Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments
The
Amazing Spider-Man (aka Spiderman 4)
12/9/11 - New poster released through SuperHeroHype.
7/21/11 - New trailer just released!!
2/14/11 - Columbia Pictures will call the film, which hit theaters on July 3, 2012 starring Andrew Garfield, The Amazing Spider-Man. The teenage superhero Spider-Man made his first appearance in the pages of a 1962 comic book called "Amazing Fantasy," issue No. 15. He proved so popular with readers that publisher Marvel Comics created "The Amazing Spider-Man" series in 1963.
12/3/10 - Campbell Scott has joined the cast of Columbia’s new Spider-Man movie while Irrfan Khan, Annie Parisse and Julianne Nicholson are in various stages of discussions to also join the production. Scott and Nicholson will be Parker’s parents, who leave their son an orphan. Parker’s parents have rarely been seen in the various Marvel comic book series and have never appeared on-screen. It is unclear if they will appear in flashbacks, in a prologue or during the course of the movie.
11/17/10 - Denis Leary is in negotiations to play the father of Emma Stone in the Spider-Man movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Stone is playing the love interest of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Leary will play police captain George Stacy, her father who frequently came into contact with the web-slinging superhero. In Marvel Comics lore, Stacy perished in an accident during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, an event that led Gwen Stacy to hate the hero. Studio Columbia Pictures and director Marc Webb are keeping the script under lock and key so it's uncertain how faithful to the core story Leary's version of the character will be.
11/4/10 - Martin Sheen is in final negotiations to play Uncle Ben in the new Spider-Man movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Uncle Ben role was played by Cliff Robertson in Columbia's first "Spider-Man" trilogy. The studio is rebooting the franchise with a new, younger cast. Sheen, 70, and 17 years Robertson's junior, will join a cast that includes Andrew Garfield as Parker, Emma Stone as love interest Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans as the movie's unnamed villain. Shooting will start next month with Marc Webb at the helm.
10/14/10 - According to
TheWrap.com, Rhys Ifans will play Dr. Curt Connors, A.K.A. The Lizard.
A rep for Sony had no comment on the report when contacted by Access.
The website also reported that fan-favorite villain Venom will not be
part of the reboot, which will star Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and
Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.
10/11/10 - Andrew Garfield's new Spider-man will face off against Rhys Ifans, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Welsh actor has been cast as the villain in the Spider-man reboot. Marvel Studios confirmed Ifans' casting on Monday, but it's still playing coy as to which villain from the Spider-man canon he will play.
10/5/10 - Emma Stone is Spider-Man's newest leading lady, Columbia Pictures confirmed. Emma will play Gwen Stacy opposite Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker. "It's been an incredible journey for us to watch Emma's star rise as an actress," Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures said in a statement. "She is extraordinarily talented and has a very special on-screen spark that is perfect for this role. Given her history with the studio, casting her in one of our most important franchises is a real thrill." Marc Webb, who is set to direct the next "Spider-Man," based on a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, said the interaction between Andrew and Emma was amazing. "The chemistry between Andrew and Emma was stunning and made Emma the clear choice," Marc said in a statement. "At the heart of the story of Peter Parker is not only the amazing Spider-Man, but also an ordinary teenager who is wondering what he has to do to get the girl. Andrew and Emma will bring everything audiences expect to these roles, but also make them their own. Much to my surprise, it was fun to find out that our choice for Gwen (Emma) is also a natural blonde." Earlier this week, rumors circled that Emma might step into the role of popular Spidey love interest Mary Jane Watson -- the role previously played by Kirsten Dunst in the first three film installments. As of now, there is no word on whether another actress will step into that role or if the character will be completely absent from either the upcoming film, or perhaps, from the entire franchise reboot altogether. Spider-Man will hit theaters in 3-D on July 3, 2012.
10/4/10 - Emma Stone will be offered the role of Mary Jane Watson in Sony's Spider-Man, according to Deadline Hollywood and Entertainment Weekly. She would step into the role previously played by Kirsten Dunst in the franchise's first three films. In July, Sony announced that Andrew Garfield would take over from Tobey Maguire.
7/1/10 - Andrew Garfield has been cast as Peter Parker in the next Spider-Man movie, distributor Sony Pictures announced Thursday. The Spider-Man film begins shooting in December and is due in theaters July 3, 2012. Marc Webb is directing. Garfield and Webb got the jobs after star Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi departed amid story and scheduling issues over a fourth movie.
