I feel like I have this long checklist of cast and crew that we're slowly crossing off for this theoretical film. Now, you can put Bryce Dallas Howard on the "would sign tomorrow" list, thanks to MTV. "I would love to be apart of any continuation of the franchise. But, I also really understand that there's so many different story lines that the fans are really excited to see, and the studio, and the producers, and the filmmakers really need to appease everyone," the actress said. "Whether or not Gwen Stacy comes back, I mean, I wish it was up to me, but it's not. But yes, if they'd call me, I'd be there in a heart beat."

I'm not sure how they can really fit Gwen Stacy in -- is there a point in having a romantic rival when Spider-Man is never ever going to leave Mary Jane onscreen? I remember when we all thought (or maybe it was just my corner of the Internet) that they would reverse comic book history, and kill off Mary Jane and hook Mr. Parker up with Gwen. (If House of M is to be believed, and it probably isn't, that's who he really wanted anyway.) Is there even any emotional impact if they kill off Captain George Stacy in a fourth film, as James Cromwell once said they planned on doing? Is the subplot of "I'm really sorry your dad died, my one-time love interest" really worth exploring? I could probably think more clearly if I could get the breakdancing scene out of my head.

Of course, this is all idle speculation when no official announcements have been made. And as for Sam Raimi he's now playing coy with MTV about returning to the director's chair, and says he wants to wear the Spidey suit instead. That's one way to cut the budget.

Tom Cruise has decided it's his turn to get in on the comic book action -- and he's teaming up with Sam Raimi to do it. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the duo is setting up the DC/Wildstorm comic series Sleeper at Warner Bros. At this point, Raimi is only producing, but Cruise is hoping to star.

Penned by Ed Brubaker, Sleeper was a 12-issue series set in the Wildstorm universe, which means it steers clear of all those heroic crossovers. (It actually involves a villain created by Alan Moore, though, which should be a terrific selling point.) It centers on Holden Carver, a man who was fused with an alien artifact that makes him impervious to pain, and allows him to pass that torment onto whoever he touches. Being a sensitive sort, Carver wants to get rid of his powers -- but tough luck, he's working undercover in the Tao criminal organization. There's a Departed-like twist that leaves Carver stranded within the organization -- but he falls in love with one member, Miss Misery, while befriending another, the cuddly Genocide Jones. All the while he's torn between the work he's doing, his powers, and his relationships with unsavory people.

Sleeper has been embroiled in complicated rights issues, having been set up at several different studios over the years. Warner Bros, post-Watchmen lawsuit, is being extra careful to make everything black and white this time -- and Cruise's interest has already spurred the detangling process. (Which is kind of funny, if you remember the rumors that he was in the running to play Oxymandias -- and Adrian's fascination with how Alexander the Great undid a complicated knot. Wheels within wheels!)

I know there's some Sleeper fans out there -- it's one of those quiet, but well received books that never get enough attention. How do you feel about Cruise playing the lead?

Did you ever think you would see the day when Sam Raimi would team up with Disney? Well, that day has come no matter what you did or did not predict, and it looks to be another sign that Disney is favoring some edgier fare in these post-Jack Sparrow years.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Raimi and Disney are developing The Transplants, a project that's being kept under tight wraps, but is described as a superhero story with a comedic bent. It was penned by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (two writers who helped pen Not Another Teen Movie, but we'll try not to hold it against them) and was originally intended to be a comic book. Disney executive Kristen Burr liked it so much, she optioned it for the big screen for a large sum of money.

The whole deal is raising some eyebrows because of Raimi's bent towards gore and geekdom, but I think the man who directed three Spider-Man films can handle Disney. I would even venture to say that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was a lot "edgier" than Peter Parker, if only for the copious amount of rum and wenches. I think this creative match-up could produce something very interesting. At the very least, it will introduce some original superheroes into the wider world, which I wish would happen more often. And in the best case scenario, we could end up with another The Incredibles! Let's hope some details leak out soon.

Would you be surprised to hear Sam Raimi and Oscar nominee in the same sentence? Well, it could happen in the near future. Variety reports that Raimi has nabbed the director's chair for the big-screen adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel The Given Day.

Two of Lehane's novels have already hit the big screen with critical success -- Clint Eastwood's Mystic River, and Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone. Martin Scorsese will no doubt make it a threesome when he releases Shutter Island.

Spider-Man 4 is picking up more steam by the week. Maybe it is just me, but it seems to have gone from a point of "not happening any time soon" to "any day now." I'm already feeling worn out thinking about it.

For now, at least, the man behind the camera is on board. Sam Raimi talked to ComingSoon.net about his possible return to the franchise. "James Vanderbilt is writing the script and I'm excited to read it. I think it's going to be done in a few months. I'm hoping it's as great as our discussions were about it and I'm hoping it feels right for me because I love Spider-Man. I'm hoping I'm well-rested enough to embrace it and I'm hoping Sony wants me to do it. If all of those things come together, I would love to do it. There are a lot of unknowns about the future."

