Sam Raimi explains what he would have to "figure out" if he ever made Spider-Man 4 with Tobey Maguire

Spider-Man
(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 is probably one of the greatest ‘what ifs’ in comic book movie history. Now, the director has spoken about the narrative roadblocks he would need to address if he ever swung back into the director’s chair for a new Spidey movie with Tobey Maguire.

"I think if we were to make a fourth Spider-Man film, we’d probably have to figure out the journey that Tobey Maguire’s character would be going on and what obstacles he had to overcome to achieve that growth personally," Raimi, who directed three Spider-Man movies from 2002 to 2007, told TheWrap. "And I hope that the villains would be chosen based on a representation of that obstacle."

Raimi, however, admitted he hadn’t thought about what exactly would stand in the way of Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker because he would "have to talk with Tobey and the writers and really figure out what his personal growth for this episode would be."

Never say never, but Sam Raimi – as of right now – isn’t attached to a new Spider-Man movie or any other Marvel movie after helming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

That, of course, hasn’t dented fans’ hopes. Tobey Maguire returned to the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, while the book With Great Power: How Spider-Man Conquered Hollywood During The Golden Age of Blockbusters by CinemaBlend managing editor Sean O’Connell revealed that John Malkovich was once in line to play Vulture in Spider-Man 4 opposite Maguire. 

Over in the MCU, Tom Holland has revealed he has been involved in early creative discussions for his Spider-Man 4, telling Deadline that "We have the best in the business working toward whatever the story might be. But until we’ve cracked it, we have a legacy to protect.” Who knows, we might even get two Spider-Man 4 movies down the line...

For more, check out our full ranking of the best Spider-Man movies.

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.