The British Telegraph is running a fairly standard puff piece on Tobey Maguire in the run up to the release of Spider-Man 3, with Maguire spouting the same 'maybe I will, maybe I won't' boilerplate when it comes to the next installment in the series. "They'll definitely develop a fourth movie and write a screenplay, and I would consider it if there's a good script, a good story that I felt was worth telling and Sam Raimi was involved and the right cast came together for it," he says. More interestingly, the paper seems to know something that I don't, which is that a $20 million offer is already on the table for Maguire, should he decide to put on the costume one more time. Maguire was paid $16 million for Spider-Man 3, was signed only for three films, and currently has no other film projects lined up, superhero or otherwise, according to the paper.

Maguire blanches at the notion that he is confiining himself to big-budget work: "When I read a script, it has nothing to do with the size of the budget or whether it has global appeal," he's quoted as saying. "I just want to tell stories and play different roles, and I always want to work with great filmmakers." The article also goes into the old story about Jake Gyllenhaal almost getting to put on the suit for Spider-Man 2 before a last-minute intervention by Ron Meyer, president of Universal, put the kibosh on that. In typical British press style, the reporter also feels compelled to point out that Maguire didn't "look particularly relaxed" during the interview, and looks more like a "classroom nerd" than a superhero. You gotta love those Brits.

As I continue to slog through our three -- count em' three -- hours of audio tapes from the Grindhouse junket, I'll be passing along news as I find it. During a rather uneventful roundtable with James Cameron mainstay Michael Biehn, who has a small role in the film, Biehn was asked what his next project was, and he said: "I'm doing a movie called Kids in America, with Topher Grace. Topher is actually executive producing. It's got Anna Faris and this kid Danny Fogler." And who does he play? "A cop. No. Yes! A cop. You get one guess, right?" I take that to mean he's playing a cop.

Apparently, for Cinematical's purposes, Biehn was sort of like the Michigan J. Frog of press junket interviews, because once he got into the other roundtables, he started talking up a storm about Avatar and how Jim Cameron is thinking of putting him in it and is also planning to not use cameras -- is he going to shoot the whole thing with his mind? Even though he gave us the short end of the news stick, here's hoping Biehn's next Cameron role lives up to Aliens or The Terminator, which are two of my favorite films. His next non-Cameron films, apart from Kids in America, include Psych: 9, a horror-thriller in which he will play ... you guessed it, a cop. He also has a role in a movie called That's Amore, which, at a glance, appears to be a low-budget attempt at remaking the Ernest Borgnine classic Marty, which doesn't sound like a good idea.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a person who's not excited about Spider-Man 3. In the five years since director Sam Raimi first introduced us to Tobey Maguire as the webbed crusader, we've experienced what is, perhaps, one of the greatest comic-related superhero trilogies of all time. And, if what we've seen so far of the third film is any indication, it's going to positively knock our socks off. In preparation of the film's release, we've collected a slew of information from Cinematical, AOL Movies and Moviefone and decided to provide you with a Spidey 3 FAQ ... featuring an all new character guide. Not sure what the story is about? Wait, a black Spider-Man? Who is he? And what about this blonde girl Gwen Stacy? Does she really think she's going to steal Mary Jane's man?

For you Spidey fanatics, consider this FAQ just another reason to get pumped up about the film. And, for those who don't know much about the superhero -- and may have missed one or two of the other films -- but still want to make it appear as if you're "in the know" (oh, you know who you are), then feel free to use us as your primary Spidey resource. Spider-Man 3 officially swings into theaters on May 4.

So, what's the film about?

From the official Spider-Man 3 website: In Spider-Man 3, based on the legendary Marvel Comics series, Peter Parker has finally managed to strike a balance between his devotion to M.J. and his duties as a superhero. But there is a storm brewing on the horizon. When his suit suddenly changes, turning jet-black and enhancing his powers, it transforms Peter as well, bringing out the dark, vengeful side of his personality that he is struggling to control. Under the influence of the suit, Peter becomes overconfident and starts to neglect the people who care about him most. Forced to choose between the seductive power of the new suit and the compassionate hero he used to be, Peter must overcome his personal demons as two of the most-feared villains yet, Sandman and Venom, gather unparalleled power and a thirst for retribution to threaten Peter and everyone he loves.