5/14/10 - Alvin Sargent has been brought on board to fine-tune Columbia’s Spider-Man reboot being directed by Marc Webb, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The studio is working off a script by Jamie Vanderbilt, who wrote a draft of Spider-Man 4 before the studio scrapped its plans for the sequel to re-start the series. Sargent is doing a production polish as the studio runs with eight legs toward a planned shoot later this year. Sargent did uncredited rewrite work on the first “Spider-Man” and shared credit on “Spider-Man 2” and “Spider-Man 3.” He was in the middle of working on “Spider-Man 4” when the plug was pulled.
2/10/10 - Spider-Man will swing into theaters worldwide in 3D beginning July 3, 2012, it was announced today by Jeff Blake, Chairman of Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing & Distribution. The new film which is still untitled, will begin production later this year directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios. Commenting on the announcement, Blake said, "Spider-Man is the ultimate summer movie-going experience, and we're thrilled the filmmakers are presenting the next installment in 3D. Spider-Man is one of the most popular characters in the world, and we know audiences are eager and excited to discover Marc's fantastic vision for Peter Parker and the franchise."
1/20/10 - Marc Webb will direct the fourth Spiderman movie, which is expected in theaters in 2012, Columbia Pictures said on Tuesday. Webb replaces Sam Raimi at the helm of the movie series that has raked in $2.5 billion worldwide at theaters since 2002. Earlier this month, the studio said it wanted to turn a new chapter in the movies and take the Marvel comic-book crime fighter's alter ego, Peter Parker, back to high school. Raimi and actor Tobey Maguire, who had portrayed Parker/Spider-Man, bowed out of the production, paving the way for a new director and star, who has yet to be named.
1/12/10 - James Vanderbilt is reportedly already writing a reboot of the Spiderman franchise. The New York Times says that script focuses on Peter Parker in high school and would debut in the summer of 2012 with a new cast and filmmaking team. Meanwhile, Spider-Man director Sam Raimi issued a gracious statement about the news:
"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."
The Los Angeles Times reported that Raimi and Sony parted ways in part over budget: The studio wanted to spend $230 million for the fourth installment, quite a bit less than the earlier films, and Raimi felt this was inadequate.
Entertainment Weekly, meanwhile, said the studio is seeking a more Dark Knight approach to the franchise, which it had been developing in secret:
The next Spider-Man film will be a reboot of the franchise, not a continuation of series Sam Raimi created back in 2002—in a move similar to Batman Begins restarting the Batman franchise seven years after Batman and Robin underwhelmed fans and critics. This time around, the series will place Peter Parker in a more contemporary setting, as a teenager battling today's issues. The decision to go with an origin story stemmed from Sony developing two Spidey projects simultaneously. According to studio insiders, Sony was working on both Raimi's Spider-Man 4 and the new origin story from James Vanderbilt, who wrote Zodiac. The original plan was to keep the Spider-Man gang together for one last film in 2011 before rebooting the series in 2012. When it became clear that Raimi would not be able to make the summer 2011 release date planned for Spider-Man 4, the studio opted to scrap Spider-Man 4 altogether, and focus solely on the series reboot.
1/6/10 - Sony and director Sam Raimi are at loggerheads over which direction to go with the villains for the latest installment -- an impasse that has prompted the studio to delay its scheduled spring production start and potentially to bump the picture from its May 11, 2011 release slot, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Raimi wants to have a criminal known as the Vulture act as the primary antagonist in the film while the studio, which dislikes the idea of the winged wrongdoer, is pushing for a romantic sub-plot involving a burglar named the Black Cat in addition to another villain. A succession of writers has tried to marry the two parties' differing visions to no effect. The differing views about the villain have their origins in the making of Spider-Man 3. Raimi wanted to use classic villain Vulture in addition to Sandman, another classic creation, for that movie. The studio pushed him to use Venom, a character that was introduced in the late 1980s, because it thought that character, with its slick alien-symbiotic origin, would lend itself to more effective marketing material and a way to attract kids. Spider-Man 3, while ensnaring $890 million in its worldwide web, turned out to be reviled by both the fanboy community and by many critics. Production still could begin by this summer. While Sony insiders maintain the film still could remain in its current release date, a shift to a date later in summer 2011 may be more likely considering the lack of a final script for the visual effects-driven project.
