Although it was canceled in 2010, rumors and reports persist in 2024 that Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 may finally happen with director Sam Raimi.

It’s no secret that Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 has been a hot topic of conversation, leading many to wonder if the movie might actually get made over a decade after it was canceled back in 2010. Set to star Tobey Maguire as the titular Webslinger, Spider-Man 4 would have been the next chapter following Raimi’s trilogy of films that ended with Spider-Man’s battle with both Venom and Sandman. To that end, rumors and reports have persisted that a revival film might actually be revived.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man in 2002 was the first live-action blockbuster to feature the character of Peter Parker as played by Tobey Maguire. Likewise, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 is still seen as the pinnacle of superhero sequels 20 years later. While 2007’s Spider-Man 3 was certainly more divisive, there was still excitement for a fourth installment before Raimi pulled out of the project and Sony canceled Spider-Man 4 in 2010. To that end, here’s why rumors about Spider-Man 4 are surfacing now, what the movie was going to be about, as well as the actual likelihood that the movie gets made.

Why Tobey Maguire Spider-Man 4 Rumors Are Surfacing Now

Lots Of Recent Rumblings

Surprisingly, a collection of exciting quotes and comments have surfaced in recent weeks, coming from actors from the Spider-Man trilogy as well as some exciting comments from director Sam Raimi himself. For example, Sandman actor Thomas Hayden Church suggested in an interview with Comicbook.com that he’d been hearing rumors that Sony was looking to do Spider-Man 4 with Raimi and Maguire:

“But, you know, I think Sam is gonna do another Spider-Man with Tobey [Maguire], and that’s the one that … They had an option for me to do Spiderman 4 when there was going to be a Spiderman 4. They had an option on me to come back. So if it happens, that would be fantastic.

Following Hayden-Church’s comments in March 2024, Mary Jane Watson actress Kirsten Dunst recently confirmed with Marie Claire Magazine that she would also return to play Peter Parker’s love interest if asked, giving a very pragmatic response as to why:

“ Yes, because you get paid a lot of money, I have 2 children, and I support my mother.”

Furthermore, Sam Raimi recently gave a very positive response when asked by a fan about the possibility of Spider-Man 4. To that end, Raimi’s comments were shared online by X user @LukasASoaresRM, expressing that there are chances that Spider-Man 4 will happen if only because Raimi himself has the same desire fans do for the film to become a reality finally.

Spider-Man 4 Interest Was Revitalized By Spider-Man: No Way Home

Fan Demand Is At An All-Time High

It absolutely makes sense that interest in Spider-Man 4 dramatically increased following 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. In the MCU movie starring Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, a multiversal misadventure with Doctor Strange resulted in multiple villains from other realities ending up in the MCU. However, it also meant that both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s versions of Peter Parker also arrived in the MCU, albeit temporarily to help Holland’s Spider-Man help their villains before sending everyone home.

There’s no denying that Spider-Man 4 would have some of the purest nostalgia power ever seen.

Calls for the canceled Amazing Spider-Man 3 with Garfield and Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 went up almost immediately following No Way Home’s release. That said, Spider-Man 4 has received more attention recently due to all these new comments and rumors that Sony may be looking to bring Raimi, Maguire, and more back for the Spider-Man movie that never was. While one could argue that Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man 3 might be easier to produce by making Sony’s universe of villains the same universe as Garfield’s movies, there’s no denying that Spider-Man 4 would have some of the purest nostalgia power ever seen.

Sam Raimi’s Cancelled Spider-Man 4 Plans Explained

Vulture, Black Cat, Lizard And More

While exact story details for the canceled Spider-Man 4 movie are scarce, new villains were revealed and confirmed in the years that followed. John Malkovich was set to play Adrian Toomes’ Vulture while Anne Hathaway would have played Felicia Hardy’s Black Cat (an ironic casting considering her role a few years later as Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises). Likewise, it was believed that Dylan Baker’s Doctor Curt Connors would have finally become the Lizard while Raimi’s frequent collaborator Bruce Campbell would have allegedly been revealed as Mysterio following his multiple roles in the original Spider-Man trilogy.

All in all, it follows that Maguire’s Spider-Man would likely have been grieving the death of Harry Osborn in Spider-Man 3 while also repairing his relationship with Mary Jane Watson. While it’s unknown if a potential Spider-Man 4 released in the present would still follow the same plot and have the same characters, it is interesting to see what might have been. Likewise, elements of the original could likely still be used as inspiration even if Raimi wanted to go in another direction given a greenlight from Sony.

Will Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 Ever Happen?

What Can Sony Actually Do With Spider-Man? Is Maguire Even Interested?

When it comes to the likelihood of Spider-Man 4 actually getting made, one has to consider Sony Pictures’ rights deal with Marvel Studios and what it fully entails. After all, Sony hasn’t made a live-action Spider-Man movie with Peter Parker in the lead role since their deal with Marvel to have Tom Holland’s Spider-Man operate in the MCU. Apart from the very successful animated Spider-Verse movies, Sony has instead made live-action spin-off movies featuring villains and lesser-known heroes connected to the Spider-Man mythos.

Many have theorized that there might be some sort of condition where Sony can’t make a live-action Spider-Man film so long as Tom Holland is the MCU’s Spider-Man, which would certainly hinder a potential Spider-Man 4 starring Maguire. Likewise, Tobey Maguire himself would also have to be on board to don the mask again. While he did express interest in returning to the role following No Way Home, Maguire hasn’t been as recently vocal as others have been. At any rate, nothing about Spider-Man 4 has been made official, though the excitement surrounding the potential is quite high.