Spider-Man 4

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**Spider-Man 4** was an American cancelled superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It was intended to be an installment in the Spider-Man film franchise. The film is directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire and Gary Ross, and stars Tobey Maguire, Anne Hathaway, Aaron Eckhart, Kirsten Dunst, Dylan Baker, Jim Carrey, Rosemary Harris, Bryce Dallas Howard, and J.K. Simmons.

## Synopsis

The film is set several years before the events of Spider-Man No Way Home, and five years after the events of Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is now married to Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), meanwhile when new supervillains arrive, The Hobgoblin (Aaron Eckhart), and Carnage (Jim Carrey) would take a jaded cat burglar called Felicia Hardy, now known as Black Cat (Anne Hathaway). Including The Lizard (Dylan Baker), unleashes a rogues gallery to eliminate Spider-Man. Spider-Man, and Black Cat must join forces to defeat the final villains, and protect New York City once and for all.

## Cast

* Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
* Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson
* Rosemary Harris as May Parker
* J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
* Aaron Eckhart as Roderick Kingsley/Hobgoblin
* Jim Carrey as Cletus Kassidy/Carnage
* Dylan Baker as Dr. Curt Conners/The Lizard
* Anne Hathaway as Felicia Hardy/Black Cat
* Bill Nunn as Joseph Robertson
* Elizabeth Banks as Betty Brant
* James Franco as Harry Osborn (Flashbacks, and photographs Only)
* Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy
* William Dafoe as Norman Osborn (Flashbacks Only)
* James Cromwell as George Stacy
* Bruce Campbell as Quentin Beck (Cameo Only)

## Production

### Development

In spite of the poor reception from fans and critics alike to Spider-Man 3, its impressive box office score convinced Sony to make another film, even convincing them to speak of a fifth and sixth film, also to be directed by Raimi. It was even discussed that they be shot cocurrently.

In 2008, with Raimi attached to direct and the core cast of the previous films to return. Come 2009, however, Raimi dismissed the rumors that all three films were being made, instead confirming that only the fourth was under development. Sony hired James Vanderbilt in October of 2008 to pen the screenplay, after contacting David Koepp, the writer of the first film. The script underwent further revision by playwright David Lindsay-Abaire and once more by Gary Ross in October of 2009. Sony had also hired Vanderbilt to pen scripts for Spider-Man 5 and Spider-Man 6.

On the subject of villains, Raimi considered showcasing the transformation of Dr. Curt Connors into the Lizard, with Dylan Baker reprising his role. By December 2009, it was reported that Aaron Eckhart, and Jim Carrey, were in talks to play the Hobgoblin, and Carnage, with Anne Hathaway playing Felicia Hardy.

According to sources online, the film was first set for 2009, the original villains were The Vulture (John Malkovich), and Mysterio (Bruce Campbell), and the film was again delayed to 2010, and the film was then subsequently delayed to 2011 for the last time. Vulture, and Mysterio were unavailable for Spider-Man 4 2011, and the villains were replaced by Hobgoblin, and Carnage. However, Black Cat, and The Lizard were still available to be used in 2011.

### Filming

By 2009, pre-production had begun on the film. Character designs and redesigns were underway. Filming took place in Los Angeles from February 13th to March 17th to film the winter scenes. The film then moved to SoundStage 9 in Hollywood for special effects scenes. The idea for the film to be set around Christmas time was taken from Batman Returns, which had some influence on the film's production.

### Designs

Unlike previous entries into the series, two different Spider-Man costumes were made for different scenes in the film. The costume seen throughout the majority of the film is the costume previously used in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. The costume used in the final battle is the original Spider-Man costume from Spider-Man.

The Black Cat's design was relatively simplistic. James had taken inspiration from Michelle Pfieffer's Catwoman from Batman Returns (1992), and the comic book designs, primarily from her first appearance from the 1970s. The idea behind this was to give the essence of "an amateur, but experienced, cat burglar".