Guess what, friendly neighborhood PopWatchers? Today, apparently, is Spider-Man Day! Now, I can't say I'm entirely sure what that means, or who the official sponsor is (you'd think it was Marvel Comics, but their website isn't looking too celebratory), but I'm always happy to give some love to the ol' webslinger.
I'm gonna celebrate by using an elaborate system of pulleys and counterweights to upside-down kiss random redheads (I will be taking donations for my legal fund). How about you? Planning on watching the Spidey movie trilogy tonight (it's okay if you fall asleep on Spider-Man 3)? Reading up on the comics (I recommend Brian Michael Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man)? Trying to coax a particularly bitey arachnid into a radioactive lab and hoping he'll just do what comes naturally?
Three film projects I'm not sure I'm excited about:
1. The Howard Stern-produced remake of Rock 'n' Roll High School. Stern (pictured, left) has been talking about doing this for at least six years (along with a remake of Porky's), but now he's hired a screenwriter: actor-turned-filmmaker Alex Winter. (Winter knows from satirical high school movies, having played Bill opposite Keanu Reeves' Ted in the Bill & Ted comedies.) No word yet on which band will sub for the stars of the 1979 cult movie, the Ramones, though maybe Stern could make it a period piece and star as his lookalike, Joey Ramone... nah. Feel free to suggest in the comments section a present-day analog to the then-rising punk act for Stern and Winter to cast in the update.
2. A Spider-Man 3 spinoff centering on the villainous Venom. Except it doesn't look like Topher Grace (center) will star (or Tobey Maguire, for that matter), so essentially, the filmmakers will be creating a new character named after a villain in a comic book series whose hero is not likely to make an appearance. The last time Hollywood tried that, we got Catwoman.
After the jump: one more follow-up project no one asked for...
Gee, if only the United Nations had thought of this sooner: enlisting superheroes to serve in its peacekeeping forces in global hotspots. Of course, whether Spider-Man, by fighting imaginary enemies in imaginary lands, can also fight the not-at-all-imaginary PR problems of the UN — well, that's another story. Then again, why does the UN need imaginary heroes when it has real ones? Angelina Jolie was already turned into a cartoon this year, so why not make her into a comic book heroine? She may find the task of saving the world equally daunting in 2D, but at least she'll score the UN the fanboy vote.
At long last, the superheroes of Marvel are joining forces with a formidable new ally: the United States Postal Service. This Thursday, during kick-off day at Comic-Con, the two behemoths will get together to unveil a new series of 20 stamps — going on-sale across the country that morning — commemorating Marvel Comics characters and classic comic book covers.
Take a look, for instance, at the Spider-Man stamp to your left. Upon first glance it made me think three things. 1) Stamps cost 41 cents now? 2) People still even mail letters? And 3) this is a really awesome-looking Spider-Man stamp. Other featured characters destined to grace the upper right corners of America’s envelopes starting Thursday are Captain America, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Silver Surfer, Wolverine, and — hooray for equal rights — Spider-Woman.
What do you think? Will you be lining up at your local post office first thing Thursday morning?
Are you suffering from a "case of the Mondays"? Well, if this YouTube clip (or this one) doesn't cure it, might I suggest checking out Jeff Victor's "bubblehead" drawings? The Los Angeles-based artist's Wicked Crispy blog (click here to see it) focuses primarily on Star Wars' characters -- his Jabba the Hutt is particularly delightful -- but my favorites are his Spider-Man, Pale Man (from Pan's Labyrinth), and Batman (which you can view after the jump).
Too bad the Mary Jane action figure pictured here (and clearly modeled more after the MJ of the Spidey comics than after Kirsten Dunst) didn't make the rounds a few weeks ago. (Is "action" even the right word for a figurine whose definition of "action" is hand-washing her fella's superheroic Underoos?) It could have made this hilariously appalling list of the worst Spider-Man tie-in merchandise. But at least it inspired this turnabout-is-fair-play parody. (Which is probably NSFW, and probably not safe if you've just eaten, either.)
May 7, 2007, 06:16 PM | by Joshua Rich
Categories: Spider-Man 3
Honestly, our spidey sense saw this coming a mile away: Sony just released the final first-weekend figures for Spider-Man 3, and they're even bigger than the initial estimates. The movie actually opened with $151.1 million. Yep. That's $15.5 mil better than the previous best opener, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and three million smackers more than the studio had originally calculated for Spidey 3. As one high-ranking EW staffer who shall remain nameless just e-mailed me: "As if $148 mil wasn’t impressive enough. Holy s---." Holy s---, indeed, PopWatchers. Holy s---.
