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Thursday, October 8
Variety reports that writer-director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) is in talks to direct and rewrite Venom, the movie spin-off of the Spider-Man 3 villain. Ross is currently working on a rewrite of Spider-Man 4, and clearly Sony is pleased with his progress. Ross will start work on Venom when he has finished Spider-Man 4.
Zombieland writers Rhettt Reese and Paul Wernick wrote two drafts of the screenplay, and recently stated that Marvel and the studio were taking their work and figuring out "the next step." Apparently, that next step is to have Ross rewrite their script.
No word on whether Topher Grace will return for Venom. Variety speculates that the role will be recast.
Venom is currently slated for a 2012 release.
Posted 10/8/2009 by Ryan
Related: Rhett Reese | Gary Ross | Spider-Man 3 | Spider-Man 4 | Venom | Zombieland | Paul Wernick
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Tuesday, June 16
With the villains for Spider-Man 4 still a mystery, there's one former villain who wouldn't mind returning, and no it's not Willem Dafoe (who showed up in all three previous Spider-Man movies, in one way or another). Alfred Molina, who played Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2, told MTV he'd happily come back, though there might be a hurdle or two to climb before it's possible:
No one's mentioned it, and I think it's highly unlikely, seeing as he died.
Sure, Molina died, but death in the comic book universe has a way of not lasting forever:
At the Spider-Man 2 premiere in London, I turned around to one of the producers and said, "It's a real shame that I died, because I would've loved to do another one of these." And he said, "Oh, characters don't die in this universe, they just disappear."
Are there any favorites from Spidey's past that Molina can recommend before screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire turns in the script and Sony announces who they are?
The only thing I'd like to see is to concentrate on one villain. Having two or three of them sort of dilutes the potency of it.
After the villain overload of Spider-Man 3, fans would probably agree. However, only one villain would likely mean no Doc Ock, meaning no Alfred Molina.
Posted 6/16/2009 by Ryan
Related: Alfred Molina | Willem Dafoe | Spider-Man 2 | Spider-Man 3 | Spider-Man 4 | David Lindsay-Abaire
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Thursday, May 21
Lucy Gordon, the British actress and model best known for her role as Jennifer Dugan in Spider-Man 3, was found dead in her Paris apartment. Police have ordered an autopsy but are saying the death appears to be a suicide.
The actress' other films include Serendipity and Perfume. Gordon also plays the British singer and actress Jane Birkin in an upcoming biopic about Serge Gainsbourg.
In a statement to the press, her father, Richard Gordon, said:
She's always loved being on stage and in front of the camera and she has kept all her naturalness and charm all the way through. She has been the most beautiful daughter. We are obviously devastated.
Posted 5/21/2009 by reelz
Related: Lucy Gordon | Serendipity | Perfume | Spider-Man 3 | Jane Birkin | Serge Gainsbourg Biopic
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Thursday, May 7
Sam Raimi has been clear that the villains of Spider-Man 4 will be revealed by Sony at the end of the summer when the script is delivered. However, that hasn't stopped former Spider-Man artist and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane from speculating about a Spider-Man 4 return of Venom, Spider-Man's evil counterpart (played by Topher Grace in Spider-Man 3). McFarlane told MTV:
I co-created Venom. He was in the last Spider-Man movie. And I think he might make an appearance here in the next one, too.
If Venom does return, McFarlane would like to see some changes:
I would've done a few things different [in Spider-Man 3]. I would've done something more dramatic. When I first created him, I made him huge. That would've been the first thing for me; I would've wanted somebody who looked like he was three times the size of Spider-Man, so it was almost like Spider-Man going against the Hulk. [I also would've increased] the nastiness. I think one of the reasons why Wolverine is so popular is because he did stuff that Captain America or Batman would never do. Today's generation, they can handle that stuff.
Sony sure wouldn't mind a little of Wolverine's recent success.
Posted 5/7/2009 by Ryan
Related: Sam Raimi | Topher Grace | Todd McFarlane | Spider-Man 3 | Spider-Man 4 | X-Men Origins: Wolverine
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Tuesday, April 14
With the triumphant (and incredibly campy) opening line, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, wow,” the Japanese Spider-Man TV series bursts upon an unsuspecting American audience, courtesy of Marvel Comics.
Motorcycle chases, ninjas, flying robots, cyborgs… the Japanese Spider-Man TV series has got everything we love about Japanese cinema!
Episode 3
"Mysterious Thief 001 vs. Spider-Man"
In this episode, the Iron Cross Army abducts well-know burglar, Phantom Thief 001, in hopes of grooming him into another Spider-Man! Can the true web slinger stop the impostor before he wreaks havoc on the innocent?
Posted 4/14/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Spider-Man | Spider-Man 2 | Spider-Man 3 | Spider-Man 4
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Tuesday, April 7
With the triumphant (and incredibly campy) opening line, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, wow,” the Japanese Spider-Man TV series bursts upon an unsuspecting American audience, courtesy of Marvel Comics.
Motorcycle chases, ninjas, flying robots, cyborgs… the Japanese Spider-Man TV series has got everything we love about Japanese cinema!
Episode 2
"Mysterious World! The Man Lives to Fate."
