The Amazing Spider-Man is #1

Well folks, in spite of my own tepid review, Spider-Man has ascended to the top of the Box Office heap. He not only had the largest Tusday opening ever, but now he has passed Ted for achieve #1 status for last week.

1. The Amazing Spider-Man: $65,000,000
2. Ted: $32,593,000
3. Brave: $20,162,000
4. Savages (2012): $16,162,000
5 Magic Mike: $15,610,000
6. Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection: $10,200,000
7. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted: $7,700,000
8. Katy Perry: Part of Me: $7,150,000
9. Moonrise Kingdom: $4,642,000
10. To Rome with Love: $3,502,000

How cool is this?

On July 4th, Spider-Man Eats Free at Hardee's

This is so totally cool!



Unfortunately, the nearest Hardee’s to me is 160 miles away in Delaware.Needless to say, if you are closer, go for it.

Spidey toys @ Target

The Amazing Spider-Man opens over the Fourth of July holiday week, if you are looking for Spidey toys head to Target.

Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man) on The Daily Show

Andrew Garfield stops by The Daily Show to visit Jon Stewart and chat up the up-coming Marvel Comics flick, The Amazing Spider-Man:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

I’m so totally getting into becoming very excited about this film.

The Amazing Spider-man Movie Tie-ins

If you are looking for companies that have tie-ins with the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man movie, then you’ll want to check out this link, and see what you can expect to find.

Gwen Stacy, stalked by the Lizard

Here is a new clip from the Up-coming Spider-Man film...



I have to say that while I am becoming more enamored by this film, this particular clip doesn’t help, as this actress simply isn’t (in my still-15-year-old comicbook-reading brain) preety enough to be Gwen Stacy.

Sorry kids.

Harddee’s has The Amazing Spider-Man

OK kids, we now have it, even though Disney/Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures stupidly decided to NOT have any fast food toy tie-ins to The Avengers, Sony has hooked up with Hardee’s for a set of toys to the new Amazing Spider-Man film.

Unfortunately for this Spider-Fan, the closest Hardee’s is nearly 200 miles away, so it looks like that we’ll be acquiring the Spider-Toy set via ebay. While this does make it easier (and often cheaper) to acquire, it does prevent us from having any of Hardee’s very enjoyable foodstufs.

In fact, the franchise ie already running some commercials touting their tie-in to the Spidey film.



Hardee’s also is running a game-code tie-in and has a spot promoting that as well.

As you know, Hardee’s (& sister company Carl’s Jr) have already had previous tie-ins to Spider-Man back in in 1990 & 1999, as well as to the very first Spidey flick in 2002.

Personally, we can hardly wait!

Getting ready for The Amazing Spider-Man

We have just learned that that Twizzlers — the red, liquorice candy that many of you (not me) eat in the movie theaters — has just has teamed up with Sony Pictures to mark the debut of the The Amazing Spider-Man. The candy (made by Hershey’s) is challenging fans to “swing into action” and help the arachnid teen hero construct a virtual web of Twizzlers Twists to unlock prizes and exclusive content.

Yep, running now through July 7, 2012, fans can visit the company’s website once a day to add a Twizzlers Twist to The Amazing Spider-Man’s web in three scenes that depict the chapters of Spider-Man’s story for a chance to win several unique prizes, including a trip to the next installment in the on-going (movie) Spider-Man movie set.

“From the candy’s signature red color to its web-like characteristics, our iconic Twizzlers Twists are the perfect complement to sweeten fans’ movie experience both on and offline,” said Anna Lingeris, spokesperson for the Twizzlers brand. “We're excited to team up with Sony Pictures to bring added excitement to The Amazing Spider-Man through this unique online experience and the chance to win a trip to the set of the next Spider-Man film.”

Personally, we thing that is so very cool that we just might have to start buying packages of Twizzlers our self.

The Amazing Spider-Man 4-minute preview

New Amazing Spider-man Trailer

Here you go kids...



