Deadline Hollywood Daily’s lovably caustic Nikki
Finke has emerged with a scoop that should have fanboys doing cartwheels all weekend:
director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire will indeed be returning for
Spider-Man 4. What’s more, Sony is seriously considering shooting the fourth and
fifth Spidey flicks back-to-back because the strategy is “so cost effective.” Shooting
will likely begin next fall.
Interestingly, Finke notes that while Sony is
committed to bringing back the Mary Jane Watson character for the upcoming sequels, they’ve
yet to sign a deal with troubled star Kirsten Dunst, who portrayed the character in the first three Spider-Man flicks. If producers do indeed decide to replace her, we hear Maggie Gyllenhaal might be available...