The villain in Spiderman 4 has not been announced yet. But we are all trying to guess who it will be. I have been betting on the Lizard as being the most probable villain in the next Spiderman movie.

Some days ago I while searching for Spiderman 4 on the web I just found a video interview of Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man.
The interview dates back to one year ago. But I think it still sounds right and it would confirm the Lizard hypothesis:

As the Sony starts to ramp things up for Spider-Man 4, the question being asked of every actor who has appeared in the franchise so far is “Are you going to be in the sequel?” Elizabeth Banks, who played Betty Brant in the first three Spider-Man movies was asked that very question by CHUD while at the Zack and Miri Make a Porno junket, and her reaction was one of uncertainty.

“I’m the last person they call,” Banks said. She also revealed that, depending on the size of the role, she might not even be interested. By the time of the third movie, Banks had little more than a cameo appearance. “If it’s that small, I probably won’t do it. They don’t need Betty Brant. It’s purely, at this point - and I don’t think they see it this way - it’s kind of a favor at this point.”

When originally cast in the first Spider-Man, Banks was a relative unknown, and was happy to be cast at all. But since that time, Banks Hollywood star has risen steadily, so it makes sense that she wouldn’t be all that interested in appearing if Betty Brant only has a small part in Spider-Man 4.

Now, that said, Sony could easily go either direction with Banks’ character. It would be easy to cut Betty out of the film entirely, and it would be similarly easy to include the character in a major way in the story. Betty Brant has been a major part of the Spider-Man comics, having had a sibling who was killed during one of Spidey’s battles, her husband being one of the people who assumed the identity of the Hobgoblin, and Betty herself was one of Peter’s love interests while he was in high school.

So, it will be interesting to see whether or not Banks is back for Spider-Man 4. Keep reading MovieWeb and SuperheroFlix for more information about Spider-Man 4 as it develops.

Although things weren’t looking too good for awhile, “Spider-Man” has overcome adversities tougher than a Green Goblin / Doc Ock team-up, and now once again has Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi in his corner. But what about Kirsten Dunst?

“Kirsten, I’d love to work with her again,” Raimi explained to us this week, making it sound as if current plans are to move along to “Spider-Man 4” and “Spider-Man 5” without the actress, despite recent statements that she wants to remain with the franchise.

“I hope she’ll be written into it,” said Raimi. “I couldn’t imagine making one without her, and I think she’s an important part of the movies.”

Washington (PTI): Researchers in the United States are on track to create a Spiderman suit as scientists developed a material that is 10 times stickier than the feet of a lizard.

Scientists, who have long been intrigued by Spiderman-like abilities, found that gecko lizards have microscopic branched hairs in their toes that take advantage of atomic-scale attractive forces to grip surfaces. The study, published in the journal Science, suggests that the new dry adhesive is 10 times more gripping than the feet of a lizard.

“This directional difference in the adhesion force is a significant improvement that could help make this material useful as a transient adhesive,” said professor Liming Dai, from the University of Drayton, Ohio.

In successful tests on a variety of surfaces, the new material uses similar microscopic hair-like structures of carbon nanotubes - tiny tubes of carbon with unusual properties, Daily Telegraph reported on Friday.

The findings could be put to use in less glamorous applications, including connections for electronic devices and glueing objects together in the dry vacuum of space, the report in the British daily said.

Straight out of Sam Raimi’s mouth, he’s going to start working with writers after the strike to put together a script for Spider-Man 4. So it looks like Raimi will be on board at least as a producer of sorts if not the director, which I can’t see him NOT doing if he’s going to have his hand in the movie anyways.

Here is a small excerpt from the interview, you can check the rest out at Comic Book Resource

That’d be cool. Do you have any inclination yet towards whether you’d like to produce or direct the next Spider-Man movie, or is too early to call?

Sam: I think that’s going to be up to Sony Pictures, and I think that it’s too early for them to say, actually. But currently I’m working on… well, not now, but as soon as the writers strike’s over… I’m going to begin working with a writer on the screenplay.

And with both Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi! That’s the rumor. The Hollywood Reporter has come out and said that both Tobey and Sam are very close to a deal with Sony Pictures to create two more Spider-Man movies. The movies will hopefully start filming in 2009 and will be filmed back to back. Writer Jamie Vanderbuilt who penned the “Zodiac” screenplay has been tapped to write. And don’t worry, the Venom movie is still moving forward. Writer Jacob Estes wrote a draft of the script while recently Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese were brought on to revise.

