Remember When "Spider-Man 4" Was A Movie That Was Going To Be Made?

Spider-Man, Spider-Man/Does whatever a spider can/Spins a web any size/Catches thieves just like flies/Look out/Here comes the Spider-Man/Is he strong?/Listen bud/He's got radioactive blood/Can he swing from a thread/Take a look overhead/Hey there/There goes the Spider-Man/In the chill of night/At the scene of a crime/Like a streak of light/He arrives just in time/Spider-Man, Spider-Man/Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man/Wealth and fame/He's ignored/Action is his reward/To him life is a great big bang up/Whenever there's a hang up/You'll find the Spider-Man

Making for a busy first day on the job, Mike Fleming reports for Deadline|New York (so bi-coastal!) that Spider-Man 4, a movie that just this morning had John Malkovich tapped to play lead villain the Vulture, is now apparently not going to happen at all. And according to a Sony press release just, uh, released, the next Spider-Man movie to come out will be a reboot penned by Jamie Vanderbilt, who most recently wrote Zodiac (and before that, a movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Seann William “The Stifler” Scott), which follows Peter Parker/Spider-Man through his high school days. So, that’s… cool… I guess? Although, if you’ve followed the process of getting this sequel made, this news isn’t all that surprising.

Even the casting update that went all around the internet today wasn’t anything official from Raimi or the studio, but was based on a comment Malkovich made on an Italian TV show early this morning about waiting for another, “final,” draft of the script. This news in itself was pretty surprising considering the rumors that Sony had made clear that, for whatever reason, they didn’t want the Vulture as a villain. This news comes right on the heels of word last week that, because of a lack of a usable script, Spider-Man 4’s 2011 release date was going to be given to Thor instead.

All of this, compounded by the reported the Raimi/Sony infighting during the making of Spider-Man 3-which resulted in a less than awesome movie for what had been an otherwise very awesome franchise-kind of made this abrupt news about no more Raimi Spider-Man 4 a little less abrupt.

The Awl’s Mary HK Choi e-mails us about the proposed reboot: “The new thing is that Sony is bringing it back to Spidey’s high school days for 4, which could be absolutely dreadful or amazing. I thought the MTV cartoon was great for exp but great as a series. I guess it’ll be just after the discovery period… It’s going to be tricky. I hope it’s not Twi-tweeny or they’re just worm-holing it back so they can come out with like 4 more. Man, do you remember Spider-Man 3? [Ed.: Yes, so annoying.] Only one in the franchise I didn’t see more than once. What a steaming shitstain that was. They should bring Gwen Stacy in heavy. James franco is a loss though. He’s magical.”

And the full Sony release:

A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. 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 and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. 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 Sam Raimi.

“We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade.This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else’s hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable,” said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio’s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. “Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.”

“Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. “We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen.”

The studio will have more news about Spider-Man in 2012 in the coming weeks as it prepares for production of the film.