Spider-Man 4 News

Bryce Dallas Howard is game for Spider-Man 4.

The actress, who played Gwen Stacy in the last film in this franchise, sounded excited about the possibility of a fourth during an interview with MTV News.

“You know, honestly, I would love to be apart of any continuation of the franchise. But, I also really understand that there’s so many different story lines that the fans are really excited to see, and the studio, and the producers, and the filmmakers really need to appease everyone,” the actress said. “Whether or not Gwen Stacy comes back, I mean, I wish it was up to me, but it’s not. But yes, if they’d call me, I’d be there in a heart beat.”

According to The Los Angeles Times, Spider-Man, producer Laura Ziskin has revealed that the the fourth installment of this super hero franchise is tentatively scheduled to hit theaters in May 2011.

Looking (way) ahead, that ought to be a busy month at multiplexes. Already scheduled May 2011 areThe First Avenger: Captain America and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.

Ziskin added that the screenplay on Spider-Man 4 isn't complete yet, but that she and Sony Pictures were hopeful it would be ready within three years.

There have been numerous rumors circulating that Tobey Maguire might actually not cast his web over Spider-Man 4.

According to costar J.K. Simmons, however, Maguire is pretty much on board.

"I spoke to Tobey, in I guess it was, y'know, February… sort of awards season time and he's certainly amenable to doing some more [Spider-Man sequels]," Simmons recently said.

Let's certainly hope so.

Director Sam Raimi recently discussed the making of Spider-Man 4 and future franchise sequels.

"James Vanderbilt is writing the script and I'm excited to read it. I think it's going to be done in a few months," Raimi said. "I'm hoping it's as great as our discussions were about it and I'm hoping it feels right for me because I love Spider-Man. I'm hoping I'm well rested enough to embrace it and I'm hoping Sony wants me to do it. If all of those things come together, I would love to do it. There are a lot of unknowns about the future."

As re-casting key actors, if needed? (Rumors have been circulating that Tobey Maguire could be replaced.)

"I'd hate to re-cast anybody in the future, I can't imagine that," Raimi said.

With Spider-Man 4 and 5 rumored to be filming simultaneously, yet without Tobey Maguire having signed up yet to weave any webs of justice, Latino Review asks:

Might Maguire be out of the franchise? And, if so, who could replace him in the title role?

Here are possibilities the aforementioned publication says it's heard as considerations:

PATRICK FUGIT

MICHAEL  ANGARANO

Neither is a huge name, but neither was Maguire when he first donned the Spider-Man tights. What do you think of these choices for the role?

Nothing is definitive yet, but it appears that movie viewers could see Spider-Man 4 in theaters within the next three years. However, director Sam Raimi and stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst have not officially signed on to the project yet.

According to IESB, Marvel's vice chairman Peter Cuneo told the press during a conference call last week that the future of Spider-Man 4 is "up to Sony" with the most likely release date for the film being in either 2010 or 2011.

Cuneo added that Sony hopes to make Spider-Man 4 "within a reasonable timeframe" and that it "may be looking at some issues with the cast and so on, I think they have to make some decisions."

That's for sure. Would they really film the movie without Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst?

According to Cinematical, Spider-Man fans need to listen up:

An inside movie source says James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) has turned in a working draft of Spider-Man 4 to the studio. However, according to the insider, "his story arc has encompassed two films, making Spider-Man 5 shootable at the same time. The studio saw dollar signs and is in the process of reworking his deal to snatch up the story arc."

This sounds exciting, but would mega stars such as Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire really commit themselves to one franchise for so long a period of time? It seems unlikely.

We'll keep you posted.

As previously reported, Zodiac screenwriter James Vanderbilt has been hired to work on the script for Spider-Man 4. And the writer can't wait to get started.

"I really loved the films," Vanderbilt recently said on BlogTalkRadio.com's Movie Geeks United program. "It's sort of an odd process because you're sitting down with people who made the first three and going, 'Well, let me tell you what to do,' which is always odd."

The writer added: "But I was lucky enough that they were interested in me and I'm a huge fan of those movies, so we closed that up right before the strike. And once the strike's over, I get to go to work."

No release date has been set yet for Spider-Man 4. We'll keep you posted.

The Spider-Man 3 DVD hit stores this week.

But it's not too early to talk about Spider-Man 4, is it?

James Vanderbilt, the writer behind Zodiac, has been hired to pen the script for the new Spidey installment.

Despite less than stellar reviews for the third film in the franchise, look for Spider-Man 4 in theaters in the summer of 2009.

Marvel Comics living legend Stan Lee has chimed in with his opinion regarding the next installment of the Spider-Man franchise.

In an interview with Gerrad Hall of ReelzChannel's Dailies, Lee suggested that The Lizard would be the logical choice as the next villain to take on the webslinger in Spider-Man 4.

According to Marvel lore, The Lizard was once a highly skilled Army surgeon named Curt Connors.

Connors, who had lost an arm to a grenade blast while attending to an injured soldier, inadvertently transformed into a reptilian beast after ingesting a formula designed to regenerate his missing limb.