8/17/09 - Spider-Man 4 is eyeing a production start early next year, and Sony Pictures has already hired screenwriter James Vanderbilt to draft chapters five and six, Variety reported. Vanderbilt was the first writer on Spider-Man 4; director Sam Raimi brought on David Lindsay-Abaire to rewrite him, and Gary Ross is now rewriting that script. Spider-Man 4 is aiming for a May 2011 release. Raimi didn't embrace all of Vanderbilt's ideas, but execs at Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios have. Vanderbilt has been hired to pen the fifth and sixth movies, which have an interconnected storyline. That's what was originally discussed when Vanderbilt signed on to write Spider-Man 4, but the idea of shooting a fourth and fifth film back to back with the original cast was scrapped. Sources said it was unclear whether Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst will be back. If they aren't, Vanderbilt's script would be the blueprint for a franchise reboot.
7/9/09 - Seabiscuit writer/director Gary Ross has been brought on board to do a rewrite, according to The Hollywood Reporter: Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, respectively, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. James Vanderbilt also reportedly worked on the script. Spider-Man 4 is slated for release in May 2011.
6/10/09 - Kirsten Dunst will return as Mary Jane Watson, "Spider-Man 4" producer Todd Black told the New York Post. The star will rejoin director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker's love interest in the latest installment in the popular superhero franchise, which is slated for May 6, 2011. However, don't expect wedding bells for Mary Jane and Peter, Black said. At the close of "Spider-Man 3," the two had an emotional - but ambiguous - reunion after the film's events drove the lovers apart. Additionally, Black hinted at the film's villain, shooting down online rumors that pegged comic book character Morbius the Living Vampire as the latest member of Spidey's rogue gallery. Instead, the producer told the Post that the villain had a significant connection to the Big Apple. "We're just coming up with who the villain is now," he said. "We'll be shooting in New York again. Trust me, people will appreciate who we pick, because it'll be a big part of New York." Among the popular options are Kraven the Hunter, Chameleon, the Hobgoblin, Mysterio, Venom offspring Carnage and the Lizard, whose human alter-ego, Dr. Curt Connors, had a role in the previous two movies.
5/19/09 - Sam Raimi, who is developing Spider-Man 4, said he is about four weeks away from reading a screenplay draft from writer David Lindsey-Abaire and added that he's taking fan concerns about the last installment seriously. SCI FI Wire compiled the following interview.
Spider-Man 3 took a lot of criticism even though it was successful. Do you take that into consideration when you're developing the fourth one?
Raimi: Do I take the criticism into consideration? Yeah, absolutely. I don't make an artistic type of picture that I can say to myself, "Even if this crowd doesn't like it, it stands as a work of art and will be appreciated years later or has meaning without the audience." I simply am an entertainer, and I make films for audience appreciation. When they don't like it, I don't have a leg to stand on. You really want to please people.
What did you particularly take to heart? Would you go back to a single villain?
Raimi: I'm still working on Spider-Man 4. More properly, the writer is writing the screenplay right now. David Lindsay-Abaire, a New York playwright, is in New York supposedly writing. We'll see. I gotta call that guy. He should be done with his script in about four weeks, I think. I think I'd be better prepared to answer that question once I've read that script and know what the movie is.
Have you exhausted Spider-Man 3 co-writer Alvin Sargent?
Raimi: No, I think that Alvin is inexhaustible. He has got so many great stories and characters and great humor and drama within him that it would be impossible. But I wanted to work in a new way and a new direction. I had just read this great play that David Lyndsay-Abaire had written called Rabbit Hole, and I just really wanted to work with him on Peter Parker.
Was a fourth film an easy call?
Raimi: I only wanted to do it with Tobey [Maguire] because my interest is in living the character with Tobey in a deeper way than we ever have lived it before. There comes with the familiarity a knowledge of a lot of the basics. I think it's really going to allow us to delve deeply into him as a human being, which is really why I'm into it this time.
3/31/09 – SCI FI Wire reported that Sam Raimi said the film's script, by David Lindsay-Abaire, should be ready by summer. "Right now, David Lindsay-Abaire is working on a draft of the new picture," Raimi said. "And he's hard at work, and hopefully we'll see something in about three months." Raimi said that the film has to make its previously announced May 6, 2011, release date. Tobey Maguire has reportedly signed on to reprise the title role. Raimi added that it's a bit early to discuss other casting, though he does plan to reassemble the core cast, which includes Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane. Raimi also declined to discuss possible villains for the fourth installment in the Marvel Comics franchise. "I'm not at liberty to discuss the villains yet," Raimi said. "I think I have to wait till the finished screenplay, and then it'd really be up to Sony Pictures and the producers to determine when they want to release that information. To them, it's usually a big, a big, big thing, a big moment where they want to present the villain with the proper respect or fear that he or she deserves."
