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.
Sony Says Tobey Macguire is Still Spider-Man…For Now
Two days ago, we delved into rumors that the next Peter Parker could be played by the Macguire-esque Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous, Wristcutters) or the younger, spunkish Michael Angarano (Sky High). Well, Sony wants to put some Internet skywriting out there and fast. Their message is: “Tobey Macguire, you’re the best, you’re our Spider-Man!…right?” Sony’s head of media relations tells IESB…
“No one is being considered for the role but Tobey. Period.”
IESB adds that numerous inside sources and agencies have confirmed that no actor in Hollywood or Bollywood has been contacted for Peter Parker. Prior to this, CHUD caught word from a producer on Fugit’s latest film who said the rumor was totally bunk. Let’s all electric slide back to square one, okay?
This premature casting drama went supernova because a higher-up at Marvel speculated that Sony will have Spider-Man 4 in theaters in 2010, which supported rumors that Sony wants to shoot Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 back-to-back. Whatever Sony says, there is movement happening with the franchise, so a little interwebs madness is expected, healthier than eating bacon even.
I don’t think Fugit would be (have been) an unwise choice, he’s talented, but he shares Macguire’s sleepy, melancholy style to a fault. Peter wonders why Shia Labeouf is not in the mix—he’s probably my first choice for Parker, and I really hope they bring in a new director as well. What’s interesting is that the fan outrage at these Macguire replacement rumors is not really there, which is odd. And fanboy hindsight on Spider-Man 3 seems to grow dimmer as time passes. More on the next Spidey flick(s) as it develops.
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?
Box Office: Spider-Man 3 Earns $622 Million In First 10 Days
The fanboy community are pretty down on the new Spidey film. Most comic book fans predicted that the so-called bad word of mouth would cause a huge drop in the second week box office numbers. While there was a drop, it was nothing more than industry insiders had expected.
Spider-Man 3 took in another $60 million domestically (4,252 theaters), for a worldwide total of 145.5 million. That’s a lot of cash, not enough to break the record, but instead coming in at the fourth biggest biggest second weekend and fourth fastest movie to hit $200 million in the States.
So after 10 days, the film has made over $622 million worldwide ($242.1 million domestically). The film’s second weekend drop of 60% is to be expected with a huge event release. Last year’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest dropped about 54% in it’s second go around.
The big test will be next week when the film goes head to head with the second big summer release, Shrek the Third. It has always been expected that Spidey will suffer a HUGE drop in sales, but it will be interesting to see how long Spider-Man’s legs can bring him, especially in the Summer of Threequels.