Spider-Man 4: A Look Ahead

By now, Spider-Man 3 is last year's news. More than a hundred people have reviewed it already, and I'm sure more than a few of them have articles here. I won't waste my time reviewing that film. Instead, there's a good bit of news concerning Spidey's film future.

Yes, it's true. More Spider-Man films are in the works. Director Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire made deals to return for not just a fourth, but a fifth film as well. These plans were laid out in September of this year, when Sony Pictures announced they wanted to film both films at once to keep costs low. Kirsten Dunst has also expressed desires to return.

Despite some critical passes for Spider-Man 3, the studio is confident a fourth film will work, as am I. The third film was a decent entry in the series, but by far not the blockbuster the first film had been. It really only suffered from having one too many villains. Three in a film is a lot to ask for, but really, they handled it fairly well. Each of those villains could easily have carried the film completely, with the Sandman the possible exception. Putting them all together asked for trouble, but the final product did deliver to a certain degree.

Rumors always pop up whenever a new film is announced. But this time, some confirmation can appear. Producers attached to the project wish to make Dr. Curt Connors transform into the Lizard for the film's villain (most likely the sole villain this time). There's a familiar Spidey villain I've been dying to see on screen! Seriously, we've had three films, and the character has been seen prominently in two of them, but no Lizard yet. It simply must happen.

The last film also ended with only a hint of resolution. Have Peter and Mary Jane truly mended the fence? Or did their last meeting just produce an apology and an acceptance with the status quo remaining the same. Peter pushed quite a few people away when that black substance took control of him. A personal relationship often suffers the worst in such cases. But MJ certainly understands a lot more about Peter's other life now, and she herself was controlled by external forces in the film, by Harry when he recovered his Goblin memories. If anything, there's more than enough ground for reconciliation and restitution. Certainly, the next film would give us the chance to see it happen.

If all that isn't enough, something else has been announced. Avi Arad mentioned work on a Venom spin-off in July 2007. Venom is perhaps Spidey's most powerful enemy, and certainly one of the most popular. His appearance in the third film being lackluster at best, but far from terrible, the character may be positioned well enough to warrant the work. Sony obtained a script, but later rejected it. Finally, in September, the studio signed two writers to produce the film. Sony also stated they wanted to replace Topher Grace as Venom, stating he didn't have the blockbuster appeal to carry the film. I agree. Topher should have stayed on That 70's Show.

Two more Spidey films and a Venom spin-off? Marvel Comics has a lot of their characters coming to the screen very soon. Plans for an Avengers film still continue to turn the rumor mill. Can they possibly succeed? Certainly, the Spider-Man name will turn a profit, in nothing else. Personally, I can't wait to see it all come to pass.