Spider-Man 4 definitely in trouble

Over Christmas, reports ran rampant that Spider-Man 4 was having problems.

Now those rumours have been all-but confirmed by Hollywood insider Nikki Finke on her blog .

Verifying that issues with the film’s villains are to blame, Nikki published an email sent out to the visual effects team that stated “Sam Raimi has story issues [that] need to be resolved before we are ready to shoot”.

Apparently, Raimi and Sony are still at loggerheads over who should be the villain (or villains) in the fourth Spidey flick. The script is currently being given another overhaul by screenwriter Alvin Sargent, who penned the first two web-slinging outings.

Nikki added: “Raimi and Sony are anxiously waiting for still another version from screenwriter Alvin Sargent, who wrote Spidey 2 & 3 and is married to Spidey franchise producer Laura Ziskind.”

Meanwhile, an insider has stated that it’s unlikely the film’s original release date of May 11, 2011 will be made (though take that one with a pinch of salt).

Really, you can’t blame Raimi for wanting to get this right. Spider-Man 3 came under fire for its convoluted plotting, mostly thanks to its over-abundance of villains. So it’s vital that this aspect of the fourth film is done right.

This kind of thing happens in Hollywood all the time. More importantly, Sony know how much of a money-grabber the Spider-Man franchise is, so they’ll want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.

Let’s just hope Raimi doesn’t walk before that happens.

Which villain(s) do you want to see in Spidey 4 ? Tell us below...

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.  

Latest in Marvel Movies
Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World
Brave New World box office crosses milestone for Captain America movies, even though it still might not break even
Black Widow post-credits
Avengers Tower will have a new name in Thunderbolts, and the movie's director says it's "a symbol of things taking a darker turn"
The cast of Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts director says the new Marvel movie is inspired by Toy Story 3: "Can they get out of the trash can together?"
Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World
“The reveal was a big mistake”: MCU fans pick the twists they wish Marvel movie trailers didn’t spoil beforehand
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
"He is so dialed in": Robert Downey Jr. is coming up with backstory and costume ideas for Doctor Doom ahead of Avengers: Doomsday
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame
The Russo brothers have an idea about Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars runtimes, and one might reach Avengers: Endgame's record
Latest in News
Mind Rot card art (showing a human screaming in agony) with two meme Spongebob Squarepants Secret Lair cards laid over top
MTG's meme-filled Spongebob Secret Lair is enough to kill the average player from the 1990s
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes trailer
My Hero Academia prequel series lands streaming date and brand new trailer, and it looks just as action packed as the original show
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
James Gunn reveals Jason Momoa text him about Lobo the day he was announced as DC Studios co-head
Zoe Saldaña in Avatar
James Cameron's wife cried for four hours after he showed her Avatar 3: "She kept trying to get her s**t back together"
The Last of Us 2
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann sounds like he's contemplating the end of his career: "When is it time to stop?"
Screenshot of Neil in Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says he chose Death Stranding 2's Solid Snake lookalike because he needed an actor who "would surpass" Mads Mikkelsen