"I'm generally not a big fan of the whole comic-book heros, however, I will say "Hellboy" was right up my alley! I never expected it to be so good, but "Hellboy" rocked and is easily worth another viewing in the theatre. "

Even though Hellboy had lacking characterizations, a weak main-villain, a rushed ending, and major logic gaps?

I'm hoping the directors cut makes this one a little better, it felt like there was a lot of material that was cut out.

Spiderman, however, I adored. The second looks to improve on the first by getting right into the character. I'll admit I don't like the "I'm leaving my powers behind" stories and would prefer a good ass-kicking adventure for once, this looks like it'll be ok.

Justin,

It looks like "Spider-man 2" will have both the "leaving my powers behind" and the "kick ass" threads. :)

Eddie

As is the trend of growing actors, Tobey Maguire at some point will no doubt be talked to (if not already) about a 3rd Spidy film. At that time, Tobey may be asking for far more money than before, leading to the director possibly casting someone new. If not Tobey, then whom? I'm not sure there's anyone else out there that could pull it off. By then maybe the CGFX will be more on par with Gollum, or better.

Does anyone have any idea whom might be able to fill Tobey's shoes... er, webs, should they go with someone else?

- Josh 8)

Nachtkriechen,

If I am correct, during negotiations for Spidey 2 Tobey Maguire signed on for a third at that time. I could be wrong, but that's what I recall.

As to who could take Tobey's place? Well, when Tobey was pulling the whole "I hurt my back" routine in an attempt to leverage a better payday, Sony was talking with Jake (I can never get this name right) Glylennhall to take his place. The guy from October Sky and Moonlight Mile. He's got a pretty good Peter Parker look and a medium build like Tobey. Good actor, and probably a pretty good fit.

Sean (Tobey or not Tobey, that is the question...)

Sony is already thinking about doing up to six movies. The thing is, Tobey Maguire isn't really a box office draw beyond the "Spider-man" movies. Therefore, he'd be an idiot to push his asking price into unreasonable ranges...unless he was doing it intentionally because he's sick of making "Spider-man" movies.

he was amazing. a friend of mine and i were laughing so hard when we saw it in theatres that we both had tears in our eyes. :)

Speaking of Jameson... I think the character was perfectly cast with J.K. Simmons.

Well, they kinda messed up the continuity in the Spidey world anyway. When they first hired her, Kirsten Dunst thought that she was gonna play Peter Parker's first--blonde--girlfriend. Instead, they gave her a red wig and started with the Mary Jane thread right away.

I'm waiting to see Peter get together with J. Jonah Jameson's secretary, though. :)

skspence,

Wow, I would never have thought of Jake Gyllenhaal, but he would be an excellent choice! As a rule (as a kid and somewhat now) I've always hated it when for one reason or another, a new actor is put in place of an established character, which is largely derived of the actors "looks" as well as their acting ability. And the audience is supposed to act as if all is normal. Obviously as you get older, you get over that (for the most part) but at times it's still distracting. Batman would be a prime example. I loved Michael Keaton in the first two, then when they brought in Val Kilmer, even though I didn't like the change, Val is a cool actor, so it wasn't too bad. THEN they bring in George Clooney (whom is also cool, but in my mind was a transparant attempt at a box office draw, versus finding the best person for the roll). However in the case of Tobey or Jake, I think (as you said) he has a very similar "Peter Parker" look to him, and would probably fill the shoes well.

Eddie,

6 Spidey films!!! Wow! I hope this doesn't go the same route as the Batman films have. With Spiderman Stan Lee has provieded them with plenty of material, and characters to work with. Now (as is always the case) it's just a question of how the stories are told. Let's hope excellent directors are signed on to keep Spiderman slinging webs on the silver screen for years to come!

- Josh :D

Watch it Mexico then!