Let's see... a hand reaching out for a ring in midair. What other movie does this Spider-Man 3 scene remind us of? (See the answer after the jump.)
Maybe my expectations are too high. But when I get a CD soundtrack in the mail — say, the new Spider-Man 3 soundtrack (thanks, Sony Music!) — I kind of, well, expect the damn songs to be in the movie. Right? But when I went to a Spider-Man 3 screening last week, to my chagrin, it was more like song. The only track the movie wonks used from the soundtrack, for the soundtrack, was Chubby Checker's 1960 dance-pop sensation, "The Twist." Which, IMO, is only slightly less lame than yelling "Free Bird" at a concert, or using Zeppelin's iconic hit "Rock and Roll" in a Cadillac commercial. (Second prize in lameness goes to Snow Patrol and their weepy ballad "Signal Fire," which played to the closing credits — and to fans fleeing the theater in fear of drowning in waves of treacle.) PopWatchers, I have to admit, I was a bit baffled by this; why would Sony bolster its indie cred by making a soundtrack with hip/hot/happenin' bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Flaming Lips, the Killers, and Jet if they weren't even going to use them in the actual movie?
But then I noticed something: the fine print on the CD jacket, which said, ''Music from and inspired by...." And I thought about how bad, black-suited Spidey — in his civvies, Tobey McGuire with an irresponsibly trendy combover and heavy black eyeliner — was, in fact, the emo-embodiment of the music on the soundtrack! Eureka!
Psyched to go see Spider-Man 3 when it finally opens next week, huh? Me too! Then again, I haven't bought my tickets yet, so maybe I'm not as big a fan as you are. But I'm wondering: Have you already purchased seats for one of the first screenings next Friday? If so, why? Are you worried that the showing you want to go to will sell out? Do you want to see it on an IMAX screen and you know that tickets to those shows are particularly hard to come by? Or is it merely that you're a big fan and, well, you know, just because?
It's a simple query, really, but it speaks to a larger issue that has been on my mind: Hasn't the whole advance ticket sales and Internet thing ruined that time-honored movie-geek tradition of camping out in line for days on end, dolled up to the nines in your best Doc Ock garb, drooling over the chance to get a prime seat at the first show? Is nothing sacred anymore? What does your spider sense tell you, PopWatchers?
I know, you never thought you'd hear the words "Spider-Man," "U2" and "Broadway musical" in the same sentence (heck, the same paragraph), but I won't be among the scoffers who'll insist that a Spidey stage show, with tunes by Bono and the Edge, is doomed to flail like Doc Ock's tentacles. For one thing, the songwriters seem to have some already-apt tunes, like "Vertigo" and "The Fly." And for the rest, the could modify some of their hits just a little, with results that might look like the lyrics below. After the jump, there's a music video, so you can sing these lyrics along with Bono over U2's original version.
Once I shared a kiss with MJ in the rain
I hung upside-down; why, I can't explain
She still digs me as a bug, loves me as a man
Why I'm running away, I still don't understand
Man
I'm slippery
I'm sliding down
I walk on walls like they're the ground
It's all right, it's all right, all right
I move on mysterious webs
It's all right, it's all right, all right
I move on mysterious webs
Harry takes a dive bomb at me because he's mad
Dude, I'm sorry that I had to kill your dad
Your grief is for real, I know how you feel
Since I let my uncle die, I sure feel like a heel
(On my knees, boy)
Poor Aunt May
So meek and mild
Yet she still treats me like a child
It's all right, it's all right, all right
I move on mysterious webs
It's all right, it's all right, all right
I move on mysterious webs
It's all right, it's all right, all right
Hide by day, hunt bad guys by night
And now my suit
Is turning black
I don't know why
Is it from space?
Is it a virus?
Now with Sandman and Venom
I don't need this tsuris
It's all right, it's all right, all right
I move on mysterious webs
It's all right, it's all right, all right
I move on mysterious webs
It's all right, it's all right, all right
Hide by day, hunt bad guys by night...
