RELATED: Yes, Into the Spider-Verse Almost Included Tom Holland's Spider-Man Ultimately, Sony decided just to proceed with a standalone fourth film, with Raimi hoping to start principal photography in March 2010 for a summer 2011 theatrical release. Raimi and returning star Tobey Maguire both signed on to return for a fourth installment, with James Vanderbilt penning scripts for proposed back-to-back sequels. To make the franchise more cost-effective and easier on scheduling of the cast, Sony had considered filming Spider-Man 4 and 5 simultaneously after the commercial success of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, along with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, employed a similar production strategy. Raimi's proposed follow-up to 2007's Spider-Man 3 was intended to end his tenure with the Marvel superhero on a high note after the lukewarm reviews to Spider-Man 3 and his own dissatisfaction with the final film.
While Spider-Man: Far From Home will bring Mysterio to the big screen soon, director Sam Raimi almost gave the villain his live-action cinematic debut in a very different film, Spider-Man 4.
