Spider-Man 4?

[Davi323]

Screw being typecast. As Peter Parker, Tobey McGuire can make more money doing Spiderman 4 and 5 than he can hope to make his next 6 movies combined. I don't want to say that actors should take money and do lesser roles, but lets be honest. Tobey isn't ever going to find a role that can pay him like Spiderman can. He has done more than enough "artsy" films to avoid being typcast as an action hero...that's kind of the point of Peter Parker, isn't it? That he doesn't look like an action hero? Kirsten Dunst would likewise be stupid to turn down playing Mary Jane again. She is a good actress, but not great. The lifespan of female movie stars as lead characters is much smaller than that of men, so, she would be wise to take roles that guarantee she is seen by millions of people. Make a Mona Lisa Smile kind of movie every now and then while you can, but, when you get a chance to play the lead female in a Superhero movie that is going to be seen by millions guaranteed, you take it.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Empire has a feature on potential Spider-Man 4 & 5 villains. They also have who they think should play them.

The Lizard
Played by: Dylan Baker

Foreshadowed in the second and third films by the appearance as his alter-ego, Dr Curt Connors (Baker), long time Spider-foe The Lizard is a pretty safe bet for a future appearance. Connors turns into the savage, scaly one after he experiments with a lizard-based serum in an attempt to grow back his missing arm and it all goes horribly wrong, leaving him with incredible strength and agility, the ability to regenerate and a deadly whipping tail. Connors, who's Peter Parker's university physics in the movies, is clearly being set up for a larger role, but it remains to be seen if he'll go green in 4 or 5. We're also intrigued to see if Baker will be allowed to keep the role if it goes beyond a jumped-up cameo, or if he'll be jettisoned for a named actor, in a move that Billy Dee Williams (Harvey Dent in Tim Burton's Batman) will recognise all too well.

Venom
Played by: Kurt Russell

The catastrophic mishandling of Venom - arguably the greatest of Spidey’s villains - was the nail in the coffin for Spider-Man 3. He was never a favourite of director Sam Raimi – and it showed. With Topher Grace miscast as Eddie Brock, and his origin story given about five minutes of lazy set-up, the movie didn’t even deign to give the villain a name (the word ‘Venom’ isn’t used once). The studio is clearly keen on the character as they’ve put plans in place for a Venom movie and Spidey 4 could serve as a launch pad for the spin-off but only if they get it right. Our suggestion? Grace referred to himself as Edward Brock Jr. throughout, so enter Kurt Russell as Edward Brock Sr. - an older, larger Venom who bonds with the symbiote to exact revenge on the Wallcrawler.

The Vulture
Played by: Larry David

At one point Adrian Toomes, the aged villain with the ability to fly, was considered for Spider-Man 3, with rumours linking Larry David to the role - presumably on the grounds that he's bald, over 50 and shares The Vulture's sunny disposition. We've always had a soft spot for The Vulture - he's grumpy, he's only in it for the money and his costume is utterly ridiculous. On the big screen, though, we just don't think he'd cut it. It'd be like watching Spider-Man beat up an old man. Although it does bring a smile to think of the fun David could have with the role - beloved C**t May, anyone?

Scorpion
Played by: Max Martini (from The Unit)

Another of the many animal-themed bad guys to plague the Spider, The Scorpion is a guy in a suit, who uses his stinger tail to wreak merry havoc. Although original Scorpion Mac Gargan went on to become the current Venom (don't ask, just read the comics), The Scorpion has never been a major Spidey villain - though he has proved to be a fun distraction on many an occasion. It's worth nothing that he was created, sort of, by J. Jonah Jameson as a result of the Daily Bugle Editor's all-consuming desire to see Spider-Man taken down. That alone could make for an interesting movie plot, although J.K. Simmons' JJJ is even more of a comedic buffoon than the original, so it would take some serious manipulation to give such a story work any dramatic bite.

Rhino
Played by: A WWE wrestler. Pick one.

A blundering, bludgeoning mass of muscle in a hardened suit, The Rhino would be a terrible lead but maybe has the muscle to serve as be a secondary villain, should Raimi choose to go down that path again (and let's pray he doesn't). As a main nemesis, he doesn't have the psychological depth to stretch out for two hours. Also as a bloke dressed up in a rhinocerous costume, he's basically a bit rubbish.

