Posted by Richard Pulfer on Jan 12th, 2010
The big news on the Marvel side is that Sam Raimi and company are out of Spider-Man 4. Raimi felt he could keep neither maintain the release date Sony intended, nor the creative integrity of the film.
After Spider-Man 3 – a box office sensation but a critically-panned piece – Sony wooed a reluctant Raimi back for a fourth installment. Raimi had initially intended the Vulture to be one of the key villains of the third film – along with Sandman and the new Goblin – and has reportedly starting designing the costume and casting Ben Kingsley for the role, but studio involvement lead the Vulture to be replaced with Venom. Spider-Man 4 was to include the Vulture as the primary villain, possibly alongside the Black Cat. But just hours after John Malkovich was confirmed as the leading pick for the Vulture, news of Raimi’s departure from the project hit.
So what’s next for the webslinger? Apparently a more “gritty” and “contemporary” take on the possibly-not-so-friendly Neighbor Spider-Man. Even more frustrating is how some spectators are framing the news, such as how Entertainment Weekly’s Nicole Sperling notes the news as “a move similar to Batman Begins restarting the Batman franchise seven years after Batman and Robin underwhelmed fans and critics.” But there’s a multitude of differences here. First, though “Spider-Man 3″ was a let-down, it was not the franchise-crashing debacle “Batman and Robin” was. Secondly, many fault Sony more than Raimi for “Spider-Man 3″, as the rash inclusion of Venom negatively affected both Raimi’s original vision and the fan-favorite Venom’s introduction. And finally, Warner Brothers sacked “Batman and Robin” director Joel Schumacher, waiting eight years before attempting a reboot. Meanwhile, Sam Raimi left the “Spider-Man” franchise, and Sony began plotting the reboot immediately after his departure.
Most likely, a new Spider-Man film will have more in common with “The Incredible Hulk”, which rebooted Ang Lee’s failed “Hulk” movie five years earlier. Some things were better in the gamma-irradiated reboot (more Marvel connections and an action-oriented plot) and some things were not (replacing Sam Elliot’s awesome General Ross with William Hurt’s smarmy version.) But while neither Louis Leterrier nor Ang Lee were able to launch the Hulk into a sustainable franchise, Sam Raimi all but defined the brand of “Spider-Man” for three movies – two of them among the best comic book films of all times. Sony and Hollywood can downplay this all they want, but whoever steps into Sam Raimi’s job will have some Yao Ming-sized shoes to fill, to say nothing of how the franchise can possibly continue without Bruce Campbell!
To see what’s in store for the rest of Marvel Comics, click page 2.
Related posts:
- Comic Rundown: Spider-Pool
- Comic Rundown: Dark Lantern
- Comic Rundown: Supermodel Marvels
- Comic Rundown: The Golden Guys
- Comic Rundown: Marvel Gets Dark and Dirty
Related posts:
- Comic Rundown: Spider-Pool
- Comic Rundown: Dark Lantern
- Comic Rundown: Supermodel Marvels
- Comic Rundown: The Golden Guys
- Comic Rundown: Marvel Gets Dark and Dirty
Posted in comics, entertainment, geek
1
Comments are currently closed.
Wow… brainshare. XD