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?

Source: Sci-Fi Wire

In an interview with AICN recently at SXSW, after screening his new horror flick Drag Me To Hell, fanboy favorite Sam Raimi spilled some more beans on the much anticipated fourth installments in the Spider-Man and Evil Dead franchises.

Those are two franchises that we all want to see be continued in some form or another, and the news that Raimi would indeed, be coming back for a fourth (and a fifth Spider-Man – along with Tobey Maguire), as well as 20-year long rumblings of him doing another Evil Dead flick, certainly inspires infinitely more confidence than if some random director had taken the reigns of either of them.

Here’s what he had to say about each of the movies/franchises:

Spider-Man 4

Raimi revealed that his very next project after he’s done with Drag Me To Hell will, indeed, be Spider-Man 4 (i.e. no other secret project out of nowhere that pushes Spidey back even further), and when asked about whether or not he’ll be filming Spider-Man 4 and 5 back-to-back, Raimi said:

“No one’s talked to me about making part 5 at this moment. Right now I’m hoping to make part 4.”

On talking about the progress of the fourth film, Raimi replied:

“Well, it’s a never-ending process. Basically we are talking about the story right now, shortly artists will come on and I’ll start giving them shots to draw. We are supposed to start talking to a production designer soon, so it will just keep getting larger and larger.”

The question was brought up of whether or not it was easier to go back to working on a franchise when he already know so much about it, or whether it was like starting from scratch:

“Some of it is like going back to square one. For instance in the beginning Jim Achenson, our costume designer had to design the Spider-Man suit completely from scratch, but in the second one, we went to probably 25 redesign elements of the Spider-Man suit…”

“In the third picture, we felt that the technology had changed enough that it was time to skin Spider-Man and start him over again, so we actually had to start from the ground up again, but it wasn’t so much exterior skin design as much as it was the armature that drove him, so we are going to evaluate when the team comes together, I don’t have a visual effects supervisor yet, ‘what were we unsatisfied with? What aspects?’”

“…whenever the picture comes out we want to make sure we were shooting above the bar as it currently stands as far as visual effects go and we may or may not make that, but that will be my team’s goal when we start.”

Evil Dead 4

When asked about the surprising lack of blood in Drag Me To Hell, Raimi responded by saying he didn’t want it to be the same as the Evil Dead movies in that respect, and that he does really want to do another:

“There’s not a lot of blood [in Drag Me To Hell]. I don’t have a problem with the blood, but EVIL DEAD 4 is all about blood and gore and EVIL DEAD movies and I really like the EVIL DEAD movies and I really want to make another EVIL DEAD movie sometime. I don’t want to say when, because everyone keeps getting mad at me…”

He went on to confirm that he and Ivan (older brother and co-writer of Spider-Man 3, Army of Darkness and Drag Me To Hell) have an idea they’ve been working on, but basically said “no comment” when asked any more about it. After having the fact that he’s doing Spider-Man 4 next brought up, he said that, “it’d be nice to work on it [Evil Dead 4] after that.”

It’s great to hear directly from Raimi that he really does want to do another Evil Dead movie, and that things are gearing up for Spider-Man 4. It seems like doing Drag Me To Hell might have been just the ticket to spur him onto finally getting going with at least the idea for Evil Dead 4. Only Raimi can make this thing – I’m glad Hollywood didn’t try and take the franchise from him just for the sake of getting another one made (or, heaven forbid, do a remake…).

Although Raimi made a disaster of a movie with the last Spider-Man (I’m still having nightmares…), he still was ultimately the guy who gave us the first two. From those two movies we can all see he clearly has a love for the titular character, and I hope he is able to find the creativity he has shown in past movies that he has, and injects a boatload of it into the fourth movies of both franchises.

For the full interview with Sam Raimi you can head over to AintItCool.com.

What do you make of what Raimi has said about his two franchises? Are you looking forward to Spider-Man 4 and Evil Dead 4?

Spider-Man 4 is currently slated for a May 6th, 2011 release and there is a general release date of 2011 for Evil Dead 4.

