It appears that nobody has a straight clue as to exactly what the hell is going on with Spider-Man 4. First there was talk of Morlun. Then it was a New York icon. Then it was the Lizard. Most recently, news surfaced that Rachel McAdams and Romola Garai were both going out for the role of Black Cat. Frankly, we should accept that we won't know until casting announcements are made, a script is leaked, or someone snaps and illegal photo. At the same time, it's hard to ignore the rumors.
The website Hey U Guys apparently has an in with a source close to the film's production and were told that not only were McAdams and Garai being looked at for the role, but many other actresses remain in contention as well. In addition, they also received a rough character sketch of the character (real name Felicia Hardy). According to the site, Hardy will be the daughter of a newly appointed Daily Bugle editor, nicknamed "The Viper" (apparently with some significance), who falls in love with Peter Parker and discovers his secret. Her father then dies and she begins to see Parker as a threat and becomes Black Cat. Don't ask me, I'm just the reporter.
For those familiar with the comics, or even the animated series, this is entirely new, with the exception of romantic interest. In the comics, Hardy's father is a cat burglar, not a journalist. She begins exercising and training so that she may take revenge after she is raped, but when her attacker is killed, she instead uses her new skills to follow in her father's footsteps. In fact, she doesn't meet Peter or Spider-Man until she is already wearing the costume.
Obviously this wouldn't be the first time that Raimi and crew messed with an origin story (see: Venom and Sandman), but this portrait, as of yet, doesn't seem to make any sense. I personally love the animated series take on the character (which made her a costumed foil to Mary Jane who could understand Peter's need to keep his identity a secret), but that obviously can't work, seeing as Mary Jane is entirely aware of Peter's secret life. All of this "news" is hearsay until some actual proof from the studio is delivered, but as long as Raimi learns from his mistakes (Read: too many villains), Spider-Man 4 could be quite the redemption piece. They just need to pick a villain and run with it.
