Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 Cancelled, Sony to Reboot Franchise: Boo!

There are good ideas… there are plain, non-consequential ideas… then   and then there are bad ideas.   This doesn’t fall on that chart.   This is off the charts.   And I don’t mean that in a positive light.   Sony has decided to dump the series that brought the superhero genre into the mainstream, and start from scratch.   It’s not like Raimi failed at his job.   He had the old gang getting back together for Spider-Man 4, and even John Malkovich was getting ready to join the cast.   It seemed to be returning to the more simple formula of Spider-Man 2 (my favorite of the franchise).   But here comes Sony, dashing those hopes with a single jesture, and causing tons of negative feedback all over the place.

Just look at the response to the story at comingsoon.net to see what I’m talking about.   At the time of this writing, it was already 4 pages of Sony hate.

I have one question for Sony: was Ken Kutaragi really as crazy as the lines he said, or is everyone at Sony just as bad?

“A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three ‘Spider-Man’ films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter’s roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“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,” said Sam Raimi.

“We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade. This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else’s hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable,” said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio’s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. “Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.”

“‘Spider-Man’ will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. “We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen.”

The studio will have more news about Spider-Man in 2012 in the coming weeks as it prepares for production of the film.

Just an FYI: Here are some of the zingers that Ken Kutaragi said about the PS3 before it was released:

  • “[We want] consumers to think to themselves ‘I will work more hours to buy one’. We want people to feel that they want it, irrespective of anything else.”
  • “The PS3 will instill discipline in our children and adults alike. Everyone will know discipline.”
  • “The PS3 is not a game machine “

1 Comment

  1. Sam Raimi stinks. He put the effort in too late with Drag Me To Hell. How can this be the same director and will someone please ban Stan Lee’s cameo appearances in these movies. He stole spiderman off his friend. He is scum and I hate him the THIEF. Spiderman is my all time comic favourite. I have nearly all the issues but the rare early issues. I am trying to find them at various comic and sci-fi conventions to no avail.

    Hope this next film is good. Better be or I may just sell all my comics or set fire to them.

    LONG LIVE PETER PARKER!

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