Clint here (Exhausted!),

Taylor Lautner (yeah, I know, I know…) is the latest name being thrown around for the role of the latex-clad air-breathing chelicerate arthropod in Sony’s controversial ”Spider-Man” reboot. In fact, in addition to IESB’s scoop that the “Twilight” Teen Wolf has already met with the series’ producers, Lautner’s prospective employment at the Daily Bugle was all the talk of the Globes – seems most of the Penguins assume he has the role in the bag (this is where I’d normally type ‘I hope not’).

Interestingly, Lautner presented ‘rumoured’ “Spider-Man” director Marc Webb’s film “500 Days of Summer” at Sunday Night’s Golden Globe Awards. Simply a coincidence the way it worked out? Or more to it? Guess we’ll find out in the coming weeks…. or tomorrow, when Lautner’s publicist gets wind of the story and debunks it. But in all honesty, I don’t see that happening – as I said a few days back, it’s a no-brainer that Lautner would have met with Amy Pascal and the gang at Sony. He is, after all, Hollywood’s new ‘it boy’ – of course they’ve got him on their wish list.

And if you’re still a little shitsy (like I’ve been) that “Spider-Man 4” has been canceled in favour of a remake/prequel – well, here’s something that might make the belly pain go away. NY Mag offered up the following summarization of the just quashed “Spider-Man 4” :

“Peter Parker gets over MJ, finds a new girl, falls in love. But: Peter also discovers her father is actually the Vulture, a naughty green guy with wings to be played by John Malkovich. Peter is torn between the love of his new lady and taking down the Vulture. Being a Spandex tight-ass, he decides to take down the Vulture, and kills him.
This patricide goes down poorly with Peter’s new fiancee, and she rejects him. Despondent, Peter decides to abandon his superpowers, and Movie No. 4 ends with Peter Parker throwing away his Spider-Man mask, and audiences wondering if they are watching Superman II.”

Yep, sounds like Raimi may have been sensible for opting out.

Raimi didn’t quit based on the script alone – in fact, some say he “championed” that storyline -in fact, he could’ve worked with that. Having been bowled over by all the groundbreaking special effects in “Avatar”, the filmmaker wanted to really the push the envelope in terms of visual and special effects come “Spider-Man 4″, but because Sony had a set release date (May 6, 2011), there wouldn’t have been enough time for Raimi to do anything, well, “Avatar”-esque with the film (Sony said they could go 3D, but that’s the one thing Raimi wasn’t certain the film needed). Instead of simply utilizing the toys he already had on hand, Raimi decided to walk.

“Every movie is a power struggle,” explains one producer on the Sony lot familiar with the fracas. “But the tipping point was that Sam wanted to do certain things that would push the envelope in terms of [special effects] ‘toys’ and other visual stimulation, and Sony didn’t feel that was essential to the franchise.”

How things have changed hey? Bummer.

Meanwhile, on the way into the awards, former web-slinger Tobey Maguire mentioned that as far as “he’s heard” the new “Spider-Man” film has a director – but he wasn’t allowed to reveal his name. He did say though that this person’s appointment as helmer is a “vote of confidence” for the reboot.
Oh, and those rumours pegging Maguire as the new Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro’s “The Hobbit”? As bogus as Nicole Eggert’s tits.