Post by Ritter on Jan 13, 2010 2:32:54 GMT -5
First:
The latest Spidey sequel is proving villainously difficult to plot out.
Sony and director Sam Raimi are at loggerheads over which direction to go with the villains for the latest installment -- an impasse which has prompted the studio to delay its scheduled spring production start and potentially to bump the pic from its May 6, 2011 release slot.
Raimi wants to have a criminal known as the Vulture act as the primary antagonist in the film while the studio, which dislikes the idea of the winged wrongdoer, is pushing for a romantic sub-plot involving a burglar named the Black Cat in addition to another villain.
A succession of writers has tried to marry the two parties' differing visions to no effect.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire ("Rabbit Hole") was hired in October 2008 to pen a key version of the screenplay, on top of the earlier version penned by James Vanderbilt ("Zodiac"). Last year, Sony brought in Gary Ross -- Oscar-nominated for his adapted script on 2003's "Seabiscuit" -- which he also helmed.
Alvin Sargent is penning the latest iteration.
Word of the Sony-Raimi conflict first surfaced mid-December on genre Web site IESB, but at the time Sony denied the report, saying tweaking of the script was "nothing unusual."
The differing views about the villain have their origins in the making of "Spider-Man 3."
Raimi, a fan of the wall-crawling super-hero since the character's 1960s debut, wanted to use classic villain Vulture in addition to Sandman, another classic creation, for that movie. The studio pushed him to use Venom, a character that was introduced in the late 1980s, because it thought that character, with its slick alien-symbiote origin, would lend itself to more effective marketing material and a way to attract "the kids."
"Spider-Man 3," while ensnaring $890 million in its worldwide web, turned out to be reviled by both the fanboy community and by many critics. In addition to a hefty paycheck, Raimi purportedly returned to helm the fourth installment in order to leave the series on a high note.
Production still could begin by this summer. While Sony insiders maintain the pic still could remain in its current release date, a shift to a date later in summer 2011 may be more likely considering the lack of a final script for the visual effects-driven project.
And then!!!!
Columbia has scrapped “Spider-Man 4” and is rebooting the franchise.
The studio is parting ways with director Sam Raimi and “Spider-Man” stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst and is taking the web slinger’s alter ego, Peter Parker, back to high school.
The new movie, which will have a new director and cast but still be produced by Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin and Marvel Studios, is eyeing a summer 2012 release. It will use a script by James Vanderbilt and put the focus back on a teenager grappling with normal teen problems while also dealing with his superpowers.
News of the reboot follows weeks of script problems in which the studio was at loggerheads with Raimi over which villains to use in the fourth movie. The clashes were kept mostly under the radar but last week erupted into the public when it became clear that the studio was not going to meet its start date and subsequently its May 6, 2011, release date.
Columbia and Raimi put on a unified front Monday when making the announcement that they were parting.
“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,” Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal said. “When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the boxoffice, and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise.
“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 Raimi: “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.”
The scrapping of the movie is not without cost.
Millions have been spent on the fourth installment and on the script alone, whose writers have included Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire and Gary Ross. Alvin Sargent was in the middle of the latest draft when the plug was pulled. Preliminary special effects work also had been done.
The “Spider-Man” franchise has brought in more than $2.5 billion in boxoffice grosses for the company, with DVD sales and merchandising taking that figure to even more stratospheric heights.
The latest Spidey sequel is proving villainously difficult to plot out.
Sony and director Sam Raimi are at loggerheads over which direction to go with the villains for the latest installment -- an impasse which has prompted the studio to delay its scheduled spring production start and potentially to bump the pic from its May 6, 2011 release slot.
Raimi wants to have a criminal known as the Vulture act as the primary antagonist in the film while the studio, which dislikes the idea of the winged wrongdoer, is pushing for a romantic sub-plot involving a burglar named the Black Cat in addition to another villain.
A succession of writers has tried to marry the two parties' differing visions to no effect.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire ("Rabbit Hole") was hired in October 2008 to pen a key version of the screenplay, on top of the earlier version penned by James Vanderbilt ("Zodiac"). Last year, Sony brought in Gary Ross -- Oscar-nominated for his adapted script on 2003's "Seabiscuit" -- which he also helmed.
Alvin Sargent is penning the latest iteration.
Word of the Sony-Raimi conflict first surfaced mid-December on genre Web site IESB, but at the time Sony denied the report, saying tweaking of the script was "nothing unusual."
The differing views about the villain have their origins in the making of "Spider-Man 3."
Raimi, a fan of the wall-crawling super-hero since the character's 1960s debut, wanted to use classic villain Vulture in addition to Sandman, another classic creation, for that movie. The studio pushed him to use Venom, a character that was introduced in the late 1980s, because it thought that character, with its slick alien-symbiote origin, would lend itself to more effective marketing material and a way to attract "the kids."
"Spider-Man 3," while ensnaring $890 million in its worldwide web, turned out to be reviled by both the fanboy community and by many critics. In addition to a hefty paycheck, Raimi purportedly returned to helm the fourth installment in order to leave the series on a high note.
Production still could begin by this summer. While Sony insiders maintain the pic still could remain in its current release date, a shift to a date later in summer 2011 may be more likely considering the lack of a final script for the visual effects-driven project.
And then!!!!
Columbia has scrapped “Spider-Man 4” and is rebooting the franchise.
The studio is parting ways with director Sam Raimi and “Spider-Man” stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst and is taking the web slinger’s alter ego, Peter Parker, back to high school.
The new movie, which will have a new director and cast but still be produced by Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin and Marvel Studios, is eyeing a summer 2012 release. It will use a script by James Vanderbilt and put the focus back on a teenager grappling with normal teen problems while also dealing with his superpowers.
News of the reboot follows weeks of script problems in which the studio was at loggerheads with Raimi over which villains to use in the fourth movie. The clashes were kept mostly under the radar but last week erupted into the public when it became clear that the studio was not going to meet its start date and subsequently its May 6, 2011, release date.
Columbia and Raimi put on a unified front Monday when making the announcement that they were parting.
“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,” Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal said. “When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the boxoffice, and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise.
“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 Raimi: “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.”
The scrapping of the movie is not without cost.
Millions have been spent on the fourth installment and on the script alone, whose writers have included Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire and Gary Ross. Alvin Sargent was in the middle of the latest draft when the plug was pulled. Preliminary special effects work also had been done.
The “Spider-Man” franchise has brought in more than $2.5 billion in boxoffice grosses for the company, with DVD sales and merchandising taking that figure to even more stratospheric heights.
(shown during week two)
