It has been confirmed that the Spider-Man series will be continuing with a Spider-Man 4, Spider-Man 5, and Spider-Man 6. But so far, all we know about the movie is that Sam Raimi is directing, and Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst are returning as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, respectively.
This is shocking because this is so basic. The "threequel" in the series was released over two years ago, and all the information we have is the most basic of all. No villians have been confirmed, though rumors strongly hint toward The Lizard and/or Carnage, and the rest of the minor characters (such as J. Jonah Jameson) haven't even been confirmed for the film.
Currently, the movie has a set release date of 2011, which is, in my opinion, laughable. Without a script, villain, or even cast beyond two people, there is no way a movie with such a large amount of special effects will be complete by 2011. If progress continues the way it
has been, they won't even start production by then.
I used to be very interested in the development of the fourth Spider-Man movie, enough that I actually started writing a script of my own. I never completed it, though it contains some basic ideas fans are asking for: bring back the entire cast, or at least as much of it as possible, have Dylan Baker (who plays Dr. Connors) transform into The Lizard, and cast someone as Carnage. But who would fit that role?
My opinion: Ryan Reynolds. He's definitely funny enough to play Carnage, and his role as Deadpool proved he could make a foray into the superhero world - in f
act, he has expressed great interest in the genre, and has even been cast in the upcoming Green Lantern as the titular character.
Meanwhile, fans have been picking their own would-be Carnages, and one actor that appears more than most is Robert Knepper, whose film history includes movies such as Transporter 3 and Hitman. While he isn't my first choice, there is no doubt that he could fit the role, and would likely be my second choice.
But enough speculation. Right now, we need some cold, hard facts about the upcoming movie. We need villains confirmed, the cast signed back on, and an actual script. Unfortunately, if these trends continue, Spider-Man 4 might get stuck in development hell - which could mean the end of Spider-Man's film career for some time.
