Columbia Pictures and Marvel Pictures announced Monday that the next Spider-Man movie will focus on Peter Parker’s teenage years. James Vanderbilt, the screenwriter of the 2007 serial-killer film ‘Zodiac’, will write the script for the currently untitled film.
“Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter’s roots”, Amy Pascal, the co-chairwoman of Sony Pictures, said Monday.
The movie, set to be released in the summer of 2012, will not only give fans the story of Parker’s origins but also bring a new team of filmmakers and actors on board. This means that the reboot of the film franchise will not include stars Tobey Maguire or Kirsten Dunst in the cast. Sam Raimi will also not be directing the film despite handling the past three Spider-Man movies.
“While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job”, said Raimi.
Monday’s announcement brought an end to the fourth Spider-Man movie deal that Raimi, along with Maguire and Dunst, confirmed to do.
“Like anything, it’s a process. We’re just in the midst of the process. We have a lot of great stuff in terms of story and script. We’re just trying to dial it in and get it ready as quickly as possible”, Maguire said recently.
The three Spider-Man films earned a total of $1.11 billion.
