Spider-Man 4 Over, Sony Reboots With New Cast

Are we surprised that the latest Spider-Man movie has been pushed back an entire year? Are we shocked that it will no longer be Spider-Man 4, but some reboot that includes new actors and a new premise? If this announcement throws you for a loop, you haven’t been following the play by play of drama that has surrounded the film since its inception. According to Comingsoon, Sony has decided to start from scratch with the Spider-Man franchise, which means no Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, or Sam Raimi.

The last time we heard about the development of the film, Sony and Raimi were both having issues with the script. They couldn’t settle on a story that they both liked, so the studio has released a statement revealing their solo plans for the web slinging series. Instead of going Raimi’s route, they will produce the James Vanderbilt screenplay that focuses on “a teenage Peter Parker grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.”

Even though Tobey Maguire still has a youthful face he can’t pull off a teenager anymore, which means he’s no longer in the picture. This also means that a new director will take over the project, and Raimi is no longer attached. He released an official statement regarding his feelings about Sony’s decision to move along without him or his cast.

“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.”

Apparently, Raimi didn’t feel as if he could make the deadline needed to complete the film so he pulled out of Spider-Man 4, before the studio made their final decision to scrap the whole thing. There’s some speculation that the reboot may be in 3-D, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. The new film is slated for a 2012 release, one year after the pitched 2011 date that Sony set for Spidey 4.

My opinion on this is hot and cold. I would have loved to see Raimi redeem himself in the eyes of comic book fans everywhere, but unfortunately it’s not going to happen. I’m more than happy that we won’t have to see Kirsten Dunst in the role of Mary Jane. That was some of the worst casting ever, and if anything or anyone needed to be scrapped it was her. In the coming weeks after the announcement settles, Sony will have more info on the Spider-Man reboot, so until then stay tuned!

What do you think about Sony’s decision to reboot Spider-Man? Should they have given Raimi another chance?