JAPAN: Cast and director of "Spider-Man 3" attend Tokyo news conference before premiere

The cast and director of the latest Spider-Man film attended a news conference in Tokyo, where the film received its world premiere on Monday (April 16). The stars and the director of "Spider-Man 3" gave no clues on Tuesday (April 17) whether Sony's money-spinning superhero would return to the screen in a fourth adventure. In a nod to the importance of the Japanese market, "Spider-Man 3" premiered in Tokyo on Monday (April 16), ahead London, Berlin and the U.S., and will debut globally on May 4. Director Sam Raimi told reporters that when making the latest instalment, he aimed at sending his characters on a self-searching journey. "We said, where are these characters? Where is Peter and Mary Jane in a relationship? What is it that Peter has to learn as a human being? How is his friendship with James Franco's character right now? How can they resolve that? These are the questions we asked ourselves. So what I wanted to do was answer those questions, find a journey for the characters that was satisfying, that seemed continuous from where we have left it, and could teach the character how to grow into a better human being, a lesson that he could learn and grow into a better human being," Raimi said. For Tobey Maguire, who plays Peter Parker, the new film allowed him to explore Parker's character. "I was very excited in Spider-Man 3 because I feel like we really get into some new territory for Peter Parker. And I think at his core, Peter is kind of a good, normal kid. But he's always dealing with lots of conflict and tragedy. This film is no different in that way except he reacts differently. It was a lot of fun for me as an actor to get to explore the new areas that we go for Peter, and it all fits within the context of the film and the themes for the film and all the characters sort of supporting the same themes. I just thought that was really exciting," Maguire said. Although reporters did not get a chance to ask if a fourth movie was in the works, Kirsten Dunst as she explained her character, talked of the 'last' film. "I admire her bravery, and she's always been a challenging character for me. I think that this last film really, I mean, not the last film, but the third film, has really been a culmination of that growth of family, and I think it's really apparent on the screen because of all the hard work we've put into it together," she said. Separately, Dunst told Entertainment Weekly that a "Spider-Man 4" without Raimi, herself and Maguire would be "disrespectful to the whole team." Entertainment Weekly magazine on Monday cited Raimi as confirming a long-held Hollywood rumour that he might direct a movie version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" if "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson is not eventually hired. The latest sequel's production cost of more than 250 million U.S. dollars (USD) makes it a big financial gamble for Sony Corp.'s Columbia Pictures. Launching the film in Japan, home to a huge community of superhero comic fans, rather than the United States was seen as a clever push into the faster-growing international market that could help boost box-office revenues.

ITN Source | April 19, 2007

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