Rumors are circulating that Tobey McGuire, star of the last three Spiderman movies, has been dropped for the next one. Apparently he was only contracted as Peter Parker/Spiderman for the first three, plus there’s speculation that he won’t be signed up for more as the last one didn’t do as well at the box office. 

Apparently, the plan is to give the franchise a younger feel – that must be encouraging for Maguire, 32 – and bring in Almost Famous star Patrick Fugit or, possibly, Michael Angarano – who’s about to be seen in Jackie Chan / Jet Li actioner The Forbidden Kingdom.

There’s no word yet on whether Sam Raimi will be back in the director’s chair – or if Kirsten Dunst will return as Mary-Jane.

[Note: Spiderman 3 grossed about $900m worldwide. Most people would kill to have a flop like this. ]

Rumors are flying that that the next two Spider-man sequels could be shot simultaneously, much like the way the Wachowski brothers filmed the final two Matrix films.

The good news is a finished draft of a proposed Spider-man 4 script has been turned in by well known scribe James Vanderbilt, who wrote the excellent screenplay to Zodiac. At the very least, the films are in the hands of a good writer. However, it is still unclear as to whether or not the big three (Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst) will return for two more films. I don’t care if they’re written and directed by the Coen Brothers, if they don’t come back, then these films should never see the light of day. 

Apparently, the screenplay turned in by Vanderbilt will allow the studio to put the fifth film into production at the same time, which suggests that the story will expand over two movies instead of giving us the villain(or villains) of the week.

A recent report suggested that Marvel is altering the character of Spiderman to cater to Internation countries.

After successful alteration in Japan, Marvel is doing the same in China. Here’s the story:

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1202504/

I think it’s great that they are entering new markets and increasing the exposure of Spiderman throughout the world. However, the following statement got me thinking:

“…The production’s character [Spiderman] image, dressing, and plot will cater for the taste of customers, said Mr. Philips, and Marvel will authorize local companies to do the job as it made a success in India and Japan,…”

What does everyone think about this? I’m all for catering to local tastes like McDonald’s does in every country, but Ronald McDonald doesn’t change. You don’t expect to see Ronald in a Samurai outfit around the McDonald’s in Japan, do you? Next, we’ll see Superman with the Star of David on his chest because DC wants to influence and improve throughout Israel.

In my opinion, you study the current market (i.e. country you’re wanting to enter)and make minor adjustments not to offend is fine. But the thought of changing Spiderman’s image, dressing and plot is a damaging the Spiderman brand and franchise. 

Rumors continue to swirl around whether or not Sam Raimi will return to direct Spider-Man 4. As we keep you updated on that front, the studio is already moving ahead with trying to bang out a script for the fourth installment in the arachnid knight’s neverending quest to whine about how great power means great responsibility, etc.

The latest move to ensure that their spidey cash cow doesn’t keel over from inactivity by the studio is bringing in James Vanderbilt, last seen writing the crime procedural “Zodiac” (and before that making people dizzy with his head-spinning yarn in “Basic”), to take a crack at the script. He’ll be replacing screenwriter David Koepp, who wrote the first two films, and was brought in to take a stab at the latest draft.

No release date has been set for the fourth installment…as of yet.

Thanks for everyone’s patience. After some technical difficulties, we’re back up and ready to report the latest news on all things Spiderman!!!

WonderCon celebrates its 22nd year as Northern California’s most popular comics and pop culture event with a return to Moscone Center South on February 22-24, 2008. The February date solidifies WonderCon’s status as the first major convention of the year in the United States.

Plans for next year’s show are already in the works, with ten incredible comics guests already lined up (click here for details). In addition to the announcement of the World Premiere of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation’s Justice League: The New Frontier (click here for more information), WonderCon is working on another great schedule of exclusive programs. That schedule will once again include major comics publishers such as DC Comics, Dark Horse, Image, Top Cow, Aspen, IDW, Boom! Studios, and SLG Publishing. In addition, we’re talking to the major Hollywood studios and television networks about once again participating in the event.

Coming off its biggest year ever in 2007, with 20,000 attendees and a record number of exhibitors and programs, WonderCon continues to grow. Last year’s event saw increased interest from Hollywood, with movie panels devoted to 300 (with stars Gerard Butler and Lena Headey, and director Zack Snyder, and 600 lucky attendees saw the movie in IMAX a week before it hit theaters), Ratatouille (director Brad Bird and Patton Oswalt, the voice of Remy), Resident Evil: Extinction (stars Ali Larter and Oded Fehr), and special Sunday TV panels devoted to Jericho (with stars Skeet Ulrich and Ashley Scott), Drive (Nathan Fillion) and TV Guide’s look at genre TV (with Jeph Loeb of Heroes, Billy Campbell and Ira S. Behr of The 4400 and scifi icons Richard Hatch and Chase Masterson). Comics-oriented panels dominated the schedule, including spotlights on each of WonderCon’s special guests, publisher presentations, and popular panels such as “Cover Story: The Art of the Comics Cover.” 2008 promises to offer more along those same lines.

WonderCon’s headquarters hotel this year is the San Francisco Marriott, located just a few short blocks from Moscone Center (click here for details). WonderCon takes place in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with plenty of other attractions including shopping, museums, restaurants and nightlife, to make your convention experience even better. If you’ve been to WonderCon in the past, you know it’s one of the most fun and fastest-growing events on the convention calendar. And if you haven’t visited yet, this is the year to do it! Check back often for breaking news on WonderCon, including the complete program schedule and exhibitor list, as we get closer to the event. Make WonderCon 2008 and February in San Francisco your first convention of the New Year!