Electro
Played by: Mark Wahlberg

One of the two villains chosen by James Cameron for the Spider-Man movie that never was, we're surprised that Electro - who can harness electricity in case you hadn't guessed - hasn't made it into a Spider-Man flick yet. Okay, so he's not exactly top-tier when it comes to Spidey villains, but he's full of potential and Cameron showed the way with his scriptment, turning Maxwell Dillon into a power-hungry egomaniac with a penchant for killing henchmen and then bringing them back to life with one quick jolt. His power could be visually spectacular and would pose all manner of problems for the friendly neighbourhood wotsit. How, for example, do you fight a man who can kill you with a touch?

Mysterio
Played by: Bruce Campbell

The rumour mill had it that Bruce Campbell, making his third consecutive Spider-cameo, was to play a character called Quentin Beck. That never happened, of course - he was a French maitre'd in the end - but it got the fanboys all a-quiver. Because Quentin Beck is the nom de plume of the villainous Mysterio, an illusionist with an inverted fishbowl helmet motif. Another villain who would need some serious de-camping the movies - hey, they managed to make Doc Octopus menacing - Mysterio would be the villain for messing with Peter's mind. What's real? What's imagined? His illusions and manufactured images would give the surrealist in Raimi plenty of scope for demented montages and such, but this might be a character better suited for another director. David Lynch's Spider-Man 4, anyone? Can you imagine how terrifying that would be?

Kraven The Hunter
Played by: Ray Stevenson

Despite a ridiculous costume that makes him look like Freddie Mercury, Kraven The Hunter is one of Spider-Man’s most serious foes. A big-game hunter, enhanced by a mysterious potion, Kraven’s goal in life is to catch and kill Spider-Man. his best-known story is an all-time classic called Kraven’s Last Hunt in which – spoiler! – he succeeds in capturing Spider-Man, going on to take his place for a while. Kraven then lets Parker go before, believing he has nothing left to prove, committing suicide. Kraven’s Last Hunt could make for a potentially cracking film, with some necessary alterations. But we’d suggest that introducing him in Spider-Man 4, with the tale unfolding in Spider-Man 5, in order to give this story the weight it deserves.

I must say that I'm no huge Spider-Man fan. I really don't know of many of these villains. What I do know is that Kraven is awesome, Venom was seriously underused in the 3rd Spier-Man, and that The Lizard could look really silly. Also The Lizard really shouldn't be in the series until the 5th film. He was in the 3rd for about 2 minutes, so I really think they should have a whole film to build him up again.

 

[Papa Shango]

Cinematical also recently did an article on Spidey villains that can be used in the movies.

Frankly I'm a little bit confused as to why Sam Raimi never allowed Dylan Baker to become The Lizard. The guy had three full movies in which to utilize the character, but then again -- I suppose "The Lizard" isn't nearly as high-profile (or as nifty) as Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, The Sandman, or Venom. But they let a one-armed Dylan Baker hang around for this long, so why not give the actor his shot at villainy already?

Having ranted that, I now turn my attentions towards some of the other (as yet unused) Spider-Man villains -- and this superhero has lots of 'em. (I'm fully convinced that Spidey's "rogue gallery" is one of the biggest reasons for the book's ongoing popularity.) I realize that some of these guys might work better on the page than on the big screen, but hey, you can't make two more Spidey sequels without two or three (or four) new villains. So even though the screenplays are probably already finished, I figure this is a fun topic to toss around...

Jason Statham as The Vulture -- I vaguely remember this green, winged character being a bit older than Mr. Statham, but Vulty was also bald and a real nasty character, so I'd still go with Statham.

Bill Paxton as Mysterio -- Dunno why I picked Paxton. Probably because he's one of my favorite actors, and I'd love to see him play a big-budget villain. Plus he wears a big fish-bowl on his head, so any good actor with a strong voice could pull this off.

Gerard Butler as Kraven the Hunter -- Like this guy couldn't play a homicidal game hunter. Plus he kinda looks like Kraven.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman as The Rhino -- More of an evil henchman than a brilliant super-villain, but he's more than strong enough to whack Spidey through a building or three. And Hoffman could definitely bring a few cool shades to a relatively one-dimensional ass-kicker who wears a wacky rhinocerous suit.

William H. Macy as Electro -- This villain started out as an accountant, so that's kind of why I thought of Macy. Like Hoffman, Macy could also bring a malicious sense of humor to a bad guy who wears a decidedly goofy mask.

