- Sam Raimi’s fourth Spider-Man movie featuring Tobey Maguire was canceled in 2010, and Anne Hathaway revealed she was cast as Black Cat but never progressed beyond the audition.
- Spider-Man: No Way Home has revived calls for Maguire and Andrew Garfield to be given their own live-action Spider-Man projects, but this seems increasingly unlikely.
- Future Spider-Man projects include the animated MCU series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (formerly known as Spider-Man: Freshman Year), coming to Disney+ in 2024, and Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is being rescheduled after recent strike delays.
In a recent interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Anne Hathaway addressed the long-standing rumor about her involvement in the canceled fourth installment of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series. Despite criticisms, Spider-Man continued to prove its strength in the box office, and development on Spider-Man 4 began in 2007. Hathaway was rumored to play Felicia Hardy/Black Cat, but the movie was officially scrapped in 2010. Instead, Andrew Garfield took over the role of Spider-Man in a complete reboot in 2012.
Hathaway revealed that she had been cast in Spider-Man 4, but production never progressed beyond the audition stage. “I did not get into costume and did not read a script past the audition sides. I got the part and, yeah, it just… I think that’s probably more the producers’ story to tell than mine should they ever decide to tell it,” she said. Hathaway is currently starring in the psychological thriller Eileen alongside Thomasin McKenzie.
The release of Spider-Man: No Way Home increased fans’ desire to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield return to their respective roles in new live-action Spider-Man movies. However, considering other developments, this seems less likely. Sam Raimi has previously shared details about his vision for the canceled Spider-Man 4, which could have featured Bruce Campbell as Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter for the first time on screen. In hindsight, it may have been best that things turned out as they did, with Maguire making a return in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
As for the future of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, new iterations of the character are never far off. Upcoming projects include the animated MCU series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, coming to Disney+ in 2024, and Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is being rescheduled due to recent strike delays.