Sony Pictures have officially pulled the plug on Spiderman 4. Star Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi have left the project after a continual difference of opinions with the studio, and Sony have said they will now instead "reboot" the franchise with another origin story set in a high school.
There is apparently a script floating about by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Welcome to the Jungle), that Sony was already extremely happy with and considering before Maguire and Raimi agreed to come back. Variety are saying that Raimi and Sony both knew a parting of ways was a possibility, and there is no animosity harboured by either party. Raimi said: "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." Expect him to be linked with every high profile directing gig in the next few months.
Attention now turns to possible helmers and stars. Drew McWeeny at Hitfix.com had a decent shout for Anton Yelchin as star, and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) directing. I'd love to see David Fincher attack a franchise; Alien 3 was years ago now, and those wounds should've healed by now. If they weren't casting younger, Joseph Gordon Levitt would be a perfect Spiderman.