October 5, 2000 -

It looks like being John Malkovich doesn't include being the Green Goblin.¿ According to a number of sources, including a scooper at Ain't It Cool, Malkovich has dropped out of contention for the role of the major villain in the Spider-Man film.¿ Malkovich joins Liam Neeson and Nicolas Cage on the Goblin scrap heap.¿ This leaves the number of actors actually cast in the film at one.

Speaking of that one actor, director Sam Raimi has been talking up his choice for Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire.¿¿

"It's not going to be a Tobey that anybody recognizes," Raimi told the UK website Popcorn this week.¿ Raimi went on to say that he selected Maguire because the actor "has a good heart and when you look into Tobey's eyes, he's really true. The thing that made [Peter Parker] so popular is that Peter Parker is a good person and Tobey is a good person, so I think it's going to work."

Raimi also commented that Maguire has been working with a physical trainer, a martial arts expert, a yoga instructor and a climbing expert to get the spider moves down.

Raimi also talked to the World Entertainment News Network about Maguire's training this week.¿¿

"We're kicking his ass in the training room. He's working out every day with a stunt coordinator and with his yoga instructor. He's on special diets. He is undergoing a tremendous physical metamorphosis. He's got a great desire to see Spider-Man up on the screen. He already had a good body but he's now developing the body of a superhero." And Raimi says Maguire is even studying spiders themselves. He adds, "Tobey's already been working with a wire man, he's got really good physical motion and I think he's studying right now how to move in an insectoid style so he's working on it."

¿ KJB hasn't ever worked with a wire man but after his second 2-liter of Pepsi he feels pretty wired.