“Spider-Man 3” did not receive the same showering of critical and fan enjoyment as the first two installments, but its strong box office performance kept the franchise rolling as one of the biggest in movie history. And fans of the comic adaptation should expect several more sequels in the coming years.
With the fourth film scheduled for early 2010 production and a 2011 release, Variety.com reports that writer James Vanderbilt has been tapped to pen the fifth and sixth installment.
Vanderbilt was originally booked to write the fourth film, but his script did not stick and Gary Ross is rewriting the latest draft.
Though no big names, including director Sam Raimi and series stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, have yet been confirmed beyond the fourth film, Sony Pictures is still interested in scripts for movies five and six. If the principals could not be booked, the Vanderbilt scripts would serve as franchise reboots, says Variety.
Presently, however, there is not much in the way of pessimism regarding the top series names’ future involvement in the brand. Speculation after “Spider-Man 3” suggested, for instance, that Sam Raimi might not come back as director; since their original contracts were only for the first three films, Maguire and Dunst were also wildcards. Ultimately, they all agreed to come back.
