Spiderman 4

[tammyy2j]

Tobey Maguire and filmmaker Sam Raimi have quit Spider-Man 4 over a reported script issue.

Just last week, a Columbia studios source revealed the sequel had been put on hold indefinitely due to script problems.

And now Daily Variety reports the film's star and director have departed the project, and Columbia executives are planning to make a prequel about Spider-Man's alter-ego, Peter Parker, as a teenager instead.

James Vanderbilt has already written a script for the alternative, which will be produced by Marvel Comics boss Avi Arad and movie mogul Laura Ziskin.

Raimi, who publicly expressed his dislike for the idea behind Spider-Man 4, says, "While we (Maguire and I) 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."

A new director and star will be announced in the coming weeks.

[Perdita]

Robert Pattinson is favourite to replace Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, it has been claimed.

Maguire, who starred as Peter Parker in the franchise's first three films, announced his departure from the project earlier this week.

Following news that director Sam Raimi and Kirsten Dunst have also been dropped from the latest instalment, speculation is rife over who will replace them.

Twilight star Pattinson is currently looking the most likely to assume the lead role, says the Daily Record.

However, the 23-year-old is believed to be facing serious competition from Michael Cera.

DS

[alan45]

Actress Emma Stone has revealed some of the behind the scenes information about the new 'Spider-Man' movie.In an interview with MTV, Stone gave an update about what is going on with Marc Webb's untitled Spider-Man film.

Speaking about her pre-production work she said: "Today I went and did hair tests, because I have blonde hair now since Gwen has blonde hair.

"My natural hair is blonde, so it's kind of nice. I looked in the mirror and said, 'Oh my god, it's me again, it's been so long!' We're finalizing the visual stuff. And I think we'll start actually rehearsing, because we start shooting in two weeks.

"Andrew [Garfield from 'The Social Network' who will play Peter Parker] and I went and learned about science yesterday. Gwen really likes science, so we learned about science. I was home-schooled, so I never went to chemistry class in a traditional setting like Gwen is into. That was really beneficial."

She also revealed some of the character development work that Webb has been doing: "There are a lot of changes happening on a day to day basis. There's a lot of open dialogue about where we're going with this and how Peter and Gwen are going to come together and what makes the most sense for the story we're telling.

"It's an ever-changing thing. We're still in that development period. It's so fantastic. My background is in improv and things like that, so this kind of ever-changing nature is ideal for me.