Last month we got some big news surrounding Spider-Man 4. Among the scheduling changes for the upcoming Marvel movies, we also were told that Spider-Man 4 would hit theaters May 6, 2011. The other unsurprising update that made a splash was that Raimi really wants Kirsten Dunst to return as Mary Jane Watson.
From what we’ve heard, Dunst has been hesitant about returning for another installment, perhaps because of some negative fan feedback about her being cast into the role in the first place which still hasn’t died down.
Raimi is taking it into his own hands and is reportedly set to meet with Kirsten Dunst to talk about her return for the next Spidey adventure. In a group interview last week, Raimi discussed the current situation:
“I’m hoping that she is going to come aboard, and I’ve got a meeting coming up with her… I think she would like to. But I don’t want to speak on behalf of her.”
The folks at Sci-Fi Wire had the opportunity to speak with Raimi about his upcoming Drag Me to Hell horror movie, Evil Dead 4 and what we may expect of the style for Spider-Man 4. Sci-fi Wire raised the point of the darker trend in superhero movies we’ve seen in The Dark Knight and Watchmen and asked whether or not we’d be seeing a darker and Edgier Spider-Man this time around. Raimi’s edited response:
“Whatever it is, I think will be a direct result of the best style to bring about our writer’s screenplay. And as soon as I read that, I will know what that is. Edgy could be a direction, but I don’t think it will be applied without really understanding the character’s journey from the inside out first and then figuring out the best way to bring that about.
And then, as far as the other influences, making it different from the other films, … I hope we don’t react to these very good and sometimes bad superhero movies around us. I hope that we just [look] ever deeper into the truth of who Peter Parker really is—as a human being and the unique character, and that we celebrate that, which is a lot of the reason I want to make this next picture. I still believe I have an understanding of Peter Parker as the character that I have not quite put onto the screen yet.
I’m not talking about Tobey Maguire’s performance, which I very much love; I’m talking about my understanding of the character. I feel like sometimes a kid at the piano recital. And I know this piece really well. I know it by heart. And I sometimes get it right, and sometimes I don’t. But I want a chance to really play it the way I feel it. So I’m hoping it’s a really good screenplay and I can express the character through that.”
By his piano recital analogy, I’m guessing he’s referring Spider-Man 3 when saying he sometimes doesn’t get it right. Other than that, we get nothing new. The script isn’t done and Raimi isn’t committing to a style of film.
The good news is that Raimi will have full control over this movie unlike its predecessor which will hopefully give us another quality movie like the first two and not a mess like the third installment.
As for the Mary Jane character, I don’t know what else they can explore in her relationship with Peter Parker and I don’t think the fans really care about the plot revolving around them. Personally, I don’t want them to even try – I’d like to see the story focused on the villains and Peter Parker trying to save the day this time around.
What do you think of Kirsten Dunst returning?