So we’ll see what happens. Hopefully they close these deals and we get to see some more Spidey action soon. With all of the Marvel Studios movies coming in 2010 and 2011, we could be seeing a ton of comic book movies in those 2 years. I just hope that they don’t all suck.

Nothing is official yet, but apparently in an interview that Kirsten Dunst did with MTV she mentions that she’s “in” when asked about her involvement with Spider-Man 4. However, shortly after that she said that she’s not saying anything…. So basically nothing is official yet, but it sounds like she wants to do it if everything works out how she wants it to. This could mean that she’d be back for both Spider-Man 4 and 5 since they are going to be shot back to back, unless of course they kill Mary Jane off in Spidey 4, but we’ll just have to wait and see. If we hear anything official we will let you know.

After the disaster that was Spider-Man 3 and the entertaining yet short beat-em-up Friend Or Foe, the web slinger returns to form in Web of Shadows. It’s far from the ultimate Spider-Man experience, but it manages to offer several hours of web-slinging fun.

Spidey’s not having the best of days. His girlfriend, Mary Jane, is angry with him because he’s using a symbiote suit that affects his personality. Black Cat, a long-time partner of his, is back, yearning for his attention. On top of all this, Venom, a twisted symbiote being, has returned, bringing an enormous alien invasion with him that forces Manhattan to evacuate. Blobs of black goo stick to buildings, citizens become creepy crawlers and heavily armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents can’t maintain control.

You start out a few days beforehand, with the invulnerable Luke Cage teaching you the basics of combat. Like previous games, web swinging plays a huge role in this wide-open 3-D world. A few other techniques make Web of Shadows stand out over previous games, however. For instance, you can switch between regular and symbiote suits on the fly and each one has certain advantages. Stick to the traditional red and you’re speedy and agile. Don the black suit and you can hurl cars around like Frisbees and tear through enemies.

After completing a stage, you can use points earned to upgrade the suits, thus expanding your combos and moves. In addition, your “good” and “bad” choices affect those around you. They’ll either applaud your good sense or scream every time you pass by, and your decisions ultimately affect which ending you’ll see.

You can also fight enemies on the sides of buildings, made especially cool by the web-line. This enables you to grab a baddie in mid-air, zoom in and strike them quickly. Stringing these attacks together to take out a group of gang members or symbiotes is more fun than expected. “Spidey sense” is also available, in case you have trouble seeking out individuals in need of help or punishment.

Web of Shadows lets you roam through a wide-open Manhattan, completing main and side missions as you swing around. While this is nothing new to Spider-Man adventures, you have the option of completing side missions for experience points or skipping them entirely to get to the game’s conclusion. They aren’t necessary, but if too many civilians die, you could be seen as evil. Choose carefully.

Although you can jump around Manhattan with little to no loading time, many of the in-game textures are blurry. There are also camera issues, especially when scaling a building that stands right next to another one. The characters look OK, as do the pedestrians and constant traffic running throughout the city. Still, it’s obvious that the game needed more work.

Complimenting the decent graphics is a cool soundtrack, with orchestral music that mirrors the stuff in the Spider-Man films. Sound effects are also good, from honking horns to screaming pedestrians. The only real flaw is the voice acting. We’ve got nothing against Tricia Heifer as Black Cat, but Peter Parker is another story. Half the time, he sounds like his cocky usual self, but the other half, he comes across like a whiny school kid.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, despite its flaws, is a major step up from Spider-Man 3. Our Spider sense tells us that choosing between good and evil, pounding enemies on buildings and upgrading Spider-Man’s abilities makes this a cool adventure worth your time.

The Spider-Man title Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is due in stores tomorrow. Along with plenty of other titles to be honest, the build up to the busy Christmas release period has well and truly begun.

“Spider-Man: Web of Shadows delivers the deepest combat system ever in the Spider-Man universe, whether it’s going vertical up the side of neck-breaking skyscrapers or web-slinging into action over them for high-altitude, high-octane aerial battles,” said Rob Kostich, vice president, global brand management, Activision Publishing, Inc. “The team has captured a truly captivating Spider-Man experience that combines mesmerizing combat and riveting visual effects with a compelling and unfolding storyline that places gamers in control of the action.”