Source: AICN

The current cinematic equivalent of a tennis match is whether or not there is going to be a fourth film in the Evil Dead franchise. It’s pretty safe to say that this has been wondered about and very much wanted ever since the third film in the series Army of Darkness. And I’m sure over at least the last few years, whenever any chance of talking to Raimi comes around, he gets asked about an Evil Dead 4.

As movie fans it’s hard to know just what to think when it comes to the possibility of a fourth film – do we trust Raimi when he as said numerous time before that he would like to go back to the franchise? Or do we trust the star of the first three, Bruce Campbell, when he says “no dice” (at least about him returning)?

Well speaking of the latter, adding to what Sam Raimi said last week at SXSW, Raimi more recently laughed off Campbell’s remarks and insisted that he would be back for a fourth film if it were to be made:

“He [Campbell] can dream all he wants. He’s trying to get out of getting back in shape,” he smiled. “I’m going to kick his butt in shape. I’m gonna say ‘get back in the chainsaw!’”

And when the future of the Evil Dead franchise was hinted at, Raimi had this to say:

“I hope to [return to it], yes,” Raimi admitted. “Every time I say I would like to [revisit the films], people say, ‘where the hell is it!?!’ But I’m just glad people are still interested. But yes, I would really like to do [another ‘Evil Dead' film]. I’ve just got a commitment to make ‘Spider-Man 4′ right now though.”

Raimi added his humorous thoughts about Campbell:

“He’s a really nice, but he pretends that he’s a really rough bastard,” he laughed.

It’s hard to know what to think about an Evil Dead 4 simply because it’s been so back and forth between “happening” and “not happening.” If I were to guess I would say that it will happen at some point, but something tells me it’s not going to be any time soon. Raimi is still (as he said above) tied to the Spider-Man franchise, and it really doesn’t look like Campbell is interested right now in returning to play Ash (although his last directorial effort My Name Is Bruce still suggests he’s nostalgic about it).

However, if and when they do make the film, it simply has to be with Campbell as the chainsaw-wielding Ash. His success and recognition are because of those first three movies, and for him not to return not only doesn’t make sense for him as an actor, but for the franchise in general.

Hopefully once Raimi has freed up his schedule a bit, and Campbell changes his mind (he’d be crazy not to!) this thing will get going.

Do you think Evil Dead 4 will happen any time soon (if ever)? And would you be okay with an Evil Dead movie without Campbell?

Source: MTV Movies Blog

At the opening weekend to 2009’s SXSW Film Festival, IGN got a chance to chat with Sam Raimi, director of the Spider-Man and Evil Dead films.

In their discussion, IGN brought up something many of us have been eagerly waiting on for quite a while now: a new Evil Dead film. On the heels of Raimi’s return to the horror genre with Drag me to Hell, it looks like there’s hope yet for the return of Ash to the big screen.

“I have talked with my partners about having a young director come in and remake Evil Dead, that film was made in 16mm on a shoestring budget and blown up to 35mm. The visual effects are crumby, it was done in mono, not even stereo, let alone 5.1. What you could do with it now would be so much better.”

“I think if you had a new director using the full power of 35mm and 5.1 sound, you could really make a pretty socko presentation. It was always meant for the big screen, but never really seen on the big screen”

Last October, the word on the street made it seem like the idea of Evil Dead 4 was vaporware and this talk of a remake has been going on for four years now. But now that Raimi and others continue to bring it back up, the idea and hope for another installment or a re-make can never die down.

If they do make the film, would they bring back Bruce Campbell, whose claim to fame was made with the Evil Dead movies? IGN brought this up to Raimi, referencing a previous interview with Campbell where he was hesitant to sign up for a fourth with the negative backlash against the fourth Indiana Jones movie. Raimi replied:

“I liked ‘Indy 4′… He’s probably just trying to get out of getting in shape!”

“Like any movie it’s hard to say if you want to do it or if you don’t want to do it until there is a script to talk about… So one day I hope to have the time to write a script, and if that happens I’m hoping that Bruce will change his mind.”

