Whatever Happened To Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4?
Following the release of Spider-Man 3, Sam Raimi’s third movie in the Spider-Man franchise, a fourth movie was planned with a May 2011 release date. Speculation arose about the possible storyline in the next Spidey movie and rumours about the potential villains circulated.
Sadly, Spider-Man 4 never came to be. The movie was cancelled, which was disappointing for fans of the friendly-neighbourhood webhead and Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of the red-suited superhero.
So, what went wrong? Why didn’t Sam Raimi direct another Spider-Man movie? Let’s take a closer look at the reasons for the movie’s no-show.
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man
Pre-2000, superhero movies were not the big deal that they are today. While 1978’s Superman and 1989’s Batman received critical acclaim and audience adoration, many other movies within the genre failed to generate a lot of enthusiasm.
For a while, it looked as if the superhero bubble had burst, largely thanks to the critical and audience backlash towards Batman and Robin in 1997, but then the double-whammy of 1998’s Blade and 2000’s X-Men burst onto our screens, giving audiences renewed hope that superhero movies could…and please forgive the wording here… be super!
Both movies were well-received but it was 2002’s Spider-Man that truly impressed audiences and critics. The friendly-neighbourhood web slinger’s arrival had long been anticipated but it had been stuck in development hell for decades, in a web that not even potential Spidey director James Cameron could free himself from.
Thankfully, Sam Raimi was able to get a Spider-Man movie off the ground and on its release, it received widespread critical acclaim. The movie did very well at the box office too, with a worldwide gross of $825 million, so it’s little wonder that Sony decided to move ahead with a sequel.
Spider-Man 2 was released in 2004 and while it earned a little less at the box office than its predecessor, many considered it a superior film. Unsurprisingly, Spider-Man 3 was put into production shortly after but this time around, Sam Raimi lost some of his creative control when Sony made venomous demands regarding the movie’s story.
Spider-Man 3 landed in theatres in 2007 and it eventually grossed $875 million at the worldwide box office. This was the highest-grossing movie of Raimi’s trilogy but in terms of reviews, it fared quite badly. This isn’t to say the movie is unenjoyable but Sony’s insistence that Raimi should include Venom within the movie’s mix of villains ultimately proved to be its downfall. With too many bad guys and too many plot strands, the movie was something of a mess as a consequence.
But despite Raimi’s frustration at the studio interference that marred his threequel, he still signed on to direct a fourth movie.
Spider-Man 4: Potential Villains
Several years before Vulture made his movie debut in Spider-Man Homecoming, the winged villain, aka Adrian Toomes, was a potential bad guy for Sam Raimi’s next Spidey movie.
John Malkovich was apparently locked-in for the part but he wasn’t the only actor set to take on villainous duties in Spider-Man 4. Several other prominent names were rumoured for the movie, including Anne Hathaway as the leather-clad vigilante Black Cat, and Dylan Baker as Dr. Curt Connors’ monstrous alter-ego, the Lizard.
It was also speculated that Raimi’s long-time friend and collaborator Bruce Campbell would be in the movie as Mysterio.
Unfortunately, as great as these casting decisions were, we never did get to see these actors in those villainous roles. Instead, Rhys Ifans took on the role of the Lizard in Marc Webb’s rebooted Spider-Man movie in 2012 and Michael Keaton and Jake Gyllenhall featured as Vulture and Mysterio respectively in the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies.
But what about Spider-Man 4? Why didn’t we get to see Vulture and the other rumoured villains in that movie?
Why Spider-Man 4 Didn’t Happen
Tobey Maguire was all set to reprise his role as Spider-Man in the fourth movie. As evidenced by a statement he gave, he was excited at the prospect too.
He said:
“I am so proud of what we accomplished with the Spider-Man franchise over the last decade. Beyond the films themselves I have formed some deep and lasting friendships. I am excited to see the next chapter unfold in this incredible story.” (source)
Despite Tobey’s enthusiasm for the project, we never got to see him in the role again until the MCU multiversal adventure Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021 which saw him team up with Andrew Garfield’s and Tom Holland’s versions of Spidey.
So, why didn’t Spider-Man 4 happen? Well, according to media reports, Sam Raimi wasn’t happy with the script or Sony’s proposal to make the movie in 3D.
With his discontentment on these matters as well as the earlier-than-hoped May 2011 release date, he didn’t think he could make the movie he wanted in time for the production start date. So, rather than risk compromising his artistic sensibilities again, which he was forced to do when making Spider-Man 3, he decided to walk away from the project.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2022, Raimi discussed his decision to move on from Spider-Man 4. He said:
“I wanted to go out on a high note. I didn’t want to just make another one that pretty much worked. I had a really high standard in my mind. And I didn’t think I could get that script to the level that I was hoping for by that start date.”
In that interview, Raimi also discussed some of the plans he had for the movie, including a cameo from Bruce Campbell as Mysterio and the inclusion of another famous enemy of Spider-Man.
“I miss the really great cameo (Mysterio) we had designed for Bruce Campbell. That was one of the possibilities. We had other things in mind, too, but that was one of them. And I missed Kraven the Hunter. We were going to work that character into the next Spider-Man; I always wanted to see Kraven fight Spider-Man on the big screen. I thought that would be really unique. He’s the ultimate hunter, and Spider-Man is like the most agile trickster of the skies. And I wanted to see Peter continue forward as a human being.”
We will see Kraven the Hunter on the big screen this year but there is no confirmation that Spider-Man will be in Sony’s upcoming movie. It’s just a pity that the studio didn’t give Raimi room to realize his vision for their encounter in Spider-Man 4.
Still, there are rumours that a fourth movie might still happen.
In his interview with Rolling Stone, this is what Raimi had to say:
“If there was a great story there, I think it’d be … my love for the characters hasn’t diminished one iota. It would be the same things that would stop me now that stopped me then: “Does Tobey want to do it? Is there an emotional arc for him? Is there a great conflict for this character? And is there a worthy villain that fits into the theme of the piece?” There’s a lot of questions that would have to be answered. If those could be answered, then I’d love to.”
Perhaps we will get to see Spider-Man 4 after all! But as there is no official word on this at the time of writing, it’s probably wise not to get your hopes up at this stage.
Read More: Whatever Happened to Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 3?
Would you like to see Spider-Man 4? Were you disappointed the movie didn’t happen in 2011? Let us know in the comments below.
Thanks for your comment Shaun. I glad you liked the article. I’m hoping he’ll return as Spider-Man too!
I love the article! I would love to see a Spiderman 4 staring tobey aka the best spiderman and introducing new villains to that franchise, he deserves another film to fix it after that abomination of spiderman 3, he can so much better!