SPIDER-MAN BEGINS?The wild ride of "Spider-Man 4" has come to an end. As we reported here at CBR yesterday, director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire have left the production. Sony has chosen to reboot the series in lieu of continuing the current format with the original cast. According to Sony's press release, "Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises." There's definitely some value in going back to high school. The current series rushed out of that scenario very quickly. At the same time rushing to meet insane release dates have caused more harm to the franchise than Mysterio.

Release date: 2012COWBOYS & ALIENSAccording to the Los Angeles Times film blog, 24 Frames, Robert Downey Jr. has passed on the film. "The movie, sources say, will still move forward with Favreau. But Downey has fallen off the project, and studio DreamWorks is seeking a new hero to replace him. Production is tentatively set to begin this year for a planned release in summer 2011," writes 24 Frames

Directed by Jon Favreau, release date: Summer 2011SMALLVILLEKryptonsite has updated its spoiler page with episode titles switches, more plot details, and info on a new episode titled "Checkmate."

New episode: Janurary 22nd, 2010THORIn brighter Marvel news, the studio announced filming of "Thor" has commenced. Marvel's press release does confirm a few plot details. According to the release, "The epic adventure THOR spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth."

Starring Chris Hemsworth, release date May 6th, 2011DUNENew director Pierre Morel tells MTV News the film will be "very respectful" of the novel. "I've been a fan of that book -- because I will not refer to the movie -- I've been a fan of the book since I was a teenager. I read that when I was 15, maybe," the director reveals. At least he didn't say "more faithful" than the 1984 David Lynch version. While odd, that movie tends to use dialogue straight from the book and compresses the main parts of the book into two hours and thirty-five minutes. Of course, it's a dizzying experience if you haven't read the book. I've noticed, however, that when remake productions claim to be "more faithful," they seem to get further away from a story than the initial film.

Release date: TBATHE BOOK OF ELIMy interview series concludes with a one-on-one interview with writer Gary Whitta. "It's a small miracle to sell a script, it's an even bigger miracle to get it made. It's an even bigger miracle than that to get it made in way that's true to the script that you wrote," says Whitta. We discuss the journey of his script to the screen, some of the spiritual themes the film touches upon, and the use of genre to make pointed comments about certain issues.

Directed by the Hughes Brothers, release date: January 15th, 2010THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICAActor Rick Malambri posted some interesting comments on his Twitter page last night. First: "What do you guys think, you think I could be Captain America? Going in for Disney/Marvel tomorrow." He followed that with "Fiending for some MW2 but have to study for Captain America audition tomorrow. I think that's more important, haha." The actor is still fairly unknown, with his most recent screen appearance being the role of "Clerk" in "Surrogates." Whether or not he gets the part, the more interesting aspect is, unless he's just talking hot air, the part is still up for grabs. With a presumed June start date for production, that seems to be cutting things awfully close.

Directed by Joe Johnston, release date: July 22nd, 2011MAYHEM!Movieline asked actor Tyrese Gibson about plans to turn his comic book into a film. ""We're talking about it," Gibson responded.Release date: TBASICK ON A TUESDAY So the "Spider-Man 4" implosion and my new cold can only mean one thing: Mysterio is on the loose! He'll seed doubts and cast mists of confusion on all the superhero productions. Before I woke up with a cold, I had planned to mention that the LA Times has an interesting story on the eye strain and nausea some people -- like me -- experience in 3D films. Apparently, "Avatar" uses a technologically to mitigate the problem, but it's not perfect. Meanwhile, if any of you in the great, wide Internet discover something awesome, disheartening, just plain weird, or spot Mysterio up to his usual hi-jinks, let us know! Take credit, come up with a clever nickname, or go anonymous. The choice is yours. Fresh rumors and movie news every weekday morning. I am Erik Amaya bracing for the future threat of a runny nose.