The Batman writer's Spider-Man 4 pitch makes me want Sam Raimi to return for one last reunion with Tobey Maguire's Spidey

Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man
(Image credit: Sony)

The Batman screenwriter Mattson Tomlin has pitched his dream idea for Spider-Man 4 and, yeah, we're gonna need Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi swinging back into the comic book movie game for one last web-strewn rodeo.

After being asked on Twitter about a vision for his take on Spider-Man, Tomlin replied, "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."

Of course, we have seen Spider-Man as a father before across various media, most notably Peter B. Parker and Mayday in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. A take on Tobey Maguire's older Spidey, though, would feel novel, especially given Spider-Man: No Way Home kept his history ambiguous enough if anyone decided to explore it.

Initial whispers around a Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man 4 involved Tobey Maguire's webslinger going toe to toe with Vulture, played by John Malkovich (who seemingly has a cursed track record playing Marvel villains after his Red Ghost role was cut from Fantastic Four: First Steps).

While that fell through, Raimi went on to work with Marvel Studios as director of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He even found time to address the rumors that he was lined up for a Spider-Man 4 return last year.

"Well, I haven't heard about that yet," the filmmaker candidly confirmed in a new interview with CBR at WonderCon back in 2024. "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!'"

A new Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland, titled Brand New Day, is currently filming.

For more on those that are currently in the works, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies.

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Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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