The arachnid-obsessed wonderboy is in limbo, so the lighting-bolt-chucking Norse god has commandeered his coveted spot, freeing up space for the dreadlocked pirate to swoop into the mix.
Allow us to explain. Almost a year ago, Marvel Studios announced that "Spider-Man 4" would arrive in theaters on May 6, 2011. Director Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire were already signed on to return to the franchise, and staking out a prime summer movie slot seemed like a wise move. Until, that is, the "Spider-Man" script started to run into all sorts of problems, with Raimi and the studio reportedly unable to agree on their featured villain.
Troubling news for Spidey fans itching for the first franchise flick since 2007, but a stroke of scheduling luck for another Marvel property: "Thor." Starring Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder, "Thor" slid into the May 6, 2011, date just as "Spider-Man 4" hit the brakes.
"Thor" had originally been scheduled to open two weeks later, on May 20. And now that the 20th was momentarily free, another franchise seems to be sailing on in. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," the fourth of Disney's Johnny Depp-focused adventure tales, has dropped anchor on May 20.
Thus far, the only other film with a solid May '11 release date is "The Hangover 2," the sequel to the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time. June will see the launch of another comic book property, "Green Lantern," as well as two animated sequels: "Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom" and "Cars 2." The franchises will keep coming in July: another "Transformers," the final "Harry Potter" and "The First Avenger: Captain America."
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