I think we all do! You can’t make a fourth installment in the Evil Dead franchise without Bruce as the star. As for a re-make… I’m not sure it can be done right and evoke the same campiness and style that made the franchise a cult hit, especially without Bruce.

Don’t forget to check out the trailer for Sam Raimi’s Drag me to Hell.

What do you think about the possibilities of a fourth Evil Dead or a franchise re-boot?

Drag me to Hell opens May 29, 2009.

Source: IGN

Yes, I know, we ALL want another Evil Dead movie. But if any of you are holding your breath, I suggest it might be time to exhale because this bad boy isn’t going to happen until Bruce Campbell is old enough to look like William Shatner in Star Trek: Generations.

There has been a low-level buzz percolating on this possible project for a couple of years now, but in the end it’s all just talk.

Talk of making another Evil Dead movie goes back (as far as recent history) to late 2004, when Sam Raimi apparently wanted to turn his attention to a sequel to Army of Darkness once he was done with Spider-Man 3. About a month later came word that the next Evil Dead movie would not be a sequel but a remake of the original film. This was not as bad news as you might think, as all the original folks involved in the movie were behind the idea and would be involved.

Then about six months later (June 2006) came word that Raimi would not be involved in any new version of the film because he was swamped with Spider-Man work. The possibility of a new movie wasn’t ruled out, just the fact that he would not be working on it.

After that, the interwebs went quiet, and it seemed like the project was indeed, dead.

Ah, but more hope (teasing?) made an appearance at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, where Raimi was promoting the back-to-his-roots horror film Drag Me to Hell. He mentioned once again that he was still “very interested” in doing another Evil Dead movie. Having seen some footage from Drag Me to Hell, it actually seems like it is the follow up film in the series. For fans of the “Dead” movies, “Hell” had the same vibe: a mixture of comedy, horror and over the top yet cheesy visual effects.

A month later Bruce Campbell stoked the fires in an interview with MTV where he stated in reference to a new movie: “When he’s ready [Sam Raimi], I’m ready,”.

Then a few days ago MTV deflated everyone’s hopes in an interview with Sam Raimi stating that between finishing up Drag Me to Hell and with the impending back to back Spider-Man 4 & 5 that it is totally on the back burner.

A scene from Sam Raimi’s new horror movie Drag Me to Hell

Finally, today comes word from Bruce Campbell via an interview with Horror-Movies.ca that “nothing is happening with the project.“

You can’t get much “Deader” than that.

For the complete history on the possibility of this happening check out our Evil Dead 4 archive.

Oh, and Drag Me to Hell opens on May 29, 2009.

Over at IESB there’s a video interview with Bruce Campbell in which he stated that Sam Raimi is extremely busy with the Spiderman franchise and who knows when he’d have the time or inclination to do Evil Dead IV.

And in case you think he was just being coy for the interview, I have independent verification of this from a source who spoke with Tom Sullivan. Tom did special effects work on Evil Dead I, II and Army of Darkness and is a friend of Bruce.

Bruce did say during the interview that he and Sam Raimi will be producing the upcoming remake of Evil Dead, but will leave the details to the director since the point is to see a different take on the original material. He joked about having Ashton Kutcher direct and star in the remake, and that if Kutcher wasn’t available they’d try to get Ben Affleck, since Ben Stiller or Owen Wilson had already declined.

The good news is that Tapert and Raimi are producing the new version and they are both good friends with Campbell, who is very connected to the fan base and cares greatly about the original, which launched his career. At this point I don’t know if he will have any official involvement, but I find it hard to believe that he wouldn’t have a hand in the proceedings.

If you must have a remake, I suppose this is the way to go about it.

Source: Sci Fi Wire

Many thought that any shot at a fourth “Dead” movie was, well, dead following the recent announcement that a remake of the original Evil Dead movie had been approved by Raimi. The remake will not be directed by Raimi and will not star Campbell. Fans of the original movies were not happy and questioned the point of a remake.

It will certainly be a while, and thinks could change since Raimi is interested in doing this after Spiderman 3, but we can keep our fingers crossed, baby.