3/16/09 - Spider-Man director Sam Raimi told MTV.com that he's working out ideas for an expected fourth Spider-Man movie. "The writers, producers and I are working out what the story will be, but we haven't been talking in terms of part four and five," Raimi said. "I've read that about Spider-Man 5 also, but right now we're just working on the story for Spider-Man 4, just that one film." Raimi added: "We're definitely talking about working from all the material in the comic books and nothing invented outside of that. All the characters or villains or villains, whatever we decide to do will be from Stan Lee's creations or those that came after him." Villians? "I do have a pretty good idea, but I'm just not at liberty to say yet," he said. Both Raimi and Kirsten Dunst have expressed interest in her returning as Peter Parker's unattainable girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson. Marvel announced last week that Spider-Man 4 will come out on May 6, 2011.
2/2/09 – Sam Raimi may be bringing a proposed fourth installment of the franchise back to his home state. "I'll be looking at Michigan for our second-unit photography on the new Spider-Man film," Raimi told The Oakland Press. Raimi's producing partner Rob Tapert, also a native of Michigan, elaborated: "We look at the bottom line on every single project in determining where we ultimately end up shooting. Given that most of the projects we make we can shoot almost anywhere, we can look at whether it's in Romania, New Zealand, Australia, New Mexico or Canada. Film incentives are an incredibly important part of the equation." Raimi is slated to begin production on Spider-Man 4 in 2010.
1/23/09 - MTV.com reports that the proposed fourth film in the Spider-Man franchise will begin shooting in 2010, and actor J.K. Simmons revealed that he'll continue in the role of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson: "I saw Sam [Raimi] at his Christmas party," Simmons told MTV.
10/31/08 - Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire is in final negotiations to write Spider-Man 4 for Columbia Pictures, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest movie featuring the Marvel Comics character. The plot details are under lock and key. Columbia always has gone off the beaten path during the development process when hiring writers for the Spider-Man movies. Alvin Sargent, a veteran scribe best known for 1973's Paper Moon and 1980's Ordinary People, served as a writer on the second and third films. Michael Chabon, another Pulitzer winner, also worked on Spider-Man 2. James Vanderbilt previously wrote a draft of Spider-Man 4.
9/30/08 - MTV.com reported that Kirsten Dunst confirmed--then backed off confirming--that she will reprise the role of Mary Jane Watson in a proposed Spider-Man 4.
9/8/08 - Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily reported that Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi will return to make a fourth movie in the hit franchise. Citing anonymous sources, the site also reported that Jamie Vanderbilt (Zodiac) wrote the script for Spider-Man 4. There's no deal yet for Kirsten Dunst, but Mary Jane Watson will be in the movie again. Sony is taking its time officially hiring the movie's villain, since principal photography won't start on Spider-Man 4 until next fall because of the recently postponed May 2011 release. Sony is also trying to figure out if it can shoot Spider-Man 4 and 5 at the same time.
7/25/08 - Sam Raimi, the writer and director of the first three Spider-Man films, said a proposed fourth installment is still in the very early stages. James Vanderbilt is attached to write the fourth sequel, which is already slated for a 2011 release.
6/27/08 - Spider-Man producer Laura Ziskin is eyeing a May 2011 release date for a proposed fourth installment of the superhero franchise.
06/06/08 - Spider-Man director Sam Raimi said recently that he's waiting on a script for a fourth installment from writer James Vanderbilt before deciding whether to helm it, though he'd like to. Raimi said, “I think it's going to be done in a few months. I'm hoping it's as great as our discussions were about it and hoping it feels right for me, because I love Spider-Man, and I'm hoping I'm well-enough rested to, like, really embrace it and hoping that Sony wants me at that time to direct it. So if all those things come together, I would love, love to do it. But this is a lot of unknowns about the future." Asked whether he'd recast the roles of Peter Parker or Mary Jane Watson--who have each moved on to other projects--Raimi demurred. "Well, I hate to recast anybody in the picture," he said. "I couldn't imagine that.”
10/18/07 - Filmmaker Sam Raimi said he met with Spider-Man producers about a new direction for the series, leaving open the possibility he'll helm a fourth installment.
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