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
Sony to Release Spider-Man 4 in 2010?
Will the original squad be back, or will Sony recruit new talent? A week ago we reported on the rumor that Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 will be filmed back-to-back, Back to the Future styles. Today, a quote from Marvel’s Vice Chairman, Peter Cuneo, hit the Net via IESB regarding Sony’s stirring plans for a third sequel…
“As far as Spider-man 4, it’s really up to Sony, it’s up to them, most likely scenario is 2010 or 2011 but we can’t speak for them and I think, that we don’t know. They have given us their re-up payment for that film so you know they’re going to make it within a reasonable time frame. Sony may be looking at some issues with the cast and so on, I think they have to make some decisions.”
Maybe it’s me, but all of these recent quotes from Marvel honchos have a newfound tone of “We’re kicking ass and taking names, and, of course, we have outside properties as well. No big deal.” So, screenwriter James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) has apparently turned in a script for Spidey 4 that inherently ties to a fifth film; if this is how the franchise plays out, I’d imagine (rather predictably, yes) that an unprecedented bag of cash the size of a Dubai island would need to be exchanged to bring back Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. And if I had to place a blind bet, I’d say a new A-list director (and, if so, probably a new star) is in store to bring Peter Parker into the next decade. Dunst is the cigarettes to the keys and wallet, here. What does your Magic 8ball tell you?
David Fincher’s Zodiac Director’s Cut in 2008
Zodiac will hit DVD store shelves on July 24th, but you might want to consider holding off on that purchase. Aside from the fact that the studio is releasing the film bare-bones (aka next to no extra features), there is now something new to consider. Apparently David Fincher’s Zodiac: 2-Disc Director’s Cut will be arriving in 2008.
And of course, this new release will be packed with special features missing from the single disc version, including an audio commentary by David Fincher, actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey, Jr., screenwriter James Vanderbilt, producer Brad Fischer and crime novelist James Ellroy, extensive behind-the-scenes featurettes detailing the production from start to finish, and an in-depth look at the actual Zodiac crimes, including all-new interviews with the original investigators and survivors. Looks like I’ll be holding off for the directors cut.
I wonder, how much longer could Fincher’s directors cut be? I was one of the few people that really fell in love with this film, but a lot of people have complained that the film is too long and that Fincher was given too much room to “do his own thing”. And I imagine that this won’t just be the same movie with all the deleted scenes now included as they usually bill a release of that kind as a “Extended Cut”. But they are calling this a “directors cut”, which must mean that the 158 minute theatrical cut was actually a shorter movie than Fincher envisioned, and was probably the result of studio tinkering.
And we also must remember that a director’s cut is not always longer than the theatrical version of a film. Oliver Stone released Alexander a couple years ago on DVD in a director’s cut which was 8 minutes shorter than the theatrical version (Stone had excised approximately 17 minutes from the old version and reinstated 9 minutes of new footage). Although, this is not usually the case.
Contributing Sources: FilmIck, DavisDVD.
The Writers Strike Is Officially Over!
Its official. After nearly 4 months of strike action, the WGA have struck a deal. The WGA West board of directors and the WGA East Council will meet Sunday to formally endorse the contract. And writers could be back at work as early as Monday, depending on whether the WGA’s ruling bodies decide whether to end the three-month strike at those Sunday meetings. You can read all of the details, including a letter from WGAE President Michael Winship and WGAW President Patric M. Verrone to the WGA members announcing the tentative deal, over at Variety and ComingSoon. Here is a excerpt:
To Our Fellow Members,
We have a tentative deal.It is an agreement that protects a future in which the Internet becomes the primary means of both content creation and delivery. It creates formulas for revenue-based residuals in new media, provides access to deals and financial data to help us evaluate and enforce those formulas, and establishes the principle that, “When they get paid, we get paid.”
Specific terms of the agreement are described in the summary on our website and will be further discussed at our Saturday membership meetings on both coasts. At those meetings we will also discuss how we will proceed regarding ratification of this agreement and lifting the restraining order that ends the strike.
So what movies can now be made now the strike is over?
Transformers 2, The Hobbit, Thor, Tintin, Magneto, Conan, Jurassic Park 4, Justice League and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time to name a few. There is also a possibility that Fantastic Four 3, Cloverfield 2 and Pirates 4 could begin work. Spiderman 4’s script has been put on hold so screenwriter James Vanderbilt can continue and it is likely that Terminator Salvation will go through a re-write. There are probably quite a few other movies that can now begin to roll forward thanks to the strike ending.
Lets hope the writers are back to work on Monday!