Yesterday's report by EW.com's Adam Markovitz, in which Sam Raimi said he might direct The Hobbit and abandon the Spider-Man franchise seems to have torn a hole in the space-time continuum, at least as far as the fanboy crowd is concerned. It's bad enough that Peter Jackson seems all but certain to be out of the director's chair for the Lord of the Rings prequel, and while everyone loves Raimi, he's no Peter Jackson (a caveat Raimi himself was quick to express in his conversation with EW's Steve Daly). But if Raimi did direct The Hobbit, he'd be unable to direct Spider-Man 4, and Sony might give it to someone like (shudder) Brett Ratner and... well, it's just an apocalyptic disaster all around, no?
This Middle-earth/Marvel-verse crisis has sparked plenty of chatter in the blogosphere, particularly over the article's comment from Kirsten Dunst (pictured, with Tobey Maguire) about what a mistake it would be to break up the successful Spider-clan. "It's disrespectful to the whole team, I think, to do that," she said. "And
audiences aren't stupid. It'd be a big flop without me, Tobey, or Sam.
That would really not be the smartest move." Especially over at Ain't It Cool News, fans are going ballistic over the "It'd be a big flop without me..." remark. After all, many Spider-fans felt Dunst should never have been cast as Mary Jane in the first place, and that the filmmakers should have at least gone with someone who didn't have to dye her hair red.
What do you think, PopWatchers? Is Dunst an expendable element in the franchise? Is Maguire, who's expressed ambivalence about a fourth installment? Is Raimi? On the other hand, would it really be so terrible if Raimi landed the Hobbit gig? Jackson aside, is anyone better suited to shoot that Tolkien tale? And if Raimi (or Dunst or Maguire) leaves Spider-Man 4, who should be the replacement(s)?
Hey kids, remember the glory days of movie soundtrack albums? I do. Of course, you'll probably think I'm a psycho if I admit to having at one point not only owned but enjoyed the Godzilla soundtrack, yet I'll happily counter that with the fact that both Dirty Dancing and its mambo-laden (guh-gung!) followup More Dirty Dancing are on my iPod, as are both volumes of the music from Grosse Pointe Blank, and the Twister soundtrack... Oh, I just went back to being a psycho again, didn't I.
Anyway. My point here is that it seems, of late, that the songs officially designated as accompaniment to the blockbuster films of the day have not been as exciting as they once were. Whether that's because everyone can just download the good stuff off iTunes and leave the bad Wallflowers covers behind in the discount bin or whatever has yet to be scientifically determined, but there is, on the horizon, some good news for soundtrack lovers: The Spider-Man 3 CD, featuring new tracks from the biggest names in indiedom, and Chubby Checker, will be released May 1. I'll dissect its worldwide implications — and give away a VALUABLE PRIZE — after the jump!
Did you beware the Ides of March, PopWatchers? Well, being
in Las Vegas for ShoWest afforded me the rare opportunity to mark dear Julius' demise in
unique style. I started out yesterday, March 15, by hoofing it across the Strip
to, yep, Caesar's Palace. But — Ecce, PopWatcheri! — I seemed to be
the only one who remembered. Nothing was going on. No mock betrayals. No staged
executions. Vegas, great home of the meticulous re-creation of the outside
world, you disappointed me!
In actual fact, I could say the same thing about ShoWest, which wrapped up its
least-flashy, least-newsworthy, least-star-studded installment in years. The
convention's final day saw the obligatory annual 3-D digital cinema
presentation, an event that included footage from U2 3D, which may sound
like a Star Wars droid but is actually a concert film featuring Bono
& Co. Every year they say digital cinema and 3-D is fast on its way to
theaters near you; I'm still waiting.
Then, Sony hosted the obligatory annual animated-movie clip reel, this in honor
of the talking-animals pic Surf's Up (June 8). I totally dug the
faux luau atmosphere that they had concocted for all the ShoWesters in
attendance: Everybody got leis and mai-tais and pineapple slices. And the 20
minutes of the film were kinda fun, too. The flick is all about wave-riding penguins who hang 10 in a big competition on a tropical island. In introducing the footage, producer Chris Jenkins winked at recent films like March of the Penguins and Happy Feet when he quipped, "More bloody penguins!" But then he added that this is "not just another penguin movie," and it seemed like he had a point, for Surf's Up is set up like
a clever mockumentary. Think The Office — but animated, feature-length,
and featuring surfing fowl. Cute!