What’s probably the most can’t-miss title of December 2007? AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! And you’re getting it three times a month as “Brand New Day” launches into the stratosphere! Brace yourself for three issues of Dan Slott/Steve McNiven awesomeness as Spidey deals with the aftermath of “One More Day” and marches boldly forward!

- Pick from a tri-fecta of Marvel Illustrated books this month: PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY #2, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK #6 and the brand new ILIAD #1!

- ULTIMATES 3! You’ve been waiting, begging and pleading and the time has come. Jeph Loeb, Joe Madureira and Chris Lichtner team up to toss the Ultimate Universe on its ear! And with two covers, it won’t matter if you pick heroes or villains! Either way, you win!

- Oh but the Ultimate goodness doesn’t end there. ULTIMATE IRON MAN II kicks off, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN’s “Death of a Goblin” storyarc comes to a close and all kinds of crazy run through the ULTIMATE FF and X-MEN titles.

- Brace yourself for more World War Hulk fallout! The big green event leaves many questions and INCREDIBLE HULK #113 and WORLD WAR HULK: WARBOUND may just answer a few of them. But how many will they stir up themselves?

- Even before the first issue hits shelves, fans are going bonkers for Jonathan Lethem’s reinvention of OMEGA THE UNKNOWN! And the third issue, hitting in December definitely keeps up the pace and amps up the off-beat, super cool action that Lethem and artist Farel Dalrymple have in store.

- Are you ready for four issues of “X-Men: Messiah CompleX” crossover action? We don’t think you are. But you will be, come December. Hopefully by then, you’ll also be prepped for “CompleX” issues of MARVEL SPOTLIGHT and MUTANT FILES, two info-packed one-shots.

- And still, there’s more mutant madness! Three Wolverine books: the solo book, ORIGINS and and a one-shot entitled FIREBREAK! Plus a little book called ASTONISHING X-MEN and the brand new WHAT IF? X-MEN: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SHI’AR EMPIRE.

- Speaking of WHAT IF, feast your eyes on the cover of WHAT IF? CIVIL WAR. Seriously. If that doesn’t sell you on it, we don’t know what will. Okay, how about if we told you it featured crazy new stories by Ed Brubaker, Marko Djurdjevic, Christos Gage, Kevin Grevioux and more? Done!

- And the rest? Well, there’s more zombie action in MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 #3, the Avengers vs. the Hood and his crew in NEW AVENGERS #37, an ending and a beginning in THOR #6 and much more.

SpidermanMovieBlog.info

Is the story for “Spider-Man 4” already planned? With the well-received appearance of Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) in “Spider-Man 3,” comic purists once again bemoaned what they felt was missed opportunity, railing against the filmmakers for replacing Spidey’s first real love with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). But never fear comic fans, the Stacy family will have a much bigger role to play in future installments, veteran actor James Cromwell told MTV News. Asked if his character, Captain George Stacy, meets the same grisly end in “Spider-Man 3” that he does in the comics, Cromwell playfully replied, “They haven’t shot that [scene] yet. That’s the next one.”

Is Cromwell to be believed? In “The Amazing Spider-Man” #90, Captain Stacy is crushed and killed by falling debris during a fight between Spider-Man and Doc Ock. While Captain Stacy’s death might not have the same resonance in the films as it does in the comics, it does make some sense from a story perspective. His end could serve to both re-introduce Gwen into Spider-Man’s life and provide yet another turning point in Peter’s ultimate journey — galvanizing the superhero with a failure of real consequence.

What are your thoughts on this possible direction for “Spider-Man 4?” Make your voice heard in our comments below.

SpidermanMovieBlog.info

Tobey Maguire spoke to SCI-FI Wire in regards to the chances he would return for Spider-Man 4 and he remained open to a fourth film, with reservations. Maguire, and no one else in the cast to my knowledge, is contracted for a fourth film but of course as long as the stars align I can’t imagine Tobey or anyone else turning down some cash for another shot at glory in the increasingly successful franchise.

Maguire told SCI-FI Wire, “Well, it’s possible that we make another movie… It all depends on if there’s a story worth telling. I feel very proud of the three movies that we’ve made. I feel like the stories all deserve to be told, and, you know, if they come up with a good movie, and the whole team wants to get back together, and we feel like we can make a good movie that’s worth making, then I’m up for it.”

Kirsten Dunst has seemed to be the biggest flip-flopper on the issue and is currently on the same side as Tobey saying, “There’s an openness at the end [of Spider-Man 3], which I like, but … I feel like this is a trilogy unto itself… And I think if we venture into a fourth, it will be some time from now and in a new way. Because I don’t think Sam can do that: continuing on this same course. I think he needs to venture as an artist and do other things; otherwise, none of us will have anything good to bring to the fourth. So I think we all need to venture out a little bit, and then maybe we’ll come back together one day and do another one.”

I read the end of that quote and think Dunst is talking a little more about herself than Sam Raimi. Granted it is certainly odd for a filmmaker to get trapped into one series of films, take Darren Bousman and the Saw series as an example. However, Raimi seems extremely dedicated to Spider-Man and if he has the story and Spider-Man 3 does as well as I think it will I can’t see him delaying too long on a fourth film. Especially if he can get the whole cast back. Dunst has already said, “I would work with Sam on any movie he wanted to work on it with me, because I just adore that man.” Sounds like dedication to me.

The first signs of possible change in the fabled franchise are seen in Wizard Magazine where director Sam Raimi said, “I was so exhausted at the end of ‘Spider-Man 3′ I can’t tell you. My love for the characters and my passion for the stories are the same, but I was just a shell of the person that I was after all of those movies … I don’t know if I’ll be directing the picture or not, but I’d like to say that it would be somebody that was the best gift I could give to Spider-Man — someone who understands him and loves him and could bring his passion and love to the character. A character director probably; no one else.”

SpidermanMovieBlog.info