(Check this out first for context and background.)

In his recent interview with SCI FI Wire, Spider-Man franchise director and chief architect Sam Raimi says this in response to being asked if the next movie will be dark and edgy:

“Whatever it is, I think will be a direct result of the best style to bring about our writer’s screenplay. And as soon as I read that, I will know what that is. Edgy could be a direction, but I don’t think it will be applied without really understanding the character’s journey from the inside out first and then figuring out the best way to bring that about.”

Please don’t make it “edgy.” Spider-Man should be fun. Give it heart, like you did in the first two films, but don’t make it dark. There’s a huge difference.

Raimi continues:

“And then, as far as the other influences, making it different from the other films, … I hope we don’t react to these very good and sometimes bad superhero movies around us. I hope that we just [look] ever deeper into the truth of who Peter Parker really is — as a human being and the unique character, and that we celebrate that, which is a lot of the reason I want to make this next picture. I still believe I have an understanding of Peter Parker as the character that I have not quite put onto the screen yet.”

I think he has a very good understanding of who Peter Parker is, and it’s on the screen in Spider-Man and especially Spider-Man 2. Unfortunately, I still can’t buy those films on Blu-ray because they come in a three-pack with Spider-Man 3 and I won’t allow that film in my house.

More from Raimi:

“I’m not talking about Tobey Maguire’s performance, which I very much love; I’m talking about my understanding of the character. I feel like sometimes a kid at the piano recital. And I know this piece really well. I know it by heart. And I sometimes get it right, and sometimes I don’t. But I want a chance to really play it the way I feel it. So I’m hoping it’s a really good screenplay and I can express the character through that. I’ve got a really good writer.”

That writer is David Lindsay-Abaire, who’s got a Pulitzer on his shelf and carries a lovely reputation as a playwright and lyricist. I’m really curious to see what he’ll come up with.

I know that Spider-Man 3 was the result of too many cooks in the kitchen; Raimi wanted one movie, Marvel wanted another, so they ended up making both movies in one movie — and very badly at that. But I love the emotional dedication that Tobey Maguire brings to Peter Parker. I love Raimi’s knack for old-school, whiz-bang, character-driven superhero storytelling. And after the epic failings of Spider-Man 3, I have a feeling that Spider-Man 4 will rival even Spider-Man 2 in the action and heart departments.

More news on this one as it happens!