Anyway, the day wrapped with the convention's obligatory annual awards banquet,
in which a number of random stars trot out to receive made-up prizes like
"Animation Directors of the Year" (that'd be Shrek the Third's
Chris Miller and Raman Hui), "Female Star of Tomorrow" (Nancy Drew's
Emma Roberts) and "Comedy Star of the Year" (Steve Carell, pictured).
It's always a good time. All the nation's theater owners get dolled up for the big
occasion, and I get to talk to most of the talent on hand. A few highlights:
Quick, quick, quick! You've only got till 9 p.m. PT to click here, and check out NBC's exclusive sneak peek of three scenes from the upcoming Spider-Man 3. I don't want to give too much away, but I'll just say if the fight sequence looks this good on my computer monitor, I can't wait to see it on the big screen. Yeah, I'm buying into the hype. How 'bout you, PopWatchers?
With great power comes great responsibility... to market the bejesus out of your superhero movie. On Monday, you can catch the new trailer for Spider-Man 3 (out May 4) on NBC during Heroes. But until then, whet your appetite with our exclusive look at Diamond Select's Spidey 3 toys. The Minimates to your left go on sale in late March. And the detailed Sandman and Venom sculpture-bust-thingies pictured after the jump are all yours come late April. (There are also sculpture-bust thingie versions of red-suited Spidey, black-suited Spidey, and the new Goblin, but we think you get the gist.)
Every February I geek out over Toy Fair. I know I shouldn't, I'm almost 30, but I
don’t think I'll ever get over it. The show was chock full of licensed
"stuff" (nothing groundbreaking) for the upcoming Transformers,
Spider-Man 3, Ratatouille, and Golden Compass films. The stand-out was the Spider-Man Deluxe Spinning Web
Blaster from Hasbro. I never knew shooting black and white silly
string, uh... I mean "web fluid", would be so engrossing. And then there was the Mr.
Potato Head Spider Spud that came with enough parts to change him back to
Peter Parker Potato. Sexy.
Here's a quick smattering of other items that got my
attention:
What do you get when you send the philosophical kids of Charles Schulz's classic Peanuts cartoon into the Marvel comics universe? Peppermint Patty Phoenix? Spider-Man Snoopy? Daredevil Charlie Brown? Click here (scroll down) to see the amusing results for yourself.
Was the hype for last night's "premiere" of the new Spider-Man 3 trailer (watch it here) warranted? Let's see, we got:
- Tobey in the superhot black Spidey suit.
- Tobey busting out of the superhot black Spidey suit.
- The comfort of knowing that likable Thomas Haden Church (Sandman) will, in fact, have a post-Oscar nod career.
- The reminder that while Kirsten Dunst's voice can be annoying ("Do you wanna push me away?"), we'd much rather watch her than Kate Bosworth.
- The realization that Harry is actually the only role we care to see James Franco in (or is that just my experience watching the Annapolis trailer talking?).
- Proof that Topher Grace is always a welcome sight (although EW.com poster Phil has already taken issue with his highlights).
- Plans for May 4, 2007.
What did you think?
Nov 9, 2006, 10:26 AM | by Scott Brown
Categories: Spider-Man 3
Remember when an "event" didn’t need ironic air quotes around it? Nope, me neither. I’ve lived my entire adult life inside the hype machine. For me, every new divorce or moderately funny YouTube video merits a news blast. I can hardly separate events from "events" any more. For example, I understand something rather important happened yesterday. Somebody got kicked to the curb after a long and fruitless occupation... it was either this guy, or this guy, or both. Dunno. I can’t make those sorts of distinctions anymore.
That said... y’all, I am super-psyched about the debut of tonight’s full, two-and-a-half-minute Spider-Man 3 trailer! It’s gonna be "roadblocked" across all the Viacom networks (CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Showtime, The Sumner Redstone’s Fishtank Channel, etc.) at about 10pm. Yes, "roadblocked." Don't you like it when a theoretically fun leisure activity is characterized as something aggressive and compulsory? Like the upcoming Christmas Blockade and Thanksgiving Checkpoint.
Pop quiz! Which movie would you rather see: A) Daredevil 2 or B) Daredevil: Taking It to the Streets?
If you chose A or B, you are required by PopWatch law to click here for a story in The New York Times about inane research on whether folks prefer movie sequels with titles that include numbers (megahit Spider-Man 2, for example) or names (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life).
