THE BATMAN Writer Mattson Tomlin Shares Hopeful Update on Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN 4: “I Haven’t Gotten a No…”
It’s been nearly two decades since Spider-Man 4 was first planned to hit theaters, but fans still haven’t given up hope of seeing Tobey Maguire suit up again under the direction of Sam Raimi.
And now, there’s a small glimmer of optimism from The Batman writer Mattson Tomlin, who’s been vocal about wanting to write the long-lost sequel.
Back in the day, Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 divided audiences, but it was still a massive success and left plenty of room for another story. Spider-Man 4 was originally slated for a 2011 release before Sony scrapped it in favor of The Amazing Spider-Man reboot starring Andrew Garfield.
Over the years, storyboards and reports have hinted at appearances by The Vulture and Black Cat, but beyond that, the movie has remained one of Hollywood’s great “what ifs.”
When Tobey Maguire returned to the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it reignited fan demand for both Spider-Man 4 and The Amazing Spider-Man 3. With multiverse storytelling now a major part of the Marvel landscape, many believe there’s no reason Sony couldn’t make it happen, especially since audiences clearly still love these versions of Peter Parker.
Earlier this year, Mattson Tomlin, who co-wrote The Batman and is currently working on The Batman Part II, took to social media to share his own creative vision for Raimi’s unrealized sequel.
“Honestly, right now, my main interest in this respect would be to write a Spider-Man 4 where Tobey’s Spider-Man is juggling being a husband and a father. Spider-Man as a father is where I gravitate towards, given the last 8 films.”
Fans couldn’t help but wonder if the idea had reached Sony’s radar. Recently, a fan asked Tomlin for an update, and his response was cautiously optimistic.
“Slow and steady wins the race. There won’t be anything to say about that for a long time (if ever!) because it involves a lot of people and politics and things going right that have nothing to do with me, but I haven’t gotten a ‘no’ yet!”
It’s far from confirmation, but for fans of Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, it’s the kind of hopeful answer that keeps the dream alive.
As for Sam Raimi himself, he hasn’t ruled out returning to the director’s chair. When asked in 2022 about the possibility of revisiting Spider-Man 4 after directing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he said,
“Well, I haven’t heard about that yet. I did read that, but I’m not actually working on it yet. I mean, Marvel and Columbia are so successful with current Spider-Man [movies], and the track there, and I don’t know that they’re going to go back to me, and say, ‘Well, folks, we can also tell that story!’”
He went on to add:
“I’m not sure, but I love all the new Spider-Man movies. I loved Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was really, super powerful seeing Tobey [Maguire] again in it.”
While there’s still no official movement on Spider-Man 4, the combination of fan enthusiasm, Tomlin’s persistence, and Raimi’s openness to the idea could eventually make it more than just wishful thinking. With Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon, who knows, maybe the multiverse still has one more swing left for Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man.
Would you want to see Spider-Man 4 finally happen? Let us know in the comments below!