Maguire Linked to Two More Spider-Man Films

Trade papers are reporting that Sony Pictures is about to resign Tobey Maguire for two further Spider-Man films, to be filmed as a single production starting sometime next fall.

Sony was seeking to quash reports it was considering replacing Maguire, especially in light of hints from Maguire himself that he was interested in moving on (so he must be getting a big payday if he inks for 4 and 5). "The studio never considered any other actor. Tobey was our only choice and the only person we've discussed the role with," Sony spokesman Steve Elzer said.

Producer Laura Ziskin said the expected release date for Spider-Man 4 would be May 2011. The studio is also in talks with director Sam Raimi, and while his involvement has not been confirmed it is widely expected. So far there's no word on whether other cast members, including Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), Rosemary Harris (May Parker), J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson), Dylan Baker (Dr. Curt Connors), and Bryce Dallas Howard (Gwen Stacy), would return for the new sequels, or who the villains would be.

A continuation of the series was pretty likely, given the phenomenal success of Marvel Studios and that fact that it was all built on the Spider-Man franchise. Spider-Man 3 was the highest grossing of the three films (although the lowest grossing domestically), but was not widely praised by critics; I expect a lot of fans, myself included, are a little uneasy that the studio might grind out sequels even more compromised than 3, with its inelegantly shoe-horned-in treatment of Venom in what was supposed to be a Sandman movie. Maguire's performance was not his most nuanced, and was not helped by some face-on shots that made him look a little doughy.

Still, Spider-Man 3 had a lot going for it and set up some great possibilities for the future, particularly the usually tragic fate in store for Gwen Stacy (though it differs in the various versions of Spider-Man comics; and the long set-up for the Lizard seems likely to pay off.