Superhero Kerfuffle: 'Thor' Replaces 'Spidey' in 2011

So much has gone right for Thor in the past six to eight months, it's kind of hard to remember when it looked like a dicey proposition. But big cast additions and confidence from the bosses don't necessarily make for a good movie. Marvel is hoping that it all pays off, though, and is apparently replacing Spider-Man 4 with the Norse God in summer 2011. Ka-thud. A couple of days ago, word spread like wildfire that Sam Raimi and Sony can't see eye-to-eye on where to take the fourth Spidey movie, and internal memos revealed that the May 6, 2011 release date would be hard to make. The rumors had the webslinger moving to July, but Captain America is there already, and that's a hell of a month as it is. Didn't make a whole lot of sense. Thor would move up two weeks to kick off the summer. Seriously, who would've thought that a year ago, after the film was pushed back nearly twelve months? Obviously, even though Thor is Paramount and Marvel is way more involved with that film than it is the Spider-Man franchise at Sony, a move like this would have to be coordinated. Marvel wouldn't put one film in place of another to get a competitive advantage over its...cousin, I guess. HitFix broke the story of the switch today, and if there's something to it, what the hell happens to Spidey? Captain America is still in July, and you know Spider-Man doesn't want to sit in June, which is historically the month without ginormity (save the last weekend). However, in 2011, Green Lantern is mid-June and Cars 2 is the 24th. I can't believe Sony would push Spider-Man off its usual perch - kicking off the summer - just to be hit by superhero movies in June and July. What's the point of waiting a month? Just work harder in production and get it done more quickly, then. One other option could involve moving Captain America up from July into Thor's old slot on May 20th, and then giving Spidey the mid-July opening. That's about the best they can do hoping to keep all three films in the same summer.And what does this say for Thor? Sony has to hate giving up the slot (I picked Ghostbusters 3 as a possible studio replacement), but Marvel must love what it's seeing to make that kind of commitment.