Now that Jake Gyllenhaal has officially signed to star in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, that basically means we can take his name off the table with regards to all future comic properties (at least until after Persia comes out, because that may turn into a franchise if the first makes loads of duckets). While we still have no idea whether Tobey Maguire will return to play Spidey in a Spider-Man 4, we do know that Sony is prepping something. They just re-upped their deal for a fourth installment (fact) and they may be looking to get more bang for their buck by shooting two sequels at the same time with a story arc that stretches across both films. However, it all comes down to negotiations -- and if parties (be them studios, actors, writers or directors) can't decide on a fair enough deal, things could potentially fall apart rather quickly and go in a completely different direction.

Here's the question: Has enough time passed for Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst? Do they miss the roles? The characters? How much would it take to get them back? And do we want them back? I think it's pretty clear we all still want Spider-Man in our big-screen lives, even though the third film was what it was. But are Maguire and Dunst still the right actors for the job? Or would some new blood do an old franchise some good?

For awhile, lots of people were looking at Jake Gyllenhaal to replace Maguire if a decision like that had to be made. With Jake G. out of the picture, who else could you see filling Maguire's Spidey tights?

Cinematical just received a tasty little scoop from one of our trusty top secret super delegate Hollywood insiders, and it's purty interesting (all you Spidey fans might want to listen up): Apparently, in the last few weeks, James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) has turned in a working draft of Spider-Man 4 to the studio. However, according to our source, "his story arc has encompassed two films, making Spider-Man 5 shootable at the same time. The studio saw dollar signs and is in the process of reworking his deal to snatch up the story arc." Don't expect anything immediately, though, since we've been told both sides are still trying to negotiate the deal.

Right now we have no word on what that arc is or where Vanderbilt is taking his script, but it's interesting to know that they're looking to spread the next Spidey storyline across two films, instead of shooting one more and taking it from there. Obviously Sony has wiped away the bad buzz from Spidey 3 and is interested in stretching this franchise as far as they can. After three flicks, I can't see Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst returning to shoot two Spider-Man films together (would be a lot to take on), but you never know. In the meantime, here's what we know: Looks like Vanderbilt is writing Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5, and the studio might look to shoot both flicks at the same time. As of right now, the studio has no comment. We'll update this post should we hear more ...

Whaddya think?

As Jack Handey put it, "It takes a big man to laugh at himself, but it takes an even bigger man to laugh at that man." Crimewave is about that big kind of man, and his partner: two electrocutioners on a rampage. They prowl the streets in a truck with a hog-sized stuffed rat on top, with red light bulb eyes. The driver is Faron Crush, who looks like Paul Sorvino playing the Incredible Hulk. HIs sniggering partner Arthur (Brion "I'll tell you about my mother" James) wears a jumpsuit, fingerless leather gloves, and a flat leather cap the shape and color of a cow-chip. If you ever had a nightmare about Gallagher, that's what Arthur looks like. The two maniacs carry with them "a shocker," a killing-machine that has three settings: "Rat," "Man" and "Hero". And they have no motivation beside malice and sheer professionalism.

The Hollywood Reporter has some more casting details for Drag Me to Hell, the Sam Raimi horror film everyone's excited about (and for good reason -- it looks to be his first real foray into the genre since Army of Darkness). The news isn't as major as when we learned that, say, Alison Lohman signed on, replacing Ellen Page, or that Justin Long joined her -- the new additions are Cloverfield's Jessica Lucas, TV vet Lorna Raver, and character actor David Paymer -- but more notable are the character descriptions that accompany the announcement, which finally give us some hint of what Raimi has in store for us. (No real spoilers, but if you're the kind of person who likes to go in completely cold, best to stop reading now.)

There might be no word about Ryan Gosling, but Paramount is, indeed, moving forward with a Jack Ryan film that doesn't focus on one of Tom Clancy's novels. Variety reports that the company is currently in negotiations with Sam Raimi to lead the revival of Ryan for a series of films -- as both developer and director. They plan to create a series that would focus on the famous Clancy character when he's younger, and at an earlier point in his career.

Since they are still in the idea stage, nothing is set in stone, but Variety says that one idea is to have the film be set in the present, during a "global threat," which isn't very original. Personally, I would prefer something that went a little back in time, if they are looking at Ryan's start. Then again, these are studio musings completely free of the character's creator, so maybe they should just be considered a completely different entity. This project does, however, completely lead the way for Gosling to take over, if Phillip Noyce was right.

Right now, Raimi is busy with Drag Me to Hell, but the studio is hoping to get him working on this picture right after, so that the first flick can be released in the summer of 2010. I still don't understand why they can't just come up with a new action star, rather than young Ryan up and go on their merry way, but at least with Raimi involved, things could get interesting.

Variety reports that Sam Raimi and Paramount have bought the rights to Doug TenNapel's graphic novel Monster Zoo. Raimi is only attached to produce at this point.

Monster Zoo is the story about a young boy who discovers his local zoo contains creatures far scarier than lions or tigers. It hasn't even been published yet and isn't expected on shelves until this summer. Image Comics doesn't even have a preview up yet. When a book is optioned that quickly, it is usually a sign it is pretty special.

