Raimi & Maguire Returning for ‘Spider-Man 4’ & ‘5’

According to Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood blog, Sony has locked Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire to return for a 4th and 5th installment of the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise.   She says that this news is very recent and that just weeks ago, Sony Pictures co-chairman, Amy Pascal, was looking into potential Maguire replacements.

“She was looking around to cover herself because Sony wanted  him badly and Tobey wasn’t sure he wanted to do it,” an insider explains.

The 4th film will not feature a darker version of Spider-Man as seen in the 3rd film, but the villain has already been chosen.   Speculation is running rampant, though, as Finke was told that “once you find out who the villain is, you’ll know who’s playing it.”

Sony is also apparently trying to figure out the feasibility of shooting the 4th and 5th films back to back a’la ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘The Matrix’ sequels.

You can also bid (until 9PM CST tonight, that is) on E-bay for a walk-on part in ‘Spider-Man 4’ by following this link.   The current bid, as of 5:22 CST, is at $13,101.00.   100% of the profits are going to Stand Up To Cancer.

‘Spider-Man 4’ is tentatively scheduled for May, 2011