I have to say that I still want to be excited about this film, but the Spider-Man footage looks too much like a videogame, and I'm hoping that it looks better on the big screen than it does here.

Marvel releases new Spidey Trailer

Yeah, we're pretty bummed about the fact that Marvel allowed Sony to reboot the Spider-Man franchise so swiftly after the conclusion of the initial trilogy of films, but well, what can we do? Anyway, here is the trailer for that new flick.

The New Spidey!

OK Kids, you’ve probably already seen these (I know that I have  — several times) but here are the first released photos for the new Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield, on the set for the up-coming (re-boot) film.

The (new) face of Spider-Man

Well, it has been reported that the search for the new web-flinging hero has finally comes to an end, as Sony Pictures has announce that 26-year-old US-born and UK-raised actor Andrew Garfield will be playing Peter Parker and his alter-ego. This means that nearly two years from now, on July 3, 2010, the Spider-Man reboot will be swinging into theaters, in 3D of course.

Garfield’s credits include Heath Ledger’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and the upcoming The Social Network, which focuses on the lives of the founders of the now-ubiquitous Facebook. Garfield is also set to appear in the drama Never Let Me Go with Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan. The 26-year-old dual citizenship holder also starred in critically acclaimed films Lions for Lambs and Boy A.

Right now, the entire blogisphere is on fire with the news of Garfield being tapped for the role. The Spider-Man franchise is one of the most successful in film history and the three previous motion pictures have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office.

It is the end of the (Spider) world as we know it!

Date Set for Spider-Man #4

Yep, I just read how Spidey IV has a release date of July 3, 2012, plus it is slated to be filmed in 3-D.

Sony made the release date official today, and added that the film will debut in 3-D when it premieres. Production on the project, which has yet to name an actor for the lead role, is expected to begin later this year. The studio announcement also indicated that the film's title hasn't been finalized yet — though we're pretty sure the name "Spider-Man" will be in there somewhere.

Still, the part of this report that I find interesting is that it indicates that no one has been chosen to replace Toby Maguire, yet a week or so back we read (and posted) a report that had named actor Zac Efron as being set to step into Spidey’s web. So, who knows what the real word is in this matter.

I just know that if this new director, Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) thinks that bigger = better, we could be in for a train-wreck of a film. Personally, I believe that a scaled back version of the next film — rather than an over-blown, everything-including-the-kitchen-sink, film can only help to ruin the franchise, rather than help it.

The end of the (Spider) world as we know it?

Well, I'm not ready to call it, but I just heard that co-star of Disney's high-rated series, High School Musical, Zac Efron, has been tapped to step into Tobey Maguire's Spider booties...

Actor Zac Efron is set for a 9-million-pound payday for his role as Spider Man. The High School Musical star will step into Tobey Maguire’s shoes for the fourth blockbuster movie, slated to start shooting later this year and hit theatres in 2012.

Tobey, 34, shocked bosses at Universal Pictures last year when he announced he was quitting the megabucks franchise. “After dumping Spidey, Tobey then came to the rescue by recommending that Zac should take over his role,” the Daily Star quoted a studio insider as saying.

This could make the next installment even bigger as it taps into Efron's already-established fan base. Apparently, The film's producers are also believed to be considering reuniting Efron with his High School Musical co-star Vanessa Hudgens, 21. She is hotly tipped to replace Kirsten Dunst, 27, as Spider-Man’s love interest. “It would be a great coup to land her as well,” a source said.

Well, let's see if the Disney/Marvel connection will pay off for us after all. We can only hope.

Here comes the new Spidey!

Yep, you heard that right, only three films in and Disney/Marvel is getting ready to relaunch the movie franchise with a new director and a new direction. It has just been confirmed that Sony is about to announce that it has struck a deal with director Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer)to direct the next three Spider-Man movies. It is their intention to reboot the franchise so that it will focus far more on the private life of Peter Parker — as a High School student.

