Yup, there’s your rumor of the day. Silly? We think so.
Mania says they’ve learned that Sam Raimi has met with Rachel McAdams to potentially play the part of the Black Cat in the fourth installment of the “Spider-Man” films.
Or maybe we’re just hoping it’s silly because we think rather highly of Rachel McAdams and want to believe that, while the “Spider-Man” movies are ok, she’s generally way above this type of thing.
Or at least should be. Reporting on meetings taking place is always a dubious prospect. It might mean nothing and it could mean Raimi asked her agent and she said, “sure, why not, what do I have to lose?” but we’d be lying if we said we wouldn’t be disappointed if she took the role.
She strikes us as a serious actor and well, we’re not sure we really take these “Spider Man” movies too seriously anymore. Raimi should move on… although the silly sitcom horror that was “Drag Me to Hell,” certainly wasn’t our favorite move of the year.
Let’s hope this is B.S. or just a cursory meet and greet. You’re better than this, baby. “Spider-Man 4” is scheduled to hit theaters May 5, 2011, then probably Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Raimi will all leave the franchise and Sony will try to beat a dead horse with a new stick, not reboot the franchise, but just hire a new team to keep the series going.
A friend of ours makes a good point in saying, it’s sort of like when a creative team in comics leave and all of a sudden a series has a new artist and writer and the book takes on a new tone and while that’s valid and works for the comic book world, having flesh and blood human beings replaced with new actors is simply not the same thing and much, much more of a stretch to seamlessly accept.
Mania says the film will have two villains, Black Cat and Lizard, and this is where the report’s veracity worries us because those are the next two logical villains and characters to introduce into the series. The character arc of the Black Cat sees her as many things; an adversary, a lover and eventually, just an ally. She could have a long-lasting shelf life if they wanted to keep the series going, but then doesn’t it just become episodic TV? There’s a difference between film and television like that, something more sacred and weighty in the story that does end, but obviously if studios had their way, they’d milk these characters forever.
Every time I'm about to declare The Playlist the best film blog on the internet (in my own mind, at least), along comes another snooty, elitist post like this.
McAdams is "better" than the Spider-Man films? But I guess you guys were cool when she agreed to do such masterpieces as The Family Stone, The Time Traveler's Wife, and Sherlock Holmes, right?
Drag Me To Hell's a sitcom? You have to at least know you're in the minority with that (absurd) opinion.
And wait, McAdams is better than Spider-Man, but Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Tobey McGuire, Dylan Baker, J.K. Simmons, Elizabeth Banks, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, and Rosemary Harris (presumably) aren't?
What McAdams movies have you been watching that put her in a league so far removed from these other fine actors? Or did you weep for their careers as well when they deigned to do a superhero film?
Not to mention all the other great actors and actresses who have done interesting work in superhero films for twenty years now (back to Burton's Batman).
I like that you guys aren't Ain't It Cool. There are too many slobbering fanboy sites out there.
That doesn't mean you have to cast yourself as such stick in the mud, film school snobs.
I appreciate this comment. Let me address.
1. Yes, Sherlock Holmes us a huge mistake on her part. I'd sort of
forgotten it/blocked it out of my mind. It hasn't happened yet, so I'm
tending to believe its not happening. I guess I'm in denial. As for
Time Traveler's which I never did see, I thought it was an interesting
proposition and I believe she did too. She elevates subpar material —
see how crazy good she was in Red Tk. I think she's an oscar caliber
actress whereas people like Kirsten Dunst are not and never will be.
That's the distinction I make. I'm hoping she would cultivate a Keira
Knightley type career and even Pirates has not blemished her career
(sidenote: finally saw Ridley Scott's directors cut of Kingdom of
Heaven, god what a snore and Bloom is wood that cannot lead a movie;
prolly never will; is fine in supporting roles.
2 if we or I were being snobs for the sake of it then that would be
incredibly lame, but just being totally honest here.
I can't speak for the rest of the crew, but I suppose in many ppls
eyes, I am a film snob and if that's the case I don't apologize for
it. I obviously have a certain take/opinion on films that's me. I'm
completely ok with ppl who think this take is either predictable or
tired. I've never asked from day 1 for ppl to read this site. It's a
hobby that took on an organic life onto itself. I'd be saying the same
thing if 3 people were reading or 30,000 were. In fact I always write
with the assumption that no one is reading and I like it that way. God
forbid I or anyone else tailors what we say for others.
It gets me in trouble with ppl sometimes, as it did today, but I just
can't have it any other way.
If you like what we say, great, keep reading if not, there are
multiple other sites on can read (or you could also disagree, feel
we're off and continue, your perogative) that offer… Other opinions.
As for Drag Me To Hell, many do disagree with me including writers
from this site, but god I thought that was a cheap, goofy piece of
crud. And why would I worry if I'm in the minority?
I assume I'm in the minority about 90% of what I say about geek
projects, most of them just aren't that good.
McAdams is better than all those actors you mentioned aside from Molina, Dafoe (though that guys is fucking spotty as all hell) and Franco.
Family Stone crap. McAdams good in it? Yep.
"That doesn't mean you have to cast yourself as such stick in the mud, film school snobs."
Again, no one's trying to "cast" themselves as anything else other than who we are.
I think the only woman who could convincingly play Black Cat would be Christina Hendricks. Also, there should never be anymore Spider-Man movies ever again.
Appreciate the level-headed response to my hot-headed comment, Playlist guys (or guy).
I do love the blog, I just sometimes feel like I'm back in film school, especially when it comes to your take on populist fare (although just as often I like it when you cut through the hype — like your excellent and accurate review of Precious).
Did you mean Red Eye? Cause McAdams was great in that. And she was a charisma machine in Wedding Crashers. But I still don't really think a B-movie thriller and a mainstream rom com are that far removed from a superhero flick, especially with the gains made my superhero films in recent years.
You argue she elevates subpar material, but I would say a lot of those actors I listed do that too. The three you mention, sure, but Thomas Haden Church was pretty much the best thing in Spidey 3 (I know the guy doesn't have much range, but he's good at what he does).
J.K. Simmons has made a career out of stealing scenes recently, Elizabeth Banks is arguably just one career rung below McAdams… etc. I'm just not seeing as much as a gap as you are, and I'm a big McAdams fan.
Anyway, I'll keep reading and appreciate the excellent work you do in general (so many daily updates!).
Considering the state of female roles in Hollywood, few actresses can consider themselves above 'Spider-Man 4.' Samantha Morton, maybe. Aaaaaand that's it.
Funny, I thought she already was in the last three Spiderman films but then realised that I was thinking of Elizabeth Banks. Fuck, am I the only one who cannot tell either of these actresses apart?
Don't forget about "The Hot Chick" 🙂
Yeah, it was early in her career, but still.
Yes, i meant Red Eye. Red TK TK= is journo placeholder for to come. I wrote that on my blackberry, forgot to fix.
But yes, she's startlingly good in that thing ( i thought it would be a piece of shit, but the two quality actors made it entertaining.
Yes Molina and some of those ppl do some great work, but not all the time (i find Maguire and Dunst to be tonally challenged in the SP movies and Franco who i like is a bit of a joke in them. A lot of great actors, Dafoe, are reduced to cartoonish caricatures in those films.
JK is great and fun in the Spidey films, but not sure he's ever gonna win an oscar. I like Banks, but i feel the same way about her.
McAdams is a cut above. She just needs the right role (and or I'm totally overestimating her, but i HOPE she has the goods in her one day i think she has the talent).
And she confirmed it's bullshit. 🙂