Spider-Man 3 Villain Case
Friday, March 03, 2006
We have constantly been debating on whether or not Topher Grace will be playing Venom for Spider-Man 3. Every time we even suggest the notion we usually get at least one email from a reader who thinks Grace has to be playing somebody else-- such as Electro.However, there are so many reports that hint otherwise and the latest discussion with Thomas Haden Church has caused us to finally unleash our very own detective, me, on the case.
Spider-Man 3 Talks Church, Sandman... Venom?
'RonJon' alerted me to a post he made in our Blogs about an interview between Thomas Haden Church and Starburst, a monthly UK magazine that features news about upcoming movies.
Here is the report:
Starburst: How have you dealt with the frenzy of being in a Spider-Man movie?
Thomas Haden Church: I don't really think it's started in earnest. There was certainly a flurry of media interest last spring when they announced in the trades that I was going to be doing the movie. And the character's identity was hidden for a long time, it was supposed to stay hidden but it was accidentally revealed by Kirsten [Dunst] at a press conference for Elizabethtown.
So the publicity people at Columbia had to shift gears a little bit, because Topher Grace is the other nemesis - we're different tough, I'm like the arch villain and when you first meet me, that's where it starts, and it's like the villainous nemesis battle, whereas Topher's character is a real guy throughout most of the movie, and he doesn't become a 'villain' until the very end of the movie. So it's a little different, there's more emphasis on the villainy with my guy from the very beginning of the movie.
So Topher Grace doesn't get action until the end of the film? That is, if he ends up getting any action.
The detective is on the case! Here are the facts:
* Thomas Haden Church is Sandman
* Thomas Haden Church, in the above interview, mentions that Kirsten Dunst let the villain secret slip. Confirming she was correct?
o The Kirsten Dunst Slip: "We have really great people though as the villains in this film, Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace -- Venom and Sandman," says Kirsten Dunst while promoting her film "Elizabethtown."
* While discussing Superman Returns, Brian Hillard let slip what he was doing on Spider-Man 3.
o Brian K. Hillard: "I also worked on all the Spiderman 3 "Venom" stuff at Steve Johnson's till we lost that show as well - however, I am excited to see what they come up with, I'm a big Spiderman fan as well."
* Variety Seems to 'Know' Venom
o Howard would join returning stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco, as well as new villains Thomas Haden Church, who'll reportedly play Sandman, and Topher Grace, who's aboard as Venom.
* Scooper Claims Working on Symbiote
o "We are working on tobey's black 'symbiote' costume, which is refered to as 'SYMBIOTE#01' because the second version will be worn by Mr Grace. The second version is more advance and we are considering to use motion capture technology, i believe that this would accompany the CGI that was done in the first spider-man movie as i have been told. However you should not expect Venom to be wearing a costume as such because their isn't any, we are considering that he would be wearing a green suit, so that with the CG the 'SYMBIOTE#02' design can be overlayed on him."
Interesting, interesting (as I tap my pipe against my chin). The possibility of Eddie Brock (Venom) became apparent when the character's name quickly gets mentioned in Spider-Man 2.
In the comics, Peter Parker is the first one to handle the alien symbiote that later tries to permanently attach itself to Parker's body. The symbiote made Parker stronger and allowed him to easily shift into different outfits. After removing the material the symbiote material was left to 'die', but was soon picked up by Eddie Brock. Brock was a reporter who had recently been fired by The Daily Globe thanks to Spider-Man discovering the real criminal behind a series of crimes; Brock had been reporting on misinformation.
Once Brock came into contact with the symbiote it connected with him and gave the character powers identical to Spider-Man's. However, Venom is stronger than Spider-Man. Both entities join together to try to kill Spider-Man.
Obviously, Venom's creation in the film is going to take a bit of time. Tobey Maguire is is going to have to find and wear the symbiote at the beginning of the film so we can see how the material copies Peter Parker's powers. Therefore, there is a possibility that Venom won't be created up until the later third of the film.
Is it possible that Thomas Haden Church is confirming the theory above with his statements on Topher Grace?
Open and shut case Johnson!
Actually, it is still a little early to say; but we can always hope.
You can also see a direct copy of the report at SHH Forums.
Spider-Man 3 comes to theatres on May 4th, 2007.
For the latest Spider-Man 3 info, go to the Spider-Man 3 Movie Page.
Stay tuned for updates.
posted by Evil @ 8:42 AM,
