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Is JACKASS 3 in 3D Arriving in 2010?Gary Ross Re-Writing SPIDER-MAN 4
by Matt Goldberg Posted:July 8th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
While I remain in disbelief that they’re even making a “Spider-Man 4″ (I know it’s actually happening; I just thought it would remain in development hell for longer, especially after the disappointment of the third film), it’s not slowing down with Variety reporting that writer/director Gary Ross is coming on board to re-write the script. The script was first handled by James Vanderbilt (”Zodiac”) and then David Lindsay-Abaire (”Inkheart”). The addition of Ross, who wrote “Dave”, “Pleasantville”, and “Seabiscuit”, signals that the new installment may be headed in a slightly saccharine direction. That’s not the worst thing. Spidey is a character that can go dark and brooding but he can also be light-hearted and fancy-free. Personally, I’ve had a little too much dark and brooding and bringing Ross on board says “We know ‘The Dark Knight’ was successful but we’re going to do our own thing.” Good for them.
“Spider-Man 4″ is currently slated to hit theatres on May 6, 2011. Sam Raimi will return to direct and Tobey Maguire is returning as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
Addendum: I don’t know about the rest of you (people that won’t comment on this article), but on a related note, I’m a little bummed with all this talk about Morbius or The Lizard being the villain. They’re both a little rote and visually limited beyond a monster-movie vibe (which I wouldn’t put past Raimi). I’d much rather see a less-interesting villain open up the movie (Rhino, Shocker) and then once he’s defeated, hand it over to a villain that can offer thematic resonance to Peter. I’m thinking Mysterio (what you could do with trippy illusions and getting inside Peter’s head) or Vulture (not only would the aerial acrobatics and fights be cool, but it could provide a good contrast on letting go of what’s superficial and what it means to let go of childish things).
I would also love to see Black Cat in a film but I just can’t think of any way to squeeze her in without over-stuffing the film, which was Spidey 3’s major problem.