Reportedly, Alvin Sargent (of Spidey 1 and 2, not to mention the classic Ordinary People) is the screenwriter currently charged with retooling the project. Previously, writers Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit), James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and David Lindsay-Abaire (Robots, Inkheart) had submitted drafts of the superhero sequel.

Raimi has so far been set to return as director, but this is now understandably in question. It’s widely known that Sony and Marvel insisted Raimi inject Venom into Spider-Man 3, a character Raimi had little desire to feature. The resulting film was undoubtably weak compared to the previous two, and Raimi himself has stated he wants to go out on a higher note. Wanting to feature another classic villain, in this case the Vulture (a role rumored to be desired for John Malkovich), Raimi is reportedly being pressured by Sony to choose another villain. Raimi had wanted to feature the Vulture as Spider-Man 3‘s 2nd villain, but the studio apparently found the character noncommercial.

Here’s the thing: Sony still has Spider-Man 4 scheduled for a May 6, 2011 release. It’s clear that this date is nigh impossible without quick thinking by all concerned.

Personally, the thought of Raimi returning to Spider-Man is a frustrating thought. Raimi is a passionate filmmaker who displays genius when working with material that really speaks to him. The Evil Dead films are fan favorites, and A Simple Plan is a classic, not to mention gems like The Gift and last years Drag Me To Hell (which, in 10 years, will be a classic). He did wonders for Spidey, but the frustrating development of Spider-Man 3 was evident in the final product, a toneless mishmash of too-many elements, burdened by studio interference and a palpable sense of malaise by most all concerned.

Unless Raimi feels like he wants to go back to the Spidey well, I sure don’t want him to.

Basically, everything that’s happened since Brian Michael Bendis was put in charge of the Avengers has led up to the current bizarre status quo that exists in the Marvel U. The events of the Avengers Disassembled, House of M, and Secret War crossovers led up to schism among the superheroes in Civil War. The events of that crossover, along with other events like Messiah CompleX and The Initiative, eventually culminated in the disappointing but visually stunning Secret Invasion. And, of course, the climax of that event – which saw Norman Osborn save the day while Tony Stark basically failed in every possible way – brought us to where things stand now. Where things stand now is that some of the most nefarious megalomaniacs in Marvel continuity – and Osborn in particular – have more power and influence on a global scale than they’ve ever had before. And Siege, it seems, will be where they finally get their due.

In the miniseries, Osborn will set his sights on what may be the very last force that could oppose him: Asgard. And I can’t really blame him: if there was an immortal city of omnipotent god-people floating above your country, you’d see it as a threat, too. The point is, this is promising because clearly Thor will be involved. Captain America, meanwhile, has just been resurrected, which is a pretty weak plot point, but I think it’s pretty clear where it’s all going. With Iron Man’s “World’s Most Wanted” arc just wrapping up and Tony coming back home, is it time for a classic Avengers reunion? Methinks so.

Bendis, who’s joined on this event by House of M and Thor artist Olivier Coipel, has also said that the Young Avengers and the Secret Warriors will also have a part to play. Nick Fury “is there front and center,” which is both fitting (Osborn does have his old job) and awesome (Nick Fury is, in fact, awesome).

But back to the trailer. Basically, it paints Siege as the culmination of everything that’s happened in the Marvel Universe in the last five years. This is almost, but not quite, true. Certainly, Dark Reign, as an extension of Secret Invasion, is the climax of all these events – Bendis was planting seeds for Invasion as far back as the very first arc of New Avengers, and Norman Osborn’s rise to power has been bubbling since the beginning of Civil War. And Siege will certainly be the climax of Dark Reign. So, in a way, it’s the culmination of the culmination – but to suggest that five years of Bendis’ Avengers-driven, universe-wide events have been leading up to this one four-part miniseries really sets the bar unnaturally high. I’d rather view it as the conclusion to Dark Reign and enjoy it for what it is. One thing seems sure, though – this will be the end of an era in Marvel continuity.

The trailer’s below. It’s mostly art from previous events with some over-the-top narration, but it’s worth your minute and twenty-four seconds. Enjoy!

[media id=79 width=480 height=320]

For all the Marvel Comics fans, I’m very excited to announce Universe Publishing’s latest release,  Marvel: The Expanding Universe Wall Chart. Coming soon in October 2009, this hardcover release will feature a 10 pages + fold-out wall chart and 300 color illustrations. With witty and energetic text, Michael Mallory, the internationally recognized authority on 20th century pop culture, leads us through the expansive, and sometimes complicated, lineage of Marvel Universe characters—both the legendary figures such as Spider-Man and lesser-known heroes and villains—as well as well as the history of Marvel from when it first came onto the scene in 1939 under the company name Timely.

For more details, see the full press release below.

Photo courtesy of MARVEL: The Expanding Universe Wall Chart by Michael Mallory, Universe, 2009

MARVEL: The Expanding Universe Wall Chart
by Michael Mallory

Volumes have been written about that spectacular realm of imagination called the Marvel Universe, but not until now has a single document presented in text and graphic form the entire connective fabric of the visionary Universe, from the point of view of Marvel’s ever-changing, ever-expanding company of characters. Packing an immense amount of information and art into a fold-out book that opens to twelve feet wide and three-and-a-half feet high, MARVEL: The Expanding Universe Wall Chart is the ultimate must-have for any Marvel Comics fan. With witty and energetic text, Michael Mallory leads us through the expansive, and sometimes complicated, lineage of Marvel Universe characters—both the legendary figures such as Spider-Man and lesser-known heroes and villains—as well as well as the history of Marvel from when it first came onto the scene in 1939 under the company name Timely.

Marvel’s greatest artists present the most iconic portrayal of each character embedded within six interconnected group atoms: Golden Age and Extreme Characters, The Avengers and The Fantastic Four, Horror and Other-Worldly Characters, X-Men, and Spider-Man. Each character, within their respective atom, is placed in relation to their most important allies and antagonists, the effect of which is a breathtaking collective matrix of the myriad character relationships that comprise the Marvel Universe.

But the Marvel Universe doesn’t just belong to today’s iconic super heroes. Also featured on the Wall Chart are characters from the earliest years of the company, when such heroes as the Thunderer, the Destroyer, Blonde Phantom, and Marvel Boy ruled the Universe; those of the post-war years when the company was branded as Atlas, and Western Heroes such as Annie Oakley and the Two-Gun Kid thrilled comics readers; and those of the comic book renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s, when such familiar characters as Doc Savage, G.I. Joe, Dracula, and Conan the Barbarian, as well as imaginative new ones like Howard the Duck, joined forces with the Marvel Universe. Complete with biographies of the more than 300 featured characters and teams, MARVEL: The Expanding Universe Wall Chart is the definitive resource for all comic book fans. Even if you think you know everything about the Marvel Universe, you may be surprised at what you find!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Mallory is an internationally recognized authority on twentieth-century popular culture, and the author of the books Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Marvel: The Characters and Their Universe, and X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe. He has written more than 400 articles for newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times, Daily Variety, Newsday, Animation Magazine and Millimeter.

MARVEL: The Expanding Universe Wall Chart
By Michael Mallory
Hardcover / 12” x 17” / 10 pages + fold-out wall chart / 300 color illustrations
US $45.00 / Can $54.00 / UK £27.50
Universe
ISBN: 978-0-7893-9964-9
Publication date: October 2009

In its second weekend Universal’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor dropped -60.2%, taking in just $16,113,000.  With a total of $70,671,000, it chugs along although there has to be some concern that bad word of mouth, poor reviews and steep drop off may mean the franchise is running out of steam despite director Rob Cohen already talking a fourth film.

Brendan Fraser’s other film, Journey to the Center of the Earth, has continued to steadily add to its totals, taking in $4,855,000, totaling $81,759,000.  It’s 27.1% drop off is modest especially given its five weeks in the theaters. Doing even better is Will Smith’s Hancock which added $3.3 million for a total of $221,709,000.  This just demonstrates Will Smith’s staying power considering the impressive total despite zero buzz in the wake of its release. It has even outperformed Disney’s Wall*E, the family-friendly Pixar production.  It opened a week earlier but has just $210,112,000 to show for it but we suspect it will easily outperform Hancock on home video.

Fox’s disappointing summer continues as The X-Files: I Want to Believe slips to 13th place after two weeks in release.  The disappointing Space Chimps even outperformed it, taken eleventh place.  X-Files found just $1,175,000 among believers while the animated chimp film grabbed $1,650,000.

