It took a while for everyone to get over whatever Spider-Man 3 was, but since we were informed that Spider-Man 4 was on the way with director Sam Raimi and stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and others set to return, all has seemed to move quite smoothly. In fact, things were moving so smoothly that plans for fifth and six installments were already getting set up. The only delay that seemed to be causing problems was the choosing of a villain for the fourth film and the hiring of multiple new writers, but with an official release date of May 5, 2011 announced, there was nothing to worry about…right?

Apparently not, as it was first reported in December by IESB that Sony has actually changed the popular comic book movie’s status from on “holiday hiatus” to the much more disheartening “indefinite hold.” The trades have since confirmed this to be true even after it was initially denied by studio representatives. The reason for the sudden halt? Reportedly, not only can’t Raimi and the studio agree on a proper villain lineup, but Raimi is also incredibly unhappy with how the script(s) are shaping up. It looks like this move is probably the smartest thing to do, as it will allow everyone to step back for a moment and gather themselves before figuring out the next best move for all involved.

Back in May, Raimi made it crystal clear that he was saddened by how Spidey 3 turned out and that he was hellbent on making up with it with this fourth film (Read: Sam Raimi Is On A Mission For “˜Spider-Man 4″²). If this is the reason Raimi is being so picky about what villains are used and where the film goes, then I guess we can’t be angry about it. I’m just more curious as to what direction he wants to go and what direction Sony wants to go. The studio should just send out the options and let the fans speak loud and clear for them.

Another interesting layer to all of this is the World of Warcraft movie that Raimi was hired to direct. At first report, it was difficult to figure out how the director could possibly do both of these juggernauts in the next couple of years. Does this play into the Spider-Man 4 madness, and does this mean that Raimi will now definitely do WoW first?

From the current looks of things, this should be long and winding road for all of us to travel down. Let’s just hope the journey is worth the destination.

[Source: THR]