Spider-Man always has problems with villains, but now it looks like the film franchise built around him is having real trouble getting them right to everyone's satisfaction for Spider-Man 4.
Back in December, IESB floated a rumour (quickly denied by Sony) that script issues and disagreements on the focus of the movie between Sam Raimi and the studio would mean pushing the shoot back to later next year.
But now the delay has been confirmed, with the main sticking point being Raimi's commitment to using John Mallkovich as The Vulture for the main villain (according to the Heat Vision Blog, he wanted the brainy, beaky baddie in Spider-Man 3 before the producers pushed the idea of Venom) and Sony preferring a version of Felicia Hardy, AKA Black Cat alongside another, more marketable opponent.
All this has led to multiple script drafts - nothing unusual on such a tentpole project, but not conducive to actually getting to shoot the thing. In the last couple of years, the likes of James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, and most recently Seabiscuit's Gary Ross have all been tasked with making the various combinations work.
So now regular Spider-scriptwriter Alvin Sargent has been brought in to see if he can figure out the formula to keep everyone happy.
And of course, it means the script won't be ready for the scheduled spring shooting start (cast members, effects and production crews have already been warned that they may need to look for other work while they wait) and Sony may well have to retract that long-planned May 2011 release schedule.
This one is going to run and run - we'll let you know if the studio comments again...