Last episode, Takuya Yamashiro gained the powers of the Spider-Man and, with the help of Marveller, transformed into Leopardon to defeat Professor Monster and the Iron Cross Army. In this episode, a train suspiciously overturns and Takuya believes Professor Monster and the Iron Cross Army are responsible. Plus, flashbacks reveal the tragic details surrounding Garia's arrival on Earth and the transfer of power to Takuya.
Posted 4/7/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Spider-Man | Spider-Man 2 | Spider-Man 3 | Spider-Man 4
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Thursday, April 2
With the triumphant (and incredibly campy) opening line, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, wow,” the Japanese Spider-Man TV series bursts upon an unsuspecting American audience, courtesy of Marvel Comics.
Motorcycle chases, ninjas, flying robots… the Japanese Spider-Man TV series has got everything we love about Japanese cinema!
Episode 1
"The Time of Revenge Has Come! Beat Down Iron Cross Group!"
In this episode, motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro gains the powers of Spider-Man! With his new powers and the help of Marveller, he transforms into Leopardon in order to defeat Professor Monster and his evil Iron Cross Army.
Next Showing: Stay tuned for Episode 2
Posted 4/2/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Spider-Man | Spider-Man 2 | Spider-Man 3 | Spider-Man 4
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Wednesday, April 1
The news dropped like a bombshell early this morning that Sony Pictures has signed Robert Pattinson (Twilight) to replace Tobey Maguire in the titular role in Spider-Man 4.
In the official press release, Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures and Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, announced that Pattinson would not only be assuming the role of Peter Parker and his alter-ego, Spider-Man, in Spider-Man 4, but also in Spider-Man 5 and in a spin-off film to be announced at a later date.
It is no secret that Pascal has been shopping around for an actor to fill the red-and-blue tights for some time. Only a few months ago, negotiations between Sony and Maguire nearly broke down because of the actor's reluctance to return to what he described as a "worn-out concept."
Sam Raimi, the cult film director and mastermind behind the multi-billion dollar Spider-Man franchise, recently blamed the failure of Spider-Man 3 to meet expectations on corporate control interfering with his creative process. Is the Sony Pictures press release another example of the type of control Raimi was referring to or a step toward realizing the director's vision for the franchise?
When asked to comment on the press release, Raimi said:
Decisions like these are always difficult. I know the fans liked Tobey -- and I greatly enjoyed working with him -- but Robert is the future of the franchise.
The press release did not indicate what the spin-off film might be, but recent speculation has focused on Morbius, a mainstay in the Spider-Man comic book mythology. In the comics, Morbius is a "living vampire," a victim of an ill-fated experimental treatment involving vampire bats and shock therapy.
There has been no word from Tobey Maguire's representatives.
Happy April Fool's Day!
Next Showing: Spider-Man 4 is currently scheduled for a 2011 release
Posted 4/1/2009 by BrentJS
Related: Sam Raimi | Tobey Maguire | Spider-Man | Spider-Man 2 | Robert Pattinson | Spider-Man 3 | Spider-Man 4
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Tuesday, March 31
Despite its massive box office, $336,530,303 in the U.S. alone, Spider-Man 3 was arguably the biggest let down of the Sam Raimi directed trilogy, with too many villains and new characters for Raimi to handle. Raimi has an explanation for this, which he shared with Empire Magazine in its latest issue:
They really gave me a tremendous amount of control on the first two films, actually. But then there were different opinions on the third film and I didn’t really have creative control, so to speak.
Raimi goes on to say that this trend won't continue in Spider-Man 4:
The best way for me to move forward on films, I realize…and this was alesson I had to learn for myself…is that I’ve gotta be the singularvoice that makes the creative choices on the film.
There's still no word yet on who the villain might be, though rumors have mentioned both Carnage and Electro together, and Morbius the Vampire separately. Carnage would be an interesting choice, considering his character's origin being so close to Venom's, the Topher Grace character that Raimi was forced to use in Spider-Man 3. Regarding Venom, Raimi said:
I don’t even want to comment on Venom, because I know he’s a greatcharacter and all the fans love him. I never want to say anything badabout a much-beloved character because usually it turns out that I’mthe one that doesn’t understand what makes it great.
Posted 3/31/2009 by Ryan
Related: Sam Raimi | Topher Grace | Spider-Man 3 | Spider-Man 4
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Wednesday, January 28
DC Comics' Watchmen had their time in court, now it's Marvel's turn. Shareholders of Stan Lee Media Inc., which filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and emerged in 2006, are suing Lee and Marvel Entertainment for more than $750 million in profits from Lee's comic properties, including movies based on them, such as Iron Man and the X-Men and Spider-Man trilogies.
The lawsuit claims that Stan Lee transferred all his interest in his Marvel characters to Stan Lee Media Inc. in 1998, a few years before the company went bankrupt. Marvel quickly issued a statement saying the lawsuit is filled with "ridiculous claims."
However, with shareholders looking for that much money in back profits, isn't it surprising that Marvel won't pay their actors?
Posted 1/28/2009 by Ryan
Related: Stan Lee | Spider-Man | Spider-Man 2 | X-Men: The Last Stand | X-Men | X2: X-Men United | Spider-Man 3 | Iron Man | Watchmen