Alec Baldwin as Hammerhead -- A gangster with a strangely flat head. But he's pretty dangerous, and I'd love to see Baldwin play a super-villain of some sort.

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Tombstone -- Only an actor of this skill level could play an evil African-American Albino. Plus this villain speaks only in whispers, is amazing at hand-to-hand combat, and enjoys looking like a vampire. That's worth my 9 bucks right there.

Brad Dourif as Morbius -- Turned himself into a vampire through scientific methods. And there are few "genre actors" as enjoyable as Brad Dourif.

Bruce Campbell as The Scorpion -- J. Jonah Jameson helped turn this unscupulous private detective into one of Spidey's most persistent enemies, plus he has a tail-thingie that can do all sorts of expensive damage. Plus it's about time that Campbell got himself a "real" role in a Spidey flick.

Ed Harris as Carnage -- He'd be mostly CGI, obviously, but any chance to see Ed Harris in a superhero movie....

And that's all I got for now. I'm open to suggestions, of course, and I still have yet to cast some of the wackier villains like Shocker, Hydro-Man, The Chameleon, The Grizzly, The Gibbon, The Jackal, and The Kangaroo. Jeez, they've got enough villains for 15 sequels.

And whatever happened to the Man-Wolf subplot that was briefly introduced in Spider-Man 2?

Well, personally, I think both articles are a bit far-fetched. Both have some terrible casting (although I think Gerard Butler and Ray Stevenson would both make terrific Kravens). Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Rhino?! Larry David as The Vulture?

Although I do think Ed Harris as Carnage is casting that is nothing short of inspired. Sure Cletus Kassidy, Carnage's alter ego, looks nothing like Ed Harris, in ANY adaptation (at least Topher Grace looked like the Ultimate Universe version of Eddie Brock). But Ed Harris is a terrific actor, and I think, despite being mostly CGI, he would realy capture the psychosis of the character. And if the studio is looking to capitalize on the popularity of evil psychotics a la The Joker, then Carnage is the way to go. And heck, even if there isn't a Carnage, Ed Harris could also be used as The Chameleon.

If Jason Statham were used as any villain, I'd say he'd best be used as The Scorpion. No offense to Bruce Campbell, but he'd be better as a campy Mysterio. Statham has a decent build, and could probably do a great job as the brutal, thuggish Scorpion. I could also hear his voice under the mask of The Shocker.

I don't think either Whalberg or Macy would be good Electro's. Personally, I would pick Paul Rudd. Electro, despite being quite powerful and dangerous, always seems a bit campy (just look at the costume), and I think Rudd would be a perfect balance between dangerous and eccentric.

In the end, I think it's clear there's a reason as to why the guys at Empire and Cinematical report about movies, rather than make them.

 

[Starchild]

Dylan Baker, who portrays Dr. Curt Connors, expressed interest in portraying the character's villainous alter-ego, the Lizard. Producer Grant Curtis is also a fan of the character, and also expressed interest in Kraven the Hunter. Raimi said that if he returned to direct, he would turn Connors into the Lizard. He also expressed interest in setting up the Sinister Six by introducing the Vulture and Electro. J. K. Simmons is hoping to return as J. Jonah Jameson.

Here is something I think can be spectacular. I'm excited that it appears Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back, which can only lead to the assumption that Kirsten Dunst won't be far behind. One of my biggest pet peeves is recasting major roles in a continuing series. However, Topher Grace was terrible and should not be Venom/Eddie Brock in the spinoff Venom film. But I digress..

We all know how bad the third film was, but that's no reason to deny the first two were some of the best superhero movies ever. And what better way to get that type of movie back than to set up one of the better storylines in the Spiderman universe.

There are two ways this could go I think. Either you set up the Sinister 6 here and have them in the 5th movie, but have Carnage as the villain in this one because he can definitely carry a movie alone. Or you do the 6 in this one and have Carnage in the last one. Either way it's a great way to get a bunch of villains in but in a real team, not to where it just seems they are all thrown in there. And I think Carnage has to appear in one of these movies. I would attempt to make him seem somewhat like Joker was in Dark Knight..just completely psychotic and a murderer because that's what he is. As for the Sinister 6, obviously Doc Ock is out of the question so I think you have Electro or Mysterio as the leader along with Lizard, Scorpion, Chamelion, and Shocker,.

I am definitely looking forward to this movie now that it appears it has some direction and the cast returning.