Movie Deals: Howard to Star in Spider-Man 3; Ghouly Boys Goes to Mandate

This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on January 24, 2006 Sign up now!

by Tom McLean, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 1/24/2006

Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Oscar-winning director Ron Howard and star of The Village, has been cast as Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3, which began filming last week.

"Bringing Bryce Howard aboard shows our continuous commitment to cast excellent and interesting actors and actresses in the Spider-Man movies," says Marvel Studios chief Avi Arad, who is producing the picture with Laura Ziskin. Sam Raimi is back to direct the film from a script by Spider-Man 2screenwriter Alvin Sargent that is based on a story by Raimi and his brother, Ivan.

Howard's character will be a new romantic interest for Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker, complicating his relationship with Mary Jane, played by Kirsten Dunst. In the comic-book version, Gwen Stacy loved Peter but blamed Spider-Man for the death of her police captain father. She was killed by the Green Goblin in a famous story partially adapted for the climax of the first Spider-Manmovie.

Howard joins newcomers Topher Grace, who plays Venom, and Thomas Haden Church, cast as Sandman. Also reprising their roles from previous pictures are James Franco as Harry Osborn, Rosemary Harris as Aunt May and J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson.

The film is scheduled for release on May 4, 2007.

Mandate Picks The Ghouly Boys

Mandate Pictures has picked up the feature film rights to The Ghouly Boys, a comic book about four boy monsters who just want to get along. The comic book was created by the single-named Christopher and was first published in 2004 by Slave Labor Graphics. Mandate will develop the film, with Benderspink on board as the production company. Benderspink also produced the film adaptation of the DC/Vertigo graphic novel A History of Violence for New Line, where the company has a first-look deal.