Tracy Morgan hasn't seen Spider-Man

He claims that Toby Maguire owes him $75.00.

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I say we get Toby to give his money back, eh?

Date Set for Spider-Man #4

Yep, I just read how Spidey IV has a release date of July 3, 2012, plus it is slated to be filmed in 3-D.

Sony made the release date official today, and added that the film will debut in 3-D when it premieres. Production on the project, which has yet to name an actor for the lead role, is expected to begin later this year. The studio announcement also indicated that the film's title hasn't been finalized yet — though we're pretty sure the name "Spider-Man" will be in there somewhere.

Still, the part of this report that I find interesting is that it indicates that no one has been chosen to replace Toby Maguire, yet a week or so back we read (and posted) a report that had named actor Zac Efron as being set to step into Spidey’s web. So, who knows what the real word is in this matter.

I just know that if this new director, Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) thinks that bigger = better, we could be in for a train-wreck of a film. Personally, I believe that a scaled back version of the next film — rather than an over-blown, everything-including-the-kitchen-sink, film can only help to ruin the franchise, rather than help it.

The end of the (Spider) world as we know it?

Well, I'm not ready to call it, but I just heard that co-star of Disney's high-rated series, High School Musical, Zac Efron, has been tapped to step into Tobey Maguire's Spider booties...

Actor Zac Efron is set for a 9-million-pound payday for his role as Spider Man. The High School Musical star will step into Tobey Maguire’s shoes for the fourth blockbuster movie, slated to start shooting later this year and hit theatres in 2012.

Tobey, 34, shocked bosses at Universal Pictures last year when he announced he was quitting the megabucks franchise. “After dumping Spidey, Tobey then came to the rescue by recommending that Zac should take over his role,” the Daily Star quoted a studio insider as saying.

This could make the next installment even bigger as it taps into Efron's already-established fan base. Apparently, The film's producers are also believed to be considering reuniting Efron with his High School Musical co-star Vanessa Hudgens, 21. She is hotly tipped to replace Kirsten Dunst, 27, as Spider-Man’s love interest. “It would be a great coup to land her as well,” a source said.

Well, let's see if the Disney/Marvel connection will pay off for us after all. We can only hope.

Sing a song of Spider-Pence, a pocket full of rhyme...

So, word is now out that Sam Raimi, along with stars Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst have all taken a pass on Spider-Man 4. According to reports, the director was unhappy with the direction of the script and Columbia announced that the film was on indefinite hold.

...Columbia Pictures announced plans for a replacement movie focusing on the High School years of Spidey's alter-ego, Peter Parker. It will be released in summer 2012 with an as-yet-unnamed actor in the starring role and a script by James Vanderbilt.

Well, as depressing as all this may sound, from Heidi MacDonald, we learn that new Marvel owner, Disney, has come to the rescue of the previously announced-and-canceled Spider-Man Broadway musical.

Disney...has stepped in to get Spider-Man the Musical back on track, Michael Riedel at The New York Post reports.

Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark...has had a rocky road. With superstar director Julie Taymor, and superstar composers Bono and The Edge on board it seemed like a surefire hit, but monetary mismanagement, and Taymor’s divided attention with her movie career forced the planned February launch to be scuttled as the show became a financial black hole, blowing through some $52 million and needed four years of full houses just to break even.

One can only wonder if Avi Arad &/or Joe Quesada traded Sam Rami’s Spidey 4 to Mephisto to get Spidey the Musical, or he will try to trade the musical for the film