Sam Raimi’s Canceled Spider-Man 4 Could Have Starred Angelina Jolie

Before Sam Raimi’s Spider-man 4 was ultimately canceled, Sony was reportedly considering Angelina Jolie for a starring role as Vulture’s daughter.

Angelina Jolie next to Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man

Sam Raimi’s doomed Spider-Man 4 almost included Angelina Jolie in a major capacity.

According to Sean O’Connell’s book With Great Power, which documents the Wall Crawler’s many cinematic exploits, Sony was considered the Tomb Raider star to play the daughter of Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture. The script reportedly sees the flying villain eventually die due to the consequences of his actions, prompting Jolie’s unnamed character to don her own set of wings and become Vultress. An original character created specifically for Spider-Man 4, Toomes’ daughter would also have been an “accomplished executive representing a venture capital firm” that was attempting to purchase the Daily Bugle.

O’Connell’s book also provides some details on how Raimi was planning to bring Vulture to the big screen, noting that the filmmaker wanted to modernize his costume and weapons. The acclaimed horror director also wanted to include a scene similar to Doc Ock’s hospital escape in Spider-Man 2 to demonstrate that Toomes was a worthy foe.

What Happened to Spider-Man 4?

Following the disappointing reception to Spider-Man 3, Sony ultimately decided to cancel Tobey Maguire’s fourth film after Raimi insisted that he couldn’t move forward with the project. It’s widely believed that the studio’s intervention in the third movie soured the filmmaker on the franchise, prompting Sony to reboot Spidey with a new director and lead actor. Andrew Garfield took on the role of Peter Parker for 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, which was helmed by Marc Webb.

While Jolie never had the chance to join Spider-Man 4, she did ultimately arrive in the world of Marvel superheroes with 2021’s Eternals. Playing the wise and powerful immortal figure known as Thena, she served as one of the leaders of the powerful group before eventually suffering from “Mahd Wy’ry,” a psychological condition that occurs due to the number of memories she has due to her immortality. Jolie has stated that she has no interest in reprising her role in a Thena solo spinoff but has said she’d be up to cameo in other Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

Maguire also made a leap into the MCU in 2021 through the multiversal story of Spider-Man: No Way Home. After meddling with barriers between realities, both Maguire and Garfield team up with current Spidey Tom Holland to combat a team of villains that includes Doc Ock, The Lizard and Green Goblin. It’s currently unknown whether Disney and Sony have any plans to produce more films focused on the previous two Peter Parkers.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy is available to stream on Disney+.

Source: With Great Power, via The Direct

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