Spider-Man 4.3 - The UpStream

I think we can all agree that Spider-Man (the character) is awesome. Normal kid can swing through the streets of New York in a tight red suit and no one thinks it's weird. He has super-strength and can beat the crap out of just about anyone who gets in his way. Great stories almost write themselves for this guy, or so you would think.

This is not the case, as a third writer, Gary Ross, has been brought in to give a script a shot for Spider-Man 4. He is being charged with a pretty tall order, being as all of the important storylines have either been turned to dead-ends or rendered useless by the last film. In addition to putting together a jigsaw puzzle without his hands, Ross must also deal with competition from the newer film franchises that will be premiering around the same time, including Iron Man and The Avengers. Add to that a 36-year-old Tobey Maguire and you have a disaster waiting to happen.

My hopes are that we have seen the end of this franchise for now. Maguire has played an admirable Spider-Man and deserves to retire to other projects and let Sony sit on the series for a few years before launching a Batman-esque reboot.