If you answered "neither," then you get an A+ and a free link to today's Official PopWatch '80s Video of the Day (click here). You also get to read the Cliffs Notes version of the Times story, brought to you by the good people at Movie City News: "Yet Another Utterly Idiotic Academic Paper Given More Mindless Promotion By The Paper of Record... Please Alert Spider-Man 3, Shrek 3, And TF&TF: Tokyo Drift."
Jul 5, 2006, 06:06 PM | by Scott Brown
Categories: Spider-Man 3
With Spiderfans still panting from last weekend's arachno-rockin' Spider-Man 3 teaser, another morsel surfaces, this one decidedly SPOILER-LIKE. (Don't click the word "morsel" unless you're prepared to have a plot point revealed.) The accompanying commentary muses that this seemingly mythology-shaking story point may in fact be a dream sequence.
What's not a dream sequence? Apparently, the participation of one Jean-Claude Van Damme (pictured) in the shadowy Manhattan Project known as Rush Hour III. Rumor has it, he'll play the villain. Which means he'll fight Jackie Chan -- hopefully in the guise of a high-kicking Hasid, a la The Order (a movie that, sadly, forever fused klezmer and Van Damme in my mind.)
Van Damme vs. Chan -- damn! Neither's in his prime, and Van Damme may not even be in his original body. But he'd make a fine Rush Hour villain, methinks, especially one named "Bruno Cavalier," which may be the most glorious movie name since Karl Hungus.
Goldurnit, Ratner! You got me again. I'm kind of looking forward to this now. Not quite as much as I'm looking forward to this, but close.
Just posted at Apple today, in time for Tobey Maguire's 31st birthday, the spankin' new Spider-Man 3 teaser features a prominent cameo by the fabled black suit, as well as a glimpse of the really cool Sandman effect, a fetchingly blonde Bryce Dallas Howard (as Peter Parker love interest Gwen Stacy), an awed Topher Grace (as Eddie Brock), a great final shot (pictured), and the suitably anguished emoting of Mr. Maguire. I know Superman Returns comes out tomorrow, but Spider-Man 3 is now officially the superhero movie I can't wait to see. Only 311 more days...
Jun 15, 2006, 04:41 PM | by Scott Brown
Categories: Spider-Man 3
These superheroes, man. Why they gotta throw it in your face?
Spider-Man has come out... as Peter Parker. It's in the latest edition of Marvel's "Civil War" story arc. In the Marvel-verse, there's apparently a debate raging over secret identities, with some heroes feeling they should stand and be counted (and registered) from purposes of transparency and safety. Others (including ultrapatriot Captain America) disagree.
Forgive me, but I've got to question the timing of this announcement. Just as Superman's buzz builds (along with his own set of coming-out rumors), Spidey jumps into the limelight with his own unmasking. I'm not making any accusations. I'm just saying: Maybe a certain arachnoid emo-boy is aligning his politics with his publicity machine.
Again, I'm not slinging mud. But superheroes know how the game works. Don't be surprised when the Blue Beetle files a frivolous lawsuit against Volkswagen on June 27.
Jun 12, 2006, 06:03 PM | by Scott Brown
Categories: Spider-Man 3
In our continuing quest to bring you every scrap of Spider-crap we can scrounge up, we give you these images from the shoot -- which is, at the moment, still in New York. The caption for that first one might read, "Does this Spider-suit make my ass look fat?" The answer, oddly, is yes. But "Spider-ass" is simply another arachnoid attribute he's inherited. And he got off easy. Look at the junk in the trunk on this dude. And you wouldn't want to find one of these in your sleeping bag.
But we can do better than static fan pics, people. There's video too! Actual moving pictures! In this incredibly revealing clip, it's revealed that, um, that people really seem to like Spider-Man. And that's a bit of a revelation, I suppose: After feeling put-upon and unloved for most of Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker's finally getting the bouquets he wanted. And here comes Venom to screw all that up. Venom! You stinker! You want to kick my man's ass? Be warned, bucko: There's a lot to kick.
Jun 2, 2006, 03:45 PM | by Scott Brown
Categories: Spider-Man 3
You'd think three villains -- Venom (Topher Grace), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), and the new Green Goblin (James Franco) -- would be enough to slake the geekthirst of any Spider-fan. But according to this scoop from Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad, there is another.
Yes, a fourth villain will be announced sometime around Comic-Con. Might it be Lizard, the horribly mutated alter ego of Peter Parker's scientific mentor, Dr. Connors (played by the probably-too-good-for-this-and-that's-as-it-should-be actor Dylan Baker in Spider-Man 2)? Are we looking at a Kingpin scenario here? Or maybe it's one of these scrubs. Let the wild speculation begin!
