Next stop, Venom

For millions of gamers, moviegoers and comic book fans, summertime symbolizes one thing - awesome trailers for movies we're not going to see for a year. As far as we're concerned, there's only one movie coming out in 2007, and it's Spider-Man 3, a film that's making the rounds ahead of Superman Returns right now. Or you can just view ithere.

It's just a teaser, but there's plenty to soak up. You get to plainly see the living, tar-like black costume overtake Peter Parker as he sleeps, as well as several scenes inside a bell tower that feature a completely black Spider-Man suit. Avid comic readers already know that Parker uses the deafening sound of the ringing bell to chase off the parasitic black ooze - a move that ultimately leads the sentient goo to discover a disgruntled, jealous Eddie Brock (played by Topher Grace). If the film continues to follow conventions, one of Spidey's biggest villains, Venom, may finally appear.

But with the shape-shifting Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church) causing trouble and Harry Osborn (James Franco) well aware of his father's Green Goblