Spider-Man 4: Malkovich and Hathaway are names in the frame

A few weeks ago it was Spider-Man 4 excitement galore, as news filtered through of Julia Stiles, Rachel McAdams, Romola Garai, Anne Hathaway, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Queen Victoria, and Minnie Mouse auditioning for the role of Felicia Hardy aka the Black Cat, and word that producers were supposedly casting for a Maguire-Dunst-spawned 'Spider-Baby'. Then it suddenly all went quiet. Till now! 

Yes, the Spider-Man 4 rumour mill has cranked back into life today, with Movieline reporting that Anne Hathaway and John Malkovich are in the pole positions to fill the web-slinging third sequel's dual villainous roles. According to Movieline, 'if negotiations proceed according to plan, Malkovich (who is already tackling bad guy chores in next year's comic book actioner Jonah Hex) will be playing Spider-Man's nemesis the Vulture'. Well, that seems straightforward enough. The Vulture, real name Adrian Toomes, first appeared in issue # 2 of The Amazing Spider-Man, and he has a bald head - just like Mr. Malkovich! Hooray! If only all casting was so simple, eh?

Hathaway is then apparently poised to play a character named Felicia Hardy, but not one who will be suiting up as the Black Cat. This Felicia Hardy is supposedly the daughter of the Vulture, and she will feature as a brand new super-powered character called the Vulturess (that is just out of the box thinking gone crazy). Slash Film is suggesting that the plot settled upon by Spider-Man 4 director Sam Raimi and screenwriter Gary Ross involves the Vulture taking control of the Daily Bugle, the New York newspaper where Peter Parker is employed as a photographer. Casting my mind back into the cobweb-filled recesses of my adolescent comic book reading memory, then I vaguely recall a similar storyline, albeit with the Puma being the animal-named villain who bought the Bugle in that instance - now there's a factoid nugget of gold-plated trivia with which to impress friends, neighbours, and complete strangers that you may meet in bars or at bus-stops once you have ceased to be in those bars.