We just ranted about this yesterday, so shame on us, but we’re reporting on another name being linked to “Spider-Man 4.” This time it’s Anne Hathaway, who Nikki Finke claims has been approached by producers. All the recent names linked to Spidey’s next adventure appear to be young actresses in their twenties, fueling the rumors that the next film will feature the villainous Black Cat.
In the comics, the Black Cat, aka Felicia Hardy, was a cat burglar and adventurer who idolized her father and later carried on an illicit romance with Spider-Man. How this differs from Batman’s Catwoman is… unclear, we admit, even after reading more than a few comics in our lifetime. In the film, according to a site called Hey U Guys and (partially) confirmed by /Film, Hardy is the daughter of a new owner of the Daily Bugle, Peter Parker/Spidey’s newspaper of employment (which means, we hope, more JK Simmons). That character has apparent villain ties and eventually passes on, leading Hardy to blame Spider-Man. The anonymous source refers to that character as a “viper,” but that doesn’t seem to be a reference to any of Spidey’s colorful rogue’s gallery.
Finke can often be on the money when it comes to her scoops, but this latest one really is proof of nothing. For one, Hathaway is an extremely busy actress, and like all other big names in her age range, she’s angling for an Academy Award in the near future, so the third sequel in this series isn’t a likely destination. Another reason for skepticism is that Hathaway, something of a proven box office draw, is probably the most expensive of all actresses on Sam Raimi’s shortlist, and most likely the costliest villain the series has had so far. We doubt they’re going the way of the big, flashy co-star yet in this series. On the other hand, Hathaway was due to start shooting “Tokyo Suckerpunch” this fall with Tobey Maguire, so maybe her desire to act next to the doughy superhero still burns strongly.
Even with Hathaway’s non-involvement, the list of potential Black Cats on Sam Raimi’s desk is probably the biggest, most illustrious fantasy-cast list in Hollywood for any actress between the ages of 22-30. There’s no reason to believe they haven’t sent feelers out to Hathaway and half of young female Hollywood, which is why this rumor-mongering might continue as one overzealous intern after another is desperate to break the news of who they heard about in Sony’s hallways months before the decision is made. We’ve got our money on the next name being Elisha Dushku.
Btw. Many of you probably think we’re being cynical dicks here, but even look at the perspective of a geek writer, former-AICN writer Drew McWeeney who also thinks all this casting talk is premature and says, “It’s one thing when we get down to the point of people doing screen tests… those are serious contenders for something. But just coming in to meet the producers on a meet and greet does not mean someone is ‘in talks.’ It sounds like right now, “Spider-Man 4″ is at the stage where they are casting a wide next, looking for someone to step in and play The Black Cat.”
Yup, that’s exactly it. Also? Don’t be surprised if Sony is planting names out there to get agents furiously thinking this is the “hot new role in town” (i.e. convincing them of the idea that they must get their actress a meeting or be viewed as hopelessly out of the loop). Sony didn’t exactly deny Rachel McAdams (though she flatly did) and there’s a reason for that…