SPIDER-MAN 4 Gets a Stardate, As Well

Someone’s about to flinch, and in more ways than one.     Sony Pictures announced this afternoon that the Marc Webb-directed reboot of the SPIDER-MAN franchise will not only be coming at you on July 3rd, 2012, it will be literally coming straight for you in 3-D.

Those of you who know me pretty well know how I feel about the whole 3-D concept and how overly used it is becoming in Hollywood.   What was an annoying gimmick that never really did anything for my cinematic experiences (yes, I’m even including AVATAR with that statement) is now quickly becoming the norm, a commonplace element of movie watching that, years down the road, will be the catalyst for a new type of brain cancer.   I can’t back that up, so, RealD, please put the phone call to your lawyers on hold for a bit.

But the 3-D aspects of having pieces of web and a John Malkovich-driven Vulture coming right at audience’s face wasn’t what I was referring to with that “someone is going to flinch” comment.   In fact, that aspect of the film isn’t even news worthy as just about every film is likely to, at least, be tempted by the 3-D bug.   SPIDER-MAN 4, which Sony, for now, is just calling SPIDER-MAN, is set for release on July 3rd, 2012.   This comes just four days after the intended STAR TREK sequel is set to bow.   Like I said, someone is going to flinch.   If both of these high profile films hold these, exact dates all the way until their respective releases, I will eat my movie-loving hat.   As a cute aside, I will be sure it is my newly bought Spyder skull cap for good measure.

Actually, if I had to guess, and the verbose writer in me tells me I do, I would see Sony pulling SPIDER-MAN’s July 3rd release before Paramount moving STAR TREK 2’s release date.   For one, the good favor the STAR TREK franchise has coming off last year’s success is undoubted, and people are skeptical at best of this new SPIDER-MAN.   Webb is an unchallenged filmmaker coming into a franchise whose last entry was a failure on so many levels and whose next entry is toning it back in every aesthetic aspect imagineable.   Not exactly the type of film that cries out 4th of July weekend material.

For now, both June and July 2012 are pretty well open with only STAR TREK and SPIDER-MAN having potential release dates.   I either see SPIDER-MAN getting pushed back to mid-July or moved up to the first or second weekend in June.   This would seem a much more likely debut date for it.   Of course, I could always be proven wrong.   That Spyder cap will probably go down a lot easier with some garlic salt splashed on it.