Marvel Comics has done a bang-up job expanding their brand over the course of the last decade. After many stalled attempts to break into the realm of television, with bland animated show (Spider-Man), after bland animated show (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk), all throughout the 90’s, Marvel decided to leave the cartoon stuff to rival DC and start the Millennium off right by conquering the multiplex.

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So late last week, word leaked that Spider-Man 4 (along with Spider-Man 5 no less) was picking up steam.

[UPDATE: Sony has informed Coming Soon that Tobey Maguire is not being replaced for Spider-Man 4. - Jamie]

Now according to our buddies at Latino Review, a number of young, lesser-known actors are being considered to replace the departing Tobey Maguire to play Spiderman and his dorky alter-ego Peter Parker.

Ironically, I had just made a remark just this morning on the SuperHero Hype Forum about how we’d yet to hear anything from Sony, Marvel Films & Co. regarding Spider-Man 4.

In fact last we heard, James Vanderbilt (i.e. Zodiac screenwriter) was hired to write Webhead’s 4th cinematic adventure. And that was just a week or so before the WGA Strike started last year.

Since then, it’s been dead silence… until now.

OK, so most of us hated and/or were insanely let-down by Spider-Man 3. We know it’s a huge question mark as to whether or not Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi show up for Spider-Man 4 while James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) is currently typing away at the script.

I’m not even going to bring up Kirsten Dunst because honestly, no one cares.

So here’s an idea, true-believer (sorry I couldn’t help but unleash my inner Stan “The Man” Lee!) If you called the shots on Spider-Man 4, what would you do? Would you bring back Maguire, Raimi & Co. or flat-out replace them?

By the way, this is for everyone who wants to add their $.02: Readers and my fellow Screen Rant writers. So please, let’s hear your ideas. And there will be a test on this later, boys and girls.

A writer has been hired to pen the screenplay for Spider-Man 4: James Vanderbilt.

Who’s that? He’s the guy who wrote the screenplay for Zodiac, the movie that dramatized the Zodiac killer mystery from the 60’s and 70’s. It received excellent reviews, but not too many people turned out to see it (admittedly, myself included… guess I’ll have to rent it).

In addition the studio is targeting 2009 (no doubt, summer) as the release date for the movie.

No word on whether any of the principal actors (Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, etc.) will be in the fourth film, but I’d be very happy to see Mary Jane relegated to a very minor part of the story.

Source: Cinematical

A poster is out for the new Spectacular Spider-Man animated series coming to the WB network.

It looks like Marvel may finally be taking a hint from DC in the animation department, at least based on the drawing style depicted in the poster (click on the image for a larger view).

Update: You can now see the preview right here!

For the next 24 hours only you can go to NBC.com and catch a seven minute preview of Spiderman 3. Personally I fast forwarded through the first half because what I wanted to see was some ACTION.

I hate to admit it, but although I found James Franco’s portrayal of Harry Osborne kind of weepy in the first couple of films, his scenes in the preview as (correct me if I’m wrong) Hobgoblin are really excellent. He seems absolutely ferocious and it works great. And gone is that silly Power Rangers version of the costume, replaced with a more Ninja-like outfit.

Here are a few more images from the preview: