Wednesday, April 10, 2002

SPIDER-MAN MOVIE UPDATE

Spider-Man producer Laura Ziskin told The Continuum that Mary Jane was the toughest role of the movie to cast.

The filmmakers and Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire actually flew to Germany for a whirlwind screen test with Dunst.

"We were in this hotel conference room, trying to light it. And she had just gotten off working for a day," Ziskin said. "But you felt right away she was going to be great. She was just fantastic. It was like a catharsis."

"Kirsten is a gem, an amazing actress," Spider-Man executive producer Avi Arad told The Continuum. "Mary Jane is a complex character. She has a lousy home life. She keeps an optimistic front for the world. Like many teenage girls, she doesn't want the world to know her dark secrets.

"In this movie, you'll see all sides of MJ. Obviously, her personal growth to the point where she realizes that Peter is the real deal."

Look for a complete feature on Dunst soon here in The Continuum.

In other Spider-Man movie news:

* HBO has released a description of Spider-Man: HBO First Look, which premieres on Friday, April 19:

"Enjoy this inside look at the making of Sam Raimi's highly anticipated thriller about the vaunted comic-book webslinger. Tobey Maguire stars as Peter Parker, a nerdy teen who is transformed into a superhero after he is bitten by a radioactive spider. Willem Dafoe co-stars as Spidey's arch-nemesis, the Green Goblin. Also with Kirsten Dunst."

* Entertainment Tonight will present a clip from the film on Wednesday.

* Below are examples of four bonus cards to Topps' Spider-Man card set: Web foil, Hologram, Clear and Glow in the Dark.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

DAREDEVIL MOVIE UPDATE

Ben Affleck, star of the in-production Daredevil movie, said that he has had trepidations wearing a super-hero costume.

"We're working on the tights designs, OK," he told ABC's Diane Sawyer during Good Morning America on Tuesday. "We might have to make some modifications. There have been a few disastrous costume fittings where I thought, 'You know guys, I love this thing, but if it doesn't get better than this, we might as well throw in the towel.'"

Affleck said that playing Daredevil is a role he cherishes, though.

"When I was 13, if somebody said, 'When you grow up, they're going to give you a chance to play this guy,' that self would never forgive me now for not doing it," he said.

Look for more Daredevil movie news soon here in The Continuum.

MUTANT X'S VICTOR WEBSTER

Victor Webster, who plays Brennan Mulwray in the syndicated Mutant X television series, told The Continuum it's important to him to do his own stunts in the show.

"I think the fans really appreciate when they see the actor's face spinning and it's not some guy covering his face," Webster said during a recent trip by The Continuum to Toronto.

For the complete interview with Webster, CLICK HERE.

DARK HORSE COMICS FOR JULY

Dark Horse Comics has released its solicitation information for July.

For a complete rundown, CLICK HERE.

FUSED! EXPANDS

Beginning with Fused! #2 in May, each issue of the Image Comics series will feature a four-page backup story at no additional charge.

Running as a separate serial, the backup will introduce an a group of federally funded superheroes called the Implementers.

"These are 9-to-5 heroes," Fused! writer/creator Steve Niles said. "They're like firemen in that they spend a lot of time waiting for the alarm to send them on their next mission. They work under strict jurisdictional restrictions. These heroes don't do bank robberies, they don't go out on patrol. They're only called when there's a national security threat."

The initial Implementers backup focuses on the first day on the job for Kid Crash, the son of the world's most famous hero, as he meets his future co-workers DOA and Sliver. Along the way, Kid Crash discovers that there's more to being a hero than simply punching the clock and following in his father's footsteps. He also learns that sometimes there is an 'I' in team.

As with the lead story, the Implementers backup will be written by Fused! creator Niles and will feature artwork by Paul Lee -- along with newcomer Adam Huntley. The Implementers will play a major role in upcoming issues of Fused! and the team will be featured on the cover of Fused! #3, scheduled for a July release.

Image reports that Fused! #1 appears to be a sellout.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

DC ARCHIVES NEW VOLUMES

DC Comics has announced the upcoming publication of Batman in World's Finest Comics Archives Volume 1 on Aug. 21.

The book will reprint stories from World's Fair Comics 1940, World's Best Comics #1 And World's Finest Comics #2-16.

Unlike the previous World's Finest Archives, this collection takes place before World's Finest Comics #71, which kick off a run of Batman/Superman team-up issues.

Batman in World's Finest Comics Archives Volume 1 features classic Golden Age tales - only two of which have ever been reprinted before. They are by some of the Dark Knight Detective's greatest writers and artists, including Batman creator Bob Kane. The volume also features the historic first appearance of the classic villain the Scarecrow, along with a foreword by comics historian R.C. Harvey.

This volume showcases artwork by Bob Kane, Jack Burnley, Ray Burnley, Charles Paris, Fred Ray, Jerry Robinson, George Roussos,and Dick Sprang; the stories are written by Bill Finger, Joe Greene and Jack Schiff.

In other DC Archives news:

Green Lantern Archives Volume 4 will reach stores on June 26. The Silver Age adventures of Hal Jordan continue in this volume reprinting tales from Green Lantern #22-29, in which Green Lantern faces such foes as the Tattooed Man, Sonar, Star Sapphire, and the Shark. Writers include John Broome and Gardner Fox; the art for these stories is by Gil Kane, Joe Giella, Frank Giacoia and Sid Greene.

All Star Comics Archives Volume 8 will reach stores on July 31. Reprinting All Star Comics #34-38 from 1947-1948, these stories include the villainy of Solomon Grundy, the Wizard, Per Degaton, and the Injustice Society of the World, as well as rare guest-appearances by Superman and Batman. With stories by Gardner Fox, John Broome and Robert Kanigher, and art by Irwin Hasen, Joe Kubert, Lee Elias, Carmine Infantino, Alex Toth, and others, this volume features an introduction by Roy Thomas.

The Spirit Archives Volume 8 reaches stores on Aug. 14. The adventures of Will Eisner's hero continue in this new collection reprinting stories from Jan. 2 to June 25, 1944. The Will Eisner "World War II Portfolio" continues in this volume as well, with a selection of informational posters produced for the Army and samples of a military-oriented daily comic strip.

NEW JEREMIAH EPISODE

"City of Roses," a new episode of Jeremiah, is scheduled to air Friday at 10:45 p.m. on Showtime.

The episode is written by executive producer Sam Egan and directed by James Head.

Here's how the episode is described:

"A brutal assault on a young woman triggers memories for Jeremiah and Kurdy, who then take separate paths: Jeremiah to find a mysterious vaccine, and Kurdy to find his past."

"City of Roses" will also air on Showtime Beyond on Sunday at 10:45 p.m.

BRIEFLY