Spider-Man 4? You’re Gonna Have to Wait
Looks like everyone’s favorite web-slinging superhero is slowly weaving his way back to the box office. Very slowly.
Laura Ziskin, producer of the blockbuster movie franchise starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, told theater owners from California and Nevada on Thursday that Spider-Man 4 won’t hit theaters until at least 2011.
She said there is no script yet and neither Maguire nor director Sam Raimi have signed on.
Spider-Man 3 opened in 2007 to mixed reviews, although that didn’t stop the film from grossing a record $59 million its first day out of the gate.
The first three Spidey flicks combined have grossed a whopping $2.5 billion worldwide.
Tentative Spider-Man 4 Release Date!
Spider-Man 4 has a new tentative release date, but don’t expect it anytime soon. According to Spider-Man executive producer Laura Ziskin, the web-slinger should be back in theaters in May… of 2011.
In remarks Thursday to theater owners from California and Nevada, Ziskin said there was no finished screenplay, but that she and Sony Pictures were hopeful “Spider-Man 4” could be ready in three years’ time.
The first three movies comprise one of the most successful franchises in modern Hollywood history, grossing a combined $2.5 billion worldwide. Neither star Tobey Maguire nor director Sam Raimi is yet committed to work on the next installment. But Sony has paid Marvel to renew its rights.
Hopefully, the extra time to think and plot will help make a better movie that SM3!
Spider-Man 4 in May 2011
Spider-Man producer Laura Ziskin told theater owners on Thursday that Spider-Man 4 is tentatively being scheduled for a May 2011 release. She also confirmed that screenwriter James Vanderbilt has yet to turn in a final screenplay, but she insisted that Sony Pictures is very hopeful that they will be on track for 2011.
Director Sam Raimi has yet to commit to the project, and told press earlier this month that he is “excited to read” the screenplay, and is “hoping it’s as great as our discussions were about it and hoping it feels right”. No stars are signed on to the project, however Sony has publicly insisted that they want to bring Tobey Maguire back for the fourth film. I still wonder if the script and money will be enough to bring the original team back to the fold. JK Simmons has said that the studio has recently checked in with his agents to say they want him back for a sequel, and he’s ready to return if Raimi is still involved.
source: LATimes
Raimi Teams Up With Lehane
Sam Raimi, best known for his Spider-Man movies, has just become the next director to get behind an adaptation of literary master Dennis Lehane (Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone) The book rights to The Given Day were acquired by Columbia Pictures.
The Given Day is set in 1919 Boston, with the city in turmoil as soldiers are returning home from WWI, having brought back an epidemic of Spanish influenza. Attempts to unionize the police department have set the stage for a historic strike and two cops take center stage.
The book will be published by HarperCollins on Sept. 23.
Having signed on to this, Raimi is going to be one busy fellow! He’s also looking at a fourth Spider-Man movie (currently being written by James Vanderbilt), but he is also supposed to reinvent the Jack Ryan franchise for Paramount!
I guess money talks!