Spider-Man 4 Cancelled, Raimi, Toby and Kirsten gone.

Marvel, Sony and Columbia have decided to kill Spider-Man 4.  The film had originally been scheduled for May of 2011.  Now… pfffft. At first the studio stated that production was “Delayed”. But ultimately, Spider-Man director Sam Raimi has actually been let go. Also gone are,  Tobey Maguire/Peter Parker and girlfriend Kirsten Dunst/Mary Jane.

What seems to be in the forefront minds of studio execs is the axing of over priced actors and staff as well as assimilating a “Smallville” type theme that focuses on Peter Parker in high school. …Just like Clark Kent, but different.   Check out Ultimates Spider-Man comics, to get a good idea of what’s around the corner. It is quite awesome, at least up to issue #100 or so. I think it was Brian Michael Bendis who wrote it. Definitely NOT Smallville-Spidey by any means. Way cooler, edgier. Like way, way cooler-edgy.

Spiderman, MJ and Raimi

Columbia’s deal with Marvel states that Columbia needs to keep “actively developing” Spider-Man films or else Marvel yanks their license and either makes the movie themselves or sells it another party… or simply sits on it just to piss us Spidey fans off.  But DC is the one notorious for that more so than Marvel.  Of course, Columbia had a card up their sleeve, just in case the actors were tanked. Call it the, “Just in case the director and all the primary actors of Spider-Man get fired,” plan.  Or the, “Let’s do Spider-Man over again but more cheaper and just like Smallville… but different! Ok!?” plan.

This contingency, or “reboot,” has James Vanderbilt writing the script. A quick jaunt over to IMDb has Vanderbilt already slated for Spidey 5 and 6! Ouch! Talk about fast movers; Toby’s not even done opening his pink slip and eating his Wheaties while ol’ Vanderbilt’s working on a new script with Flash Thompson giving Peter a swirly.

You remember Vanderbilt, don’t you?  He wrote all those movies you never saw, like. … The Losers, Zodiac, The Rundown, Darkness Falls and the one everyone remembers, Goodbye Toby & Kirsten.

The new teenage Spider-Man movie, staring absolutely nobody famous whatsoever, which could be a good thing [remember Hugh Jackman/Wolverine], is currently looking for a director to fill Raimi’s shoes.  One thing is for sure though, Marvel has a hell of a track record when it comes to reboots not cutting the mustard! Let’s hope ol’ Vandi can do a better job on Spidey than Marvel did with The Hulk the second time around or The Punisher the second time around or The Fantastic Four the second and third time around or even Captain America the second time around. …. Oops, forgot… they didn’t mess that one up again yet.

Through all of this, Raimi could have been a real sphincter, having been let go, but he instead showed the world how a class act gets kicked in the teeth, “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.” Good form Sam.

So… how does all of these changes affect you and me?  Well, we get more Spidey, which is a good thing, and, Marvel Studios moved the debut of the Thor movie into the recently vacant Spidey 4 slot, which could possibly be a bad thing due to the rushing of the story for the sake of having another superhero movie under their belt.

If only they could put as much love and commitment into honoring the superheroes in their true form as comic geeks come to expect.  In short… “Do your damn job and do it well.” How many of us would like to forget Spider-Man3? Batman Returns? Batman Forever? Batman & Robin? Superman: III? Superman: The Quest for Peace? The Punisher (1989 w/Dolph)? The Punisher (2004 w/Thomas Jane)? The Punisher War Zone? Or Hulk by Ang Lee? I mean, … COME ON! It shouldn’t be that hard to make a movie out of comics.  All the content and history is already done and laid out for you.

Spider-Man Web-Shooters!

All I want is for Marvel to bring back the friggin mechanical web-shooters and drop the stupid spider talons that come out of Parker’s finger tips and toes that allow him to climb walls.  Those were two of the biggest mistakes Raimi ever did, along with putting Maguire and Dunst in for Parker and MJ.  Yeah, they’re great actors, but Toby simply isn’t Peter Parker and Kirsten aint no drop drop drop dead supermodel like MJ is supposed to be!

Gerry Conway, over at Newsarama, said it best, … who’s Gerry Conway? He’s not only known for co-creating The Punisher along with DC’s Firestorm and for scripting the first major, modern-day Marvel/DC crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man but is most famous for single-handedly killed off Gwen Stacy! during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. This guy has balls!

“Well, of course, I hope this time they kill Gwen Stacy.

About the third movie. Never really got behind Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man — he’s a great actor, did a great job with the part, but didn’t have the internal energy that I’ve always associated with Peter Parker. He just didn’t impress me as someone who’d wisecrack in the face of death.

I also was never fond of Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane. Again, a terrific actor, but she didn’t strike me as the right casting for MJ — MJ, in my view, is a woman who’s cursed by the expectations others have for her based on her appearance. She should appear to be a vaguely slutty babe, and whatever one might say about Dunst, wonderful actress that she may be, a babe she’s not.

Both Dunst and Maguire are actors who bring a great deal of internal intelligence to their performances, but not a lot of charisma. I’m not in favor of casting this like a CW show, but it seems to me Peter Parker should be a charismatic character underneath his shy, homebody exterior — that’s the internal energy that bursts out when he’s Spider-Man, that’s what becomes liberated when he puts on t he mask, but it should be apparent, as a potential, even when he’s not in superhero mode.

As for MJ, she should present as a Bad Girl, as misunderstood and underestimated by the world as Peter is. Recasting these actors can only improve the impact of the franchise.

And by all means, they should kill Gwen.”

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