Sony Pictures is "rebooting" the Spider-Man franchise after director Sam Raimi pulled out over fears he could not meet the planned May, 2011, release date while maintaining the film's "creative integrity," Deadline Hollywood reports this evening.
Deadline Hollywood's Mike Fleming was told that this means Raimi and his cast, including Tobey Maguire, are out, and there will be no Spider-Man 4. Instead, the studio will shoot for a summer 2012 release of a script by Jamie Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Darkness Falls) with a new director and cast.
According to the official Sony Pictures press release, the new script will follow Peter Parker's high school years and focus "on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises":
a decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter's roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
source: National Post Tweet This