In between those films sits Universal’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army which has clearly outperformed its predecessor; its total now $73,538,000 after adding 1,254,000 this weekend. The studio’s Wanted is just about finished, bringing home just $748,000, nearly finishing its run with a nice but unremarkable $132,616,000.

As for the super-heroes, Iron Man is nearly out of gas as it completes its second run in advance of its DVD debut September 30. Its $316,448,000 will likely make it one of the year’s top 10 films and the surprise hit of the season. The Hulk’s haul of just $133,823,000 puts it ahead of the Ang Lee film but clearly not what Universal had hoped for.

Brad Anderson’s Transsiberian now has $207,000 on just 14 screens nationwide while Lionsgate’s Midnight Meat Train saw just $14,700 from 79 screens.  The lack of faith from the releasing company and the poor reviews clearly doomed the Clive Barker adaptation.

Then there’s that other project he’s talked about on and off these last few months.  He finally sat down with MTV to talk about his take on H.G, Wells The Invisible Man.  The movie is being written for Universal Studios, naturally. “I’m working with some conceptual artists in tandem with writing the script,” he revealed to the network. “I’m actually working with one of the artists from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. So it could be Magneto, or it could be The Invisible Man next.”

He has nothing but praise for Universal’s first adaptation, the film with Claude Rains in the title role. “Well, The Invisible Man, the Universal film, is a great movie, a Claude Rains film. My take is kind of an extrapolation. It actually deals with a nephew of the first character. It’s got some of the characters from the H.G. Wells book, but it’s kind of a continuation.

“It involves Scotland Yard getting their hands on the current Invisible Man and basically saying, ‘Wow, you’d be a really good secret agent to send into Imperial Russia right now.’ It starts off from there.”

Showing surprising durability, Brendan Fraser’s other summer film, Journey to the Center of the Earth finished its fourth week in fifth place, taking in  $6,875,000, totaling $73,140,000.

Returning films did all right, led by Hancock, grabbing another $5,200,000, totaling a strong $215,995,000 after five weeks proving Will Smith’s audience remains loyal. Disney’s  Wall*E compacted an additional $4,747,000 with $204,222,000 already in the bank.

Dropping to ninth place in only its second week is The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Fox’s latest disappointment. The 65.8% drop-off means the film will has been ignored by all but the diehard fans which are clearly not numerous enough.      The take was just $3,425,000 and has just $17,060,000 to show for its efforts. The studio’s Space Chimps did $2,840,000 worth of business but its cumulative take of $22,091,000 is not what they had hoped for.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army, with  another $2,527,000 earned, continues to chug past the original, showing    $71,273,000 after four weeks. Finally slowing down is Universal’s other summer release, Wanted, nabbing $1,257,000 and a total of $131,338,000, certifying it as a hit although a modest one.

The May releases continue their gentle glide down the charts with Iron Man now in the second run theaters.  It earned  $561,000, pushing its total to an invincible $315,668,000. The Incredible Hulk is just now passing the mark earned by the Ang Lee version, totaling $133,289,000 after this weekend’s take of $484,000. Paramount should be pleased with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull earning $359,000, which brings its total to $314,331,000.

Lionsgate’s Midnight Meat Train opened on only a few screens and has an opening weekend haul of just $32,000 while the just-expanding Transsiberian is now up to $125,000 with a 13% uptick over last weekend.

Jacob Estes (Mean Creek) had been assigned the unenviable task of writing a screenplay featuring the monstrous alien symbiote that ruins people’s lives while consuming other people. After his draft, the production execs have decided to go in a different direction so he’s off and a new writer has yet to be named.

Sony has also let it be known that Topher Grace, who was the human consumed by the symbiote in Spider-Man 3, may not return in the solo project.  They are mum on casting until a script is approved and a director attached.

What of Sam Raimi?  He said at Comic-Con International that he’d be open to a fourth go-round but hasn’t signed anything with the studio.  Instead, he has turned himself into the busiest man in Hollywood.  The trades today reported that he has signed with Disney to make the superheroic film, The Transplants.  The original action-adventure notion came from writers Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (Not Another Teen Movie) which Raimi will produce with Josh Donen.

Chuck Jones’s classic would-be conqueror, Marvin the Martian, is now in development by Warner Bros. in partnership with Alcon Entertainment. The proposed feature film will use CGI and live action. According to Variety, the pitch involves Marvin coming to Earth to ruin Christmas for all until he gets trapped in a gift box.  This matches his other attempts at destroying the Earth, usually to be foiled by Bugs Bunny (starting in 1948) or Duck Dodgers.

What can X-fans expect after X-Men Origins: Wolverine next May?  Well, there’s the David S. Goyer-written Magneto origin film in the works.  But, what about the rest of the team?  Production Weekly has listed a new project, X-Men: First Class, which exactly the name of a Marvel Comic about the original quintet of mutants with a fresh, modern day approach from writer Jeff Parker and artist Roger Cruz.  Try www.x-menfirstclass.com and you get taken to 20th Century-Fox’s website.  Interesting, no?

20th Century Fox’s The X-Files: I Want to Believe debuted in a disappointing fourth place, taking in just $10,200,000.

New Line’s Journey to the Center of the Earth continues to explore the depths, finding another $9,415,000  in the dark theaters, totaling now $60,185,000.  Hancock, meanwhile,  took in $8,200,000, dropping an additional  41.6% but easing past the $200 million mark, now totaling $206,371,000.  While the numbers are good, the lack of serious post-release buzz has to be of some concern.

Pixar’s Wall*E finds families continuing to beat the summer heat and remain charmed to the tune of another $6,349,000 this weekend. It’s $195,235,000 haul continues to impress.

Universal’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army marched home with $4,934,000, which brings Guillermo Del Toro’s sequel to the $65,894,000 mark, surpassing the original but slowing down quickly. Similarly, despite the hype, the studio’s Wanted is also dropping off, taking in just $2,727,000. The domestic total of $128,616,000 is enough to keep sequel talk happening.

On the other hand, Fox’s Space Chimps, with $4,375,000 and a cum of  $16,006,000 remains disappointing especially compared with Kung Fu Panda’s total of  $208,972,000.  The studio’s Meet Dave remains the disappointment of the summer with a mere $10,833,000 and a rapid drop off.  Not the bomb Speed Racer was, but close.

Doing the slow fade in second run, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is just about done, totaling $313,626,000 and not likely to crack $320. On the other hand, it will most likely finish surpassing Iron Man on the year’s top ten list as shellhead comes in for a soft landing with $314,905,000. Paramount’s The Incredible Hulk looks to be matching Ang Lee’s version, nearing the end of its run with a total of $132,543,000 after seven weeks.  The 2003 edition had a domestic total of a nearly identical $132,177,234.

Transsiberian, in its second week, had an impressive drop of just 23.4%, earning a total of $80,000 on just two screens.

Dick’s story first appeared in the October 1969 issue of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Dick said at the time, “Again the theme: How much of what we call ‘reality’ is actually out there or rather within our own head? The ending of this story has always frightened me … the image of the rushing wind, the sound of emptiness. As if the character hears the final fate of the world itself.”

A car accident shows Garson Poole he is actually a self-aware organic android and his world view is directed by programming located in his chest. As he tampers with the programming tape, he alters his personal reality.

“The [main] character himself is an outdated model. There are hints to tie other PKD stories in this one, with the inference that the new model of synthetic human is the Replicant. The old model is the Electricant — called Electric Ant as the slang term,” Mack told Comic Book Resources. “It is kind of an antique. So the Electric Ant has an older style of internal mechanism. There is a kind of charm to it, but as you’ll see, it is difficult to find replacement parts of such an older model.”

Mack came to know Dick through Blade Runner and was contacted about five years ago by Tommy Pallotta, who produced the film adaptation of A Scanner Darkly. Pallotta wanted to see if Mack was interested in adapting any of Dick’s works.

“Tommy showed my work to Philip K. Dick’s daughters, who run Electric Shepherd productions, and he suggested the idea of adapting PKD stories into graphic novels for the first time,” Mack said.

Mack decided to approach Marvel in February 2007 about picking up the project based on their work adapting Stephen King’s Dark Tower.  The talks progressed over the last year.

Illustrating the book will not be Mack, but Pascal Alixe. “I’ve been pals with Paul Pope since way back, so I knew he was a PKD fan, and I thought he would be perfect to do the covers. So I asked him if he was interested and he was into it,” Mack continued. “And Brian Michael Bendis and I are big admirers of Blade Runner, so I asked him if he was interested in being a part of the project and he was into it. Then Tommy, the Dick Estate and I saw the work of many artists suggested by Marvel editor Mark Paniccia, and we thought Pascal offered great possibilities for the story.”