Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 has been a topic of discussion for over a decade now. We’ve all been wondering if the film will actually see daylight after its cancellation in 2010.
Spider-Man 4 was supposed to star Tobey Maguire as the titular superhero and would serve as the direct sequel to Spider-Man 3, which ended with the hero’s battle with Venom and Sandman. Since its cancellation, rumors have floated around about its revival or return.
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was released in 2002 and was the first live-action film to feature Peter Parker’s character, played by Maguire. In 2004, Raimi directed a sequel, Spider-Man 2, that is still considered one of the best superhero films ever made.
The third film in Raimi’s trilogy did not make as much noise as the first two, but there was always great excitement about part 4. Therefore, let’s explore why we’re suddenly talking about this dead (almost?) film once again, what it could be about, and if at all, it will ever be made.
1. Will Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 Happen?
Although there have been rumors about Spider-Man 4 with Tobey Maguire, there has been no confirmation about the film being made as of writing. It likely depends on Sony Pictures’ deal with Marvel Studios. Sam Raimi or Tobey Maguire have not confirmed any plans either.
The most important aspect to consider while discussing Spider-Man 4 is Sony Pictures’ rights deal with Marvel Studios and what it says. It’s not clear what their deal entails, but Sony hasn’t made a live-action Spider-Man film since Tom Holland came on board to play the character within the MCU.
Sony has made successful Spider-Verse animated films that focus on other characters related to Spider-Man. We can speculate that as long as Tom Holland stars as Spider-Man in the MCU, Sony is not supposed to make another live-action film featuring the character.
If such a clause exists between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, it spells bad news for Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, as Holland is not going anywhere. Moreover, Tobey Maguire himself has to be on board with the project, and it’s been a long time since he said anything about it.
Maguire last expressed interest in playing the superhero again after No Way Home but has never spoken of it since then. Therefore, as long as there are no official announcements, we cannot say anything for sure about Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4.
2. Why is Everyone Talking About Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man Now?
As of writing, there has been a sudden surge of rumors about Spider-Man 4. The sudden interest can be attributed to Sam Raimi’s recent comments and some potential hints from the cast.
Thomas Hayden Church, who played Sandman in Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, recently spoke about the film in an interview with Comicbook.com. He said that he has been hearing rumors about Sony wanting to revive Spider-Man 4 with Raimi and Maguire. Here are his comments:
But, you know, I think Sam is gonna do another Spider-Man with Tobey [Maguire], and that’s the one that … They had an option for me to do Spider-man 4 when there was going to be a Spider-man 4. They had an option for me to come back. So if it happens, that would be fantastic.
In a March 2024 interview with Marie Claire, Kirsten Dunst, who played Mary Jane Watson, said that she would return to play Spider-Man’s love interest if offered. She said:
Yes, because you get paid a lot of money, I have 2 children, and I support my mother.
Most importantly, Sam Raimi recently gave a positive response to a fan when asked about Spider-Man 4. An X user, @LukasSoaresRM, shared Raimi’s comments, stating that the film could only happen if Raimi shares the same passion as the fans for it to become reality.
Moreover, people also began talking about Spider-Man 4 after the 2021 MCU movie Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film saw Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s versions of Spider-Man making an appearance to help Tom Holland’s version deal with the villains.
After the film, fans demanded that Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 be revived and The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield return. It gave us all a boost of nostalgia.
3. About Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962) in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, as well as in a number of movies, television shows, and video game adaptations set in the Marvel Universe. In the stories, Spider-Man is the alias of Peter Parker, an orphan raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben in New York City after his parents Richard and Mary Parker died in a plane crash.
Nicholas Hammond first starred as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the 1977 made-for-television film Spider-Man and would appear as the character two other times. By 1999, Sony Pictures Entertainment had acquired the film rights to the character, creating two film series until 2014: the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy of films (2002–2007) starring Tobey Maguire, and the Marc Webb Amazing Spider-Man films (2012 and 2014) starring Andrew Garfield. In February 2015, Disney, Marvel Studios, and Sony made a deal to share the Spider-Man film rights, leading to a new iteration of Spider-Man being introduced and integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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