Webb’s other big appeal? He's much cheaper than the old Spider-Man crew. The deal just now being sewn up calls for Webb to be paid roughly $10 million for the first film, with substantial bonuses built in if the picture reaches certain box-office milestones. (Coincidentally, Webb’s deal is being hammered out by the Gersh Agency, the feisty outfit which first put Tobey Maguire into the webslinger's suit a decade ago.) This is a big savings from how his predecessor Sam Raimi was compensated. Unlike the now-departed Raimi, Webb won’t be getting paid a percentage of the films' grosses. Compare that to Spider-Man 4, for which Raimi and star Tobey Maguire were expected to claim more than 25 percent of the gross.

Not quite sure how this is going to all shake out, but I hope that a new director and a new cast will re-invigorate the franchise. I feel that a stripped-down, sleeker version can only help the series. As much as I love the Raimi films, I have to say that I’m not opposed to a re-boot so long as they stay true to what has made this character great.

Sure part of all of that is Peter (I hated the Liefeld run on the adjectiveless Spider-Man series, as it was all Spider-Man and Peter never appeared. I believe that it is Peter’s interactions with the world (and characters) around him that has helped make this character one of the greatest characters in comics), but I’m concerned that a younger high-schooled-age Spidey could possibly have the same effect of screwing the pooch on the franchise as yet another over-blown, effects-laden film.

Needless to say, I’m not interested in going negative with nothing to go on other than the announcement of a new director and lead cast. I’ll wait ‘til later for that.

Mor on Spidey 4 & why we have to wait to see it

Heidi MacDonald, columnist for Publisher's Weekly, brings us more about why Spider-Man 4 fell apart, and why its director and stars walked away from the package:

NY Mag’s Vulture blog’s Claude Brodesser-Akner has a lot more details on why the Raimi version of Spider-man 4 will never be. Basically, after seeing Avatar, Raimi anted to bringing more state-of-the-art SFX, which wouldn’t relaly have been ready by the 2011 release date. Also, the script had some problems, as the studio saw it. Here’s what WOULD have been with the Malkovich Vulture storyline:

The rest of that piece is here.

Craig Ferguson talks about Spidey

OK, a buddy of mine (who stays up way later than me), sent me this clip from the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. It is rather long (9:25 min) but about he starts talking about Spidey, and does a rather extended bit about both the Spidey 4 and the musical (both of which have been put oh hiatus). he also keeps coming back to Spidey throughout the rest of the clip, so you should watch it through to the end.



I especially loved the line where he says that Spider-Man 3 sucked, “I liked the move and it sucked” mostly because, well, not only because it is hilarious, but I feel exactly the same way about it.

A Vulture’s nest of rumors

Well all of Tinseltown is abuzz with the rumors that not only is the villain for Spider-Man 4 set to be the Vulture, but that John Malkovich is slated to play the part.

According to this exclusive report (which is being backed by our friends at First Showing), actor John Malkovich is being eyed for a role as The Vulture, a classic Spider-Man foe whose power is a flight suit with razor-sharp wings. Ok, so maybe that isn’t so odd: Malkovich as The Vulture is one of those head-slap, “Should’ve thought of that” casting choices we all see with 20/20 hindsight. However, news that Anne Hathaway (previously rumored for a role as Black Cat) is being eyed for a role as “The Vulturess” have fans around the ‘Net scratching their heads in confusion.

The above is courtesy of Movieline

Further, the rumor continues that in that Hathaway would still be playing the character of Felicia Hard, but apparently not as the Black Cat. The Vulturess would be added as a brand new addition to Spidey’s Rogue Gallery.

Personally, we predicted Vulture as the villain of choice for #4, but we were hoping that Dylan Baker, who’s patiently played Dr. Curt Connors for the last two installments would finally take his turn as The Lizard. Alas, it seems that that is not to be this time around, especially if there are two vultures, as the last film proved that three villains in one film is simply too many.