And with it, a question: How many villains is too many? Has the continuing success of the X-Men franchise convinced Marvel and Hollywood that there can never be too many baddies (or goodies, for that matter)? Is there no such thing as "creep creep"?
May 31, 2006, 06:00 AM | by Scott Brown
Categories: Spider-Man 3
Behold, the streets of New York run black with Venom: Spider-Man's dark twin is on the loose, as these spy photos kinda revealingly sorta reveal.
You get some clear shots of That '70s Show's Topher Grace as Spider-Man rival Eddie Brock, peroxided and pre-Venomous. And sharp-eyed viewers will even catch a glimpse of Peter Parker's other big squeeze, Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her father, Captain George Stacy (James Cromwell).
The money shot, of course, is Parker himself, Tobey Maguire, his loosened top button revealing a tantalizing glimpse of the infamous black costume. Expect another angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin brouhaha over whether or not the alien "symbiote" that forms the suit should also morph into Peter's street clothes, as in the comic. (Remember the great organic web-shooters debate? Ah, memories of geekfights past...) Tobey looks a might sweaty in the shot -- perhaps his Venomwear is starting to get to him? (FYI, it's trying to bond with him, just another reason to be wary of buying vintage.) Soon, it'll be off his back and on Brock's, setting up one of those oh-so-useful hero-villain dualities.
This link also stokes a bit of controversy over Topher -- namely, is he the man for the job? Knowing little about this segment of the comic, I can't really say. But I suspect y'all can...
Mar 28, 2006, 06:01 PM | by Scott Brown
Categories: Spider-Man 3
Looks like the amazingly polyamorous Spider-Man may give Wilmer Valderrama a run for his money. Elizabeth Banks (pictured, last seen as the sexually supercharged bookstore clerk who threatens to deflower Steve Carell in The 40-Year-Old Virgin) tells MTV that, in 2007's Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) may prove himself quite the (wait for it) swinger! (Yes, we do get paid by the pun.)
Banks will play Betty Brant, Daily Bugle staffer and secretary to cantankerous J. Jonah Jameson, the Spidey-hatin' editor in chief. In the comic, she's one of Peter's many loves, a group that also includes Gwen Stacy. Well, she's in the movie, too, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. (Does she still get her neck broken, as she does in the comic? Would Ron Howard even allow such a thing?) Banks says she and Parker get a little closer in this installment. Even with eight arms, Spidey would have trouble keeping up. After all, he's still got his main squeeze, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). And I don't think this is what M.J. meant when she said, "Go get 'em, tiger."
Nothing new on Topher Grace or that mysterious black suit. Nope, that's all the Spidey news from the World Wide Web. (Sorry, I'm a little short on rent this month.)
Um, fangs for reading?
Feb 24, 2006, 09:44 AM | by Gary Susman
Categories: Spider-Man 3
Superhero Hype introduces this striking new photo from Spider-Man 3, one that raises a lot of questions. According to the website, it's not a black-and-white photo; rather, it depicts a charcoal-colored Spidey costume. (There's an even bigger version of the image at MovieCityNews.)
As fans of the Spidey comics know, Spider-Man wore a black suit like this for a few years in the mid-1980s, only to learn that the costume was an alien parasite. When Peter Parker ditched it, the alien outfit found a new host, the villain Venom. Spider-Man director Sam Raimi has reportedly said that he dislikes the Venom character and would not include him in the 2007 sequel, but rumors that Topher Grace's character is, in fact, Venom have been dropped by Variety and by costar Kirsten Dunst. (Distributor Sony has kept mum regarding Grace's role.)
So what does the picture tell us? Is that Tobey Maguire in the shot, or Grace? Was Raimi planting a red herring? And is black the new red-and-blue? What say you, PopWatchers?
-Talk about perfect casting! Law & Order and Rent star Jesse L. Martin (left) will star in Marvin Gaye biopic Sexual Healing.
-Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix reunite with The Yards director James Gray for crime drama We Own the Night.
-Six Feet Under's James Cromwell joins Spider-Man 3 cast as Captain Stacy, father of Peter Parker love interest Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard)
-Underworld: Evolution's Scott Speedman will partner with Willem Dafoe as detectives in serial-killer thriller Anamorph.
