Sam Raimi’sSpider-Man 3hit theaters nine years ago, and since then, we’ve seen two more actors take on the role of Peter Parker afterTobey McGuire, withAndrew GarfieldinThe Amazing Spider-Manmovies, andTom Holland, who made his MCU debut inCaptain America: Civil War. Before the character was rebooted twice,Sam Raimiwas set to makeSpider-Man 4. But Sony ultimately scrapped it and moved forward withThe Amazing Spider-Manreboot instead. Today we have new details from an artist who worked onSpider-Man 4, revealing the villains who would have been. These includedVultureand Mysterio.
The artwork comes fromJeffrey Henderson’s official website, who worked onSpider-Man 4before the project was shut down by Sony. The artist reveals on his website that he was actually brought on to work onThe Amazing Spider-Manreboot, but just days before he started working on that doomed franchise re-starter,Sam Raimicalled him and asked him to work onOz: The Great and Powerful. Here’s what the artist had to say.
“Ahhh,Spider-Man 4. Of all the projects I’ve worked on, I get asked about this more often than anything else. I hope that one day I can, (or somebody can), finally tell the whole story ofSam Raimi’s ‘abandoned’ fourthSpider-Man movie. Until then, out of respect forSam, (and fear that he’d sendBruce Campbellto come after me with a chainsaw…), and everyone that worked on, or contributed to, this project, let me just say this: It would’ve been one absolutely kick ass movie. Seriously. We were working on some crazy- cool stuff, because everyone, from top to bottom, felt thatSpidey 3was a bit of a ‘missed opportunity’, and we all really wanted to help Sam take SM4 to another level so he could end the series on a high note. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, but I did get to spend a few years working onOZ, The Great and Powerful, which was just amazing… but that’s a whole ‘nother post. Anyway,Samis almost superstitious about releasing any storyboards for anything, (go back and look at every “The Art Of” book for every movie he’s ever done… you know what’s not gonna be there? Anywhere? That’s right: storyboards), I don’t really know why- but that’s just how he feels about it. So, having said that, here are some ‘boards I can share, (without pissing Sam off), from the mysterious Spider-Man 4.”
We don’t get to see much ofMysterioin this artwork, but he is seen in a number of storyboards whereSpider-Manis turning him over to the police. But Vulture is prominently featured in this artwork. Before the project was shut down, there were plenty of rumors swirling around the project, withRachel McAdamsreportedly being eyed for the role of Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. Black Cat andJohn Malkovichrumored to play Vulture. Sony pulled the plug in January 2010, announcing a new reboot that would eventually become 2012’sThe Amazing Spider-Man. The artwork seems to indicate thatBruce Campbellwould have played Mysterio, which isn’t terribly surprising since the actor has had roles inSam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy. He played a ring announcer in 2002’sSpider-Man, a “Snooty Usher” inSpider-Man 2and a Maitre’d inSpider-Man 3.
Of course, we’ll never know howSam Raimi’sSpider-Man 4would have turned out, but fans will get to see the web-slinger back in action whenSpider-Man: Homecominghits the big screen on July 26, 2025.Tom Hollandwill return as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, withMarsia Tomeistarring as Aunt May. The cast also includesZendaya Coleman,Laura HarrierandTony Revolori, withJon Wattsdirecting from a script byJohn Francis DaleyandJonathan M. Goldstein. Take a look at the artwork forSpider-Man 4below, and visitPlanetHenderson.comfor more of his storyboards.