A little browsing around TenNapel's forum turned up a temp cover, as well as some sketches. He had already updated his blog with his glee about the movie deal. "Raimi's movie A Simple Plan is among my favorite all-time films. It's nice to be in business with people who love telling stories ... about creatures, comics and underdogs."

TenNapel is the creator behind the television cartoons Earthworm Jim and Catscratch, along with many graphic novels -- and after browsing his site, I'm dying to own Tommysaurus Rex. I want that to be optioned just for the title.

Could Justin Long be the next Bruce Campbell? Yeah, no, but he is going to follow in Bruce's footsteps. As we already know, Sam Raimi is returning to horror with Drag Me to Hell. First Ellen Page was attached, then Alison Lohman replaced her. But what's a good Raimi horror without a leading man? Variety reports that those shoes will be filled by none other than Justin Long, who will play Lohman's boyfriend.

Not too many details about the film are being released, other than that it will focus on a supernatural curse that falls upon Lohman's character, and it's a morality tale. Seeing that the boyfriend isn't the star this time around, Long could be movie-long help, or quick curse fodder. If the latter, maybe he'll follow in girlfriend Drew's footsteps and not make it past the opening. I would say he bites it quickly...if anyone other than Sam and Ivan Raimi were behind it. So, all bets are off.

The big question, however, is: What does Raimi horror look like post-Spider-Man? Back in the day, he had Bruce Campbell and low-budget beauty, but a lot has changed since then. Will it be a blast to the past with some new spark, a solid mixture of past and present, or be an effects extravaganza that even Ash wouldn't recognize? And speaking of Ash, what sort of role will Campbell inevitably get in this flick?

First we reported that Ellen Page would be starring in Sam Raimi's first horror flick in many a moon: Drag Me to Hell is what it's called. Then a few days ago, we learned that Ms. Page's schedule was way too booked with other stuff, so the horror flick is what had to go. Oh well, Page's loss looks to be Alison Lohman's gain.

According to Variety, production on Drag Me to Hell will be delayed only two weeks, which gives Ms. Lohman a little time to learn her lines. Alison's actually 28 years old, but dang she looks a lot younger than that -- which is good since she'll soon be playing a high school student. (Or maybe Mr. Raimi will move his story to college?) The good news is that not only is she very pretty, but Alison Lohman has proven to be quite the fine actor. (You'll remember her stuff from White Oleander, Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Where the Truth Lies, and Beowulf.)

So while I definitely look forward to Ellen Page's new flicks, it's cool to see Alison Lohman snag a starring role ... in a horror flick. Production begins in L.A. at the end of the month.

For the horror freaks there are few headlines more potentially exciting than "Sam Raimi to Helm New Horror Flick," but this story just got a little cooler. Not only will Mr. Raimi return to direct his first horror film since ... damn since Evil Dead 2, I guess (Army of Darkness is barely a horror film), but he'll be bringing the adorable Ellen Page with him!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mr. Raimi will settle into the director's chair in mid-April, and the flick he'll be helming is something called Drag Me to Hell. Given that THR offers nothing in the way of a plot synopsis, we can assume that Raimi and his Ghost House Pictures are aiming to keep the details under wraps for now. What we know for sure is that A) Ms. Page is definitely on board, B) the script comes from Sam Raimi and his big bro Ivan, and C) a whole bunch of horror geeks across the globe just started clapping their hands in glee. (Universal chiefs Marc Shmuger and David Linde apparently agree: "Sam Raimi's return to horror is a cause for celebration for horror fans and movie lovers everywhere.")

Given that we love horror flicks, Sam Raimi and Ellen Page a whole lot at this blog ... you can expect a lot more news on Drag Me to Hell as soon as it becomes available.

One day until hump day! News bites for your Tuesday:

• One would think that after the success of Spider-Man, Sam Raimi would stay focused on feature films. However, The Hollywood Reporter has posted that the filmmaker is teaming up with Disney/ABC to produce a new, live-action weekly series called Wizard's First Rule -- to get off the ground this fall. The show is based on Terry Goodkind's fantasy series The Sword of Truth, and "follows the extraordinary transformation of woodsman Richard Cypher into a magical leader who joins with a mysterious woman to stop a bloodthirsty tyrant." Production will begin this May.
• In the doc world, Variety reports that Liberation Entertainment and Netflix's Red Envelope have nabbed distribution deals for the soccer documentary Kicking It -- which is narrated by bad-boy Colin Farrell. (This is in addition to the ESPN deal from Sundance.) The doc focuses on "the personal struggles and triumphs of seven soccer players from six countries who participate in the 4th annual Homeless World Cup." The plan is to have a day-and-date release between the ESPN premiere, DVD rentals and computer downloads on Netflix, and DVD sales.
• Finally, I bet those rabid and weary Da Vinci Code fans from 2 Days in Paris would get a kick out of this. According to the BBC, paintings and statues from Lincoln Cathedral, which was dressed to be Westminster Abbey, are on the auction block to raise money for the building. The light, polystyrene pieces were part of an exhibition since the film crews left the location, but will now be sold off in a series of sealed bids through March 31.