Spider-Man 4 to Reboot Franchise, Gives the Boot to Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst

Note to Hollywood: there are two ways to tell if it's time to end a successful franchise.

1. When it's latest edition is universally panned by critics.
2. When there's so much drama behind the scenes of a planned follow-up that the entire script is scrapped, the director replaced and the stars given the axe.

Such is the case with Spider-Man 4, as Sony Pictures has announced a reboot to the franchise. The fourth installment in this series - very tentatively scheduled for a summer 2012 release - will bid farewell to Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst and feature Peter Parker as a high school student.

Wrote the movie studio in a supposedly optimistic statement:

"A decade ago we set out on this journey with [director[ 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."

Are you excited over this new Spider-Man 4 concept?

Or tired of Hollywood sticking to the same sequels and franchises every summer?

Posted in: Spider-Man