Sony Pictures has officially delayed production of Spider-Man 4 due to a clash between Sam Raimi and the company on who should be the villain for the next installment of the franchise. Raimi wants to use the classic Spidey villain The Vulture and Sony apparently wants to use anyone else.
For those not up on their Spidey history, The Vulture was one of his first major opponents, appearing in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 back in 1963. Adrian Toomes was elderly inventor who created a green flying suit which he used to commit robberies. The character established many of the traits of the classic Spider-Man enemy: he was male, older, brilliant yet amoral, and the only way for Spider-Man to win was to outthink him. Given Raimi’s public love of the classic Spidey stories and heroes, it’s not surprise that he wanted Toomes for this film. Supposedly he wanted The Vulture for Spider-Man 3 instead of Venom, and personally I think it would have been a much better movie had Sony allowed him.
Rumor also has it that another classic Spidey character, The Black Cat, will show up as a romantic interest.
Currently Alvin Sargent is working on the latest script rewrites, and while the movie will probably not begin production in Spring 2010 as originally intended, if we’re lucky it may start this Summer. Given the disaster that was Spider-Man 3 I hope Raimi sticks to his guns and makes the movie he wants to, and not Sony.
Source: Comic Book Resources