I'll be the first to admit to being excited about Spider-Man 3, having been somewhat blown away by the trailers, the footage and the images released online thus far. But, there comes a point when you've seen enough -- and, with only a month and a half before the film is set to hit theaters, you'd rather keep your eyes closed and hope there's at least a few surprises that haven't been ruined yet. With that said, a new batch of Spidey 3 pics have arrived to keep the high going, just as last week's exclusive footage buzz is starting to wear off.

This time around, we're provided with a very cool pic that shows Venom choking Spider-Man from below. Though he's somewhat out of focus, you tell he means business. There's also an image of what looks to be an explosion occurring in the middle of the woods, as well as two nice shots of Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) looking all sexy and big-chested; unfortunately, the second shot also includes Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) kicking some weak game. Finally, we have a shot of Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and Harry Osborn (James Franco) staring up at something (sinister?) heading in their direction, as Spider-Man balloons float nearby. If it were up to me, this would be the last set of images we see. While I congratulate the Spidey marketing team on practically handing us the entire film prior to its release, how about we leave the rest up to our wicked imaginations? Spider-Man 3 opens everywhere on May 4.

Yes, the title says it all -- a big batch of behind-the-scenes pics for Spider-Man 3 have surfaced over at AICN, who claim the images are from the Art of Spider-Man 3 book. Here's where you might say: "But Erik, we've seen pics, trailers and seven-minute clips -- what more can you show us that we haven't already had a taste of?" Well, would it help if I mention the name 'Venom?' The majority of the pics show us how those wizards over in the make-up department went about transforming Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) into Venom, followed by some concept art and models which show what Venom will look like once everything is complete. There's also a pretty cool Sandman panel consisting of Thomas Haden Church in several "magazine poses," as well as what appears to be some sort of model showing the Sandman transformation.

With Spider-Man 3 set to swing into U.S. theaters on May 4, Sony has bombarded us with plenty of Spidey coolness to whet our appetites. Sure, some of it has been authorized and some not, but we've seen enough to know what we're in store for. However, the same can't be said for another huge May release -- which also happens to be the third installment in a blockbuster franchise -- Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. Rumors surfaced recently that the reason why we haven't even seen a teaser yet (or a convincing set of stills) is because the pic is so far behind that its release date might need to be pushed back. It would be unheard of for Disney to push back the prime release date for, what could be, their biggest money-maker of the year -- but, that's what folks are saying. Now, before you Pirates fans begin freaking out, Cinematical spoke with a Disney rep yesterday, who said off-the-record that as far as they knew, the release date has not been moved and Pirates 3 will be released on May 25, as planned. Yet, that still doesn't answer our questions -- I mean, what gives? There's not even an official website yet?

Seems like someone is digging the whole sci-fi vibe -- Topher Grace, who will next be seen in Spider-Man 3 as the guy who ultimately becomes Venom, has signed on to play the leading man in a new sci-fi thriller picked up by Universal. Source Code (Matrix meets Office Space?) will be based off a spec script penned by Ben Ripley (yes, the dude who wrote both Species III and Species IV!), while Mark Gordon is producing.

All we know about the plot thus far is that it has something to do with time travel ... which leads us to believe Grace will play some sort of blogger who, while tinkering with the source code for a blog post about how much he hated working on That '70s Show, somehow stumbles upon the key to traveling through time. Finally! He's found a way to go back and make it so Ashton Kutcher doesn't become the overly-hyped doof he is today. Go Topher!

Personally, I really like Topher Grace -- he sort of reminds me of Tobey Maguire, it Tobey's voice wasn't perpetually going through puberty -- and at least he's attempting to spread out his roles across different genres. On top of this thriller, Grace will also star in a drama called The Crusaders, a coming-of-age dramedy called Kids in America and a comedy, Coxblocker (which obviously had to change its name from ... well, you know).