Spider-Man 4: Toby Maguire Signs On

In 2002 something extraordinary happened in Hollywood. People suddenly remembered that going to the movie theatre can be a fun experience to look forward to. After years in legal limbo, the Spider-Man movie license was finally given the green light and production followed through with a stellar release that broke all box office records.

Spider-Man was the fastest film ever to reach the $100 million mark in a three-day weekend and became the highest grossing film in 2002. Spider-Man ranks in at number eight in all-time U.S. box office and number seventeen in the worldwide box office having earned over $800 million dollars.

Spider-Man and its following two sequels have earned every dollar considering that its legal hiatus lasted nearly 25 years. That is a long time for an entire generation of Spider-Man comic book fans to wait for the big screen pay-off.

However, nothing lasts forever, and after the release of Spider-Man 3, movie goers were unsure whether there would be another sequel. The stars of the Spider-Man films felt as though the movie series had come to a natural ending and they wanted to pursue other acting roles. At the idea that other actors could take on the roles, Kirsten Dunst had this to say, "Audiences aren't stupid. It'd be a big flop without me, Tobey or Sam." The interview can be found at Abc.net.au, or just click here.

However, Hollywoodreporter.com (click here) revealed on Aug. 5^th 2008 that Raimi and Maguire were close to closing a deal for two more Spider-Man films that would be filmed together at the same time over a six month period. On Sep. 15^th, Comicbookmovie.com (click here) announced that the Spider-Man deal had actually been signed with a clause included in the contract that guarantees Tobey Maguire family time in the mornings so that he can raise his daughter over the six month long shooting schedule.

There is currently no word on what the story plot will be for the next two Spider-Man films. Currently there are also no hints of what villain or villains will be facing off with Spider-Man. Some caution should be reserved, however. Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, while box office hits in their own rights, did not measure up to the success of the first film and each sequel has shown less profit than the previous. In this contract, Toby Maguire is rumored to receive $50 million dollars and profit shares from the upcoming films. This extraordinary salary will almost certainly cut into the Spider-Man film's budget and could also cut into the quality. And do not forget that everyone else on the Spider-Man set has to be paid as well, and Kirsten Dunst could still resume her role in the films. Do not think for a moment that she will come cheaply.