Sam Raimi gives a disappointing update on a Spider-Man 4 starring Tobey Maguire. The duo collaborated on the director's Spider-Man trilogy in the 2000s, helping usher in a new era for superhero movies. All three installments were successful at the box office, and a fourth movie was planned. Unfortunately, Raimi's Spider-Man 4 was eventually cancelled as Sony took the franchise in a new direction. Several years later, Maguire reprised his iteration of Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home, teaming up with Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland thanks to that film's multiverse story.
No Way Home was a tremendous critical and commercial hit, earning widespread acclaim and $1.8 billion at the global box office. The response led to renewed interest in seeing Maguire or Garfield continue playing Spider-Man in a new solo movie, though nothing has been announced at this point in time. Raimi has said he's open to making Spider-Man 4 should the opportunity present itself, but based on the latest updates, it doesn't sound like there's something concrete on the table.
In an interview with Screen Rant to promote Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we asked Raimi about the chances of his Spider-Man 4 happening. The director admitted he has no plans in mind for such a film, and expressed uncertainty about it. Check out his response in the space below:
I currently don't have any plans to make Spider-Man 4. And they're so successful with the new Spider-Man series that I don't know if that's gonna happen or not. I haven't pursued that.
Raimi's update is disappointing, but in some ways unsurprising. Right now, there doesn't appear to be a place for Spider-Man 4 with Maguire in Marvel or Sony's future plans. A Spider-Man 4 for Holland's Peter 1 is in development, with the young actor reportedly headlining a new trilogy of films. Sony is also continuing to work on their separate Spider-Man cinematic universe with Venom and Morbius, as projects like Kraven the Hunter and El Muerto are in development. Sony has yet to reveal the Spider-Man in that universe, but the safer bet would be on Garfield returning (unless there's another recast). In the wake of No Way Home, there was also a massive push for Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man 3.
With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness set to be a box office hit, the prospect of Raimi returning to his superhero roots with Spider-Man 4 is certainly enticing. There are still plenty of stories left in that world to tell, especially since No Way Home provided only the briefest updates on Maguire's Peter 2 (most notably, he's back together with MJ). If the director were to come up with an idea and the cast is onboard, Sony would owe it to Raimi to at least hear the pitch. As Raimi has said in the past, anything is possible with the multiverse now open. Still, it's worth wondering if Spider-Man 4 would undercut the emotional impact of Maguire's celebrated No Way Home return. Perhaps it's for the best if that is his sendoff.