from its comic book origins.

Cinematical is saying that, if the change does go ahead, it’s because Raimi, Sony and Marvel are nervous about accusations that The Black Cat is a rip-off of Batman’s own sexy feline nemesis, Catwoman (heaven forbid…). But, as much as we’re ok with the idea of giving Hardy a new moniker, something has to be done about that name. The Vulturess? Really?

Of course, the name would indicate that Hathaway and Malkovich, should they sign on the line that is dotted, will be teaming up to menace Tobey Maguire’s webslinger from above. But, given that Raimi is unlikely to repeat the two villains mistake that blighted Spider-Man 3 so, we’d reckon that, sooner rather than later, The Vulturess – if that is her real name – will end up flying on the side of the angels.

Of course, it’s all rumour at the moment, but if this is confirmed, it’s a bold move. Is The Vulture the villain to revitalise the Spider-Man franchise? Will hardcore fans be up in arms over the changes to Hardy’s character, or will the prospect of seeing Anne Hathaway in a white wig and skin-tight costume alleviate their suffering? What do you think?

Spider-Man 4 starts filming in March and is scheduled for release on May 6, 2011.

[Doc Faustus]

Two to three year old boy with red hair sounds like Normie Osborn.

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And things seemed to be going so well on the Spidey 4 front.

It was just over a week ago that we heard that John Malkovich was being considered to play the Vulture in Spider-Man 4. But now a rumor has surfaced that the film has been placed on "indefinite hold."

That's what IESB is hearing from "an inside source." So we'll take this report for what it is right now -- rumor -- while quietly nurturing a feeling of dread in our gut that Sam Raimi's attempts to get his webcrawler franchise back on track after the disappointing third film may be falling apart.

"Apparently, several department heads working on the Spider-M4n production were notified of the halt last Thursday," says the site (and yes, they also report that the film is now rather awkwardly being called Spider-M4n internally at Sony. "Spidey and friends have some issues that need to be dealt with before production can move forward once again."

Those issues reportedly involve "an incomplete script" as well as a tussle between Raimi and Sony over who the villain should be in the film. That's a pretty big issue, we'd say.

"Raimi is pushing hard for the Vulture to be the big baddie," says the site. "Our source says [the studio] seem[s] to only be interested in featuring which ever character is selling books right now but basically they have no idea [who they want], just not the Vulture."

Again, we hope this report is inaccurate. But if it is correct, then at least it indicates that Raimi is sticking to his guns after the whole Venom mess that the studio got him in last time around.

Stay tuned for more on this as it comes in.

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Hollywood actress Kirsten Dunst's red-headed character Mary Jane from the Spider-Man franchise is reportedly going to be written off after the fourth instalment.

Insiders claim Dunst's character will be written off in the next movie and replaced by Anne Hathaway as Spider-Man's new love interest, reports hollywood.com.

"The plan is for her character to be written out, probably by dying. Anne will take over as Peter Parker's new love interest for this project and for Spider-Man 5 and 6 which are being written now," said a source.

"Anne's in Los Angeles doing a lot of meetings on the movie, because filming is right around the corner," the source added.

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Even as Spider-Man 4 continues to flail in production limbo (it's been officially delayed), word arrives that one of the more likely rumours - John Malkovich playing villain The Vulture has been confirmed by the man himself.

Talking on, of all places, Italian sports show Quelli Che il Calcio, Malkovich was asked directly about the news he'd be showing up in the new Spidey outing.

Time to fire up the Translato5000 to reveal what he said: "When conductor Simona Ventura asked him about his role of Vulture in the movie, he not only didn't deny his involvement, but confirmed that he's waiting for the final script to be sent to him, and that the movie has been delayed. He also hopes that shooting will begin as soon as possible."

He might be in for a bit of a wait, since Sony and Sam Raimi seem to be wrangling about the final form of the script, and the choice of the villain is a definite sticking point.

And there's no word yet on whether this means Anne Hathaway will definitely also be appearing as the Vulturess. Malkovich is a fine idea, but if Hathaway does get a role, surely she'd be better off as Felicia "Black Cat" Hardy?

[cheebacheeba]

Raimi and Maguire out of future Spider-Man installments.
Potential "redo" sequels may involve a high-school aged Parker, again.

...Someone else can fill in the details...

[The_Return]

Read your post Cheeb and had to look into it...here's the Sony press release :

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.

Found a more enlightening article over at Deadline.com though - link is below. Sounds far less amicable than Sony wants us to think:

Source: http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/ur...eboot-planned/

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The complete story...

Spider-Man 3 left a very bitter taste in the collective mouths of geeks. Raimi deserved a mulligan on that, but word 'round the campfire was that his fee (and those of his principal actors) were going to be cost prohibitive. Then, the movie gods smiled down on Sony's Culver City lot and forced the suits to reach into some deep pockets, striking a deal with the original Spidey crew to return for a fourth film.

Hoping not to have another mess of a story on his hands, Raimi made it a mandate to make sure he had a great script this time around. Zodiac scribe James Vanderbilt was the first writer on the project, and apparently his draft did not meet the greenlight demands of Team Raimi. (Interestingly, Sony is now fast tracking Vanderbilt's draft for 2012's reboot.)

David Lindsay-Abaire was the next writer Raimi commissioned to re-draft the script. And after that little experiment, Raimi tried on writer-director Gary "Pleasantville" Ross for a draft. Ross, hot off the script he turned in for a Venom spin-off, delivered a take rumored to have The Vulture as the lead villain , a villain confirmed by the actor the production wanted for the role – John Malkovich.

With Raimi at creative odds with the studio as to who the villain should be (Raimi wanted Vulture, the studio wanted whomever was selling the hottest in comics currently) and what direction Spidey's fourth movie should go in, the first major sign of trouble hit: Spider-Man 4 was most likely going to miss its release date of May 11, 2011, a reported move that didn't sit well with Sony execs.

The reason for the move: Raimi was unable to find a satisfactory story he – and the fans – would be proud to get behind. (The fan-favorite director should be applauded for sticking to his creative guns.) Reports said Raimi was quite vocal about his, ahem, hatred for the scripts coming in, and was now waiting on a draft from Spider-Man 2 and 3 writer Alvin Sargent , who is married to Spidey producer Laura Ziskin.

Gone in this new draft was a part for the Vulturess and/or Black Cat, with both roles rumored to be for Anne Hathaway. Creative Direction #147 prompted lead actor Maguire to speak up about the movie's delay and story status: "Like anything, it's a process," he told the Associated Press. "We're just in the midst of the process. We have a lot of great stuff in terms of story and script. We're just trying to dial it in and get it ready as quickly as possible."

Maguire continued: "I think the evolution of the character is really exciting, to be rooted in the history of what we've done already and to have a continuity, yet have a progression or evolution."

Sadly, that is an evolution the actor won't be around to see.

On Monday, January 11, 2010, Sony announced via Twitter that Peter Parker was going back to high school for a reboot releasing Summer 2012 – moments after DeadlineHollywood.com reported that Raimi and Co. were out. According to Deadline, Raimi told execs that he couldn't creatively move forward and satisfy their targeted release date of summer 2011.

Rather than replace the director, the studio decided to wipe the slate clean and reboot. (So yes, the studio that didn't want to miss their 2011 release date due to Raimi's creative sticking points decided to, er, miss the date anyway and go in an entirely new, and divisive, direction for 2012.)

After Deadline's story broke and Sony took to Twitter, an official press release further confirmed what made everyone's Spidey sense go, "What the eff?!" The entire cast has been scrapped (whether or not that means actors in certain supporting roles will stick around, a la Judi Dench as "M" in the new Bond reboots, remains to be seen) and Parker is going backward, not forward, in his evolution as Marvel's biggest big-screen hero.

One can only hope for the rumors that Sony is looking at taking Spider-Man into a grittier direction are just rumors. Gritty ain't what the character is. You'd think after three films, the studio would get that. And that is the first thing a new director for the franchise would have to realize, and moreover, respect.