-Following up A History of Violence, director David Cronenberg's next movie is Maps to the Stars, a dark Hollywood satire by Bruce Wagner (I'm Losing You). It'll be the veteran Canadian director's first movie shot in the U.S.
-Scream's David Arquette makes his directing debut with horror movie The Tripper, about a serial killer stalking a rock festival. Arquette, who is also the film's producer and co-screenwriter, will play a cameo role in the film, as will wife Courteney Cox.
-Jason Bateman is joining Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman in fantasy film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Filming begins next month -- guess Bateman figures he's not going to be shooting more episodes of Arrested Development anytime soon.
-Lifetime has teamed up with Peter Guber's Mandalay Television and author Nora Roberts to produce four films based on Roberts' best-selling novels. (An interesting stat: According to Lifetime, Roberts' books sell on average at the rate of 21 books a minute.) Six novels are being considered for adaptation (Blue Smoke, Carolina Moon, Montana Sky, The Villa, Brazen Virtue, and River's End), though only four will ultimately be chosen. --Paul Katz
Jan 19, 2006, 08:56 AM | by Gary Susman
Categories: Spider-Man 3
Big news for Spider-Fans: The Village's Bryce Dallas Howard has been cast as Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3. As fans know, Gwen is the Lana Lang to Mary Jane Watson's Lois Lane in Spidey mythology; in the books, she was Peter Parker's high school crush, who died on a bridge during a Spidey-Green Goblin battle. In the first Spider-Man, of course, Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane took on most of that storyline, though she survived the Green Goblin confrontation. While it's not clear how Gwen will be woven into the Spider-Man 3 plot, we do know a couple things. (SPOILER ALERT!) First, she'll be a rival with Dunst's Mary Jane for Peter's affections, and second, she won't die at the end of the movie.
So, PopWatchers, are you looking forward to seeing Gwen Stacy introduced to the film franchise? Do you think (as I do) that Howard is a good casting choice?
Jan 10, 2006, 03:59 PM | by Gary Susman
Categories: Spider-Man 3
Talking to MTV News about 2007's Spider-Man 3, James Franco (left) responds to the question everyone's asking (that is, isn't it about time your character Harry Osborn started picking up dad's pumpkin bombs and going all Green Goblin on Spidey's ass?). His answer, paraphrased: I'm not allowed to talk about it, but duh! Read more here.
Meanwhile, Sam Raimi plans, after he finishes directing Spider-Man 3, to shoot The Wee Free Men, an adaptation of a children's book about a nine-year-old girl who saves her brother from a wicked fairy queen with the help of some tiny, blue-skinned, kilted, hard-drinking Scottish warriors. (Imagine Braveheart, if Mel Gibson and his pals were just six inches tall.) Now, I don't care how many family-friendly comic-book movies Sam Raimi makes, if I were a studio chief, I wouldn't give a children's fantasy to the guy who directed the Evil Dead trilogy. That's just wrong.
Nov 7, 2005, 10:02 AM | by Gary Susman
Categories: Spider-Man 3
Sony hasn't officially said which villain Thomas Haden Church is playing in Spider-Man 3 (though Kirsten Dunst spilled the beans a few weeks ago), but the studio has posted an on-set photo of the actor in character as his Spidey nemesis.
Don't click on the jump if you don't want to see the photo or have the character's identity spoiled.
Sep 27, 2005, 02:45 PM | by Michael Slezak
Categories: Spider-Man 3
Looks like Venom and Sandman will try to finish what Green Goblin and Doc Ock couldn't do -- by trying to destroy our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, that is.
In an interview with Zap2it.com promoting her new film Elizabethtown, Kirsten Dunst, who plays Spidey's love interest Mary Jane Watson, slipped up and revealed what Sony and Marvel have kept a secret for months: the identities of the villains in the highly anticipated Spider-Man 3, which is slated to begin filming in early 2006. ''We have really great people though as the villains in this film, Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace (left) -- Venom and Sandman,'' Dunst said, while displaying some confusion about which actor will take on which role.
Apparently, Venom has similar strengths as Spidey, including the ability to cling to surfaces with his hands and feet, and to shoot webs from a costume of alien origin, while Sandman's special powers include the ability to turn into a sand-like substance, then mix with dirt particles to grow in physical size.
What do you think of the latest options in Spider Nemeses, and the actors who'll play them? Sound off now!
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