The blog post by Deadline was confirmed by Sony that there will be no Spiderman 4 movie. Both Raimi and Tobey Maguire were let go of the movie. There were rumors that Raimi was highly unhappy with the script he was handed. Plus another rumor that the studio gave him a budget that was far less then all the previous movies. They both seem to be true now and were the major contributors for Sony’s decision.You kind of saw this coming in a way with all those rumors of bickering and all those delays in production. Especially with the letter that was given to the special effects crew to seek work elsewhere while the details were getting sorted out. That to me was the huge neon sign saying this is not happening. However this does not mean the franchise is dead it is just going to get a reboot with a new cast, crew, and direction from what  Sony posted on Twitter last nite .

Spider-Man: Summer 2012: Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012.

This new direction lands Peter back in high school. Which may or may not be a good thing to regress the character to a simpler time. I kind of get the chills when I hear things like that because it sounds like they are going  to go for the teen crowd and not the faithful. This will of course have to play out and it would be stupid to comment on something that I have no information about. There is also another rumor that Deadline mention in that post of a 3D movie starting the new franchise. Something I think is real credible following the success of Avatar. Also the fact that all these companies are going to be hard pressed to release more 3D films for future content for the rumored Sony 3D network that is being planned to support the new line of 3D TV’s. Kind of an obvious line of reasoning if you really think about it.

That sounds exciting and all, however I will miss the awkward dorkyness of Tobey Maguire playing Peter Parker. He nailed the image of how Peter was suppose to be and fit the image perfectly. Hey a decade of playing a role like that he had nothing to be ashamed of. And I wish him luck in the future roles (which I doubt he will need).

Here are some key points from the Sonys Press realease

Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.

“A decade ago we set out on this journey with 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 and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job,” said Sam Raimi.

I know that this was a day that was inevitable,” said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio’s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. “Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.”

The studio will have more news about Spider-Man in 2012 in the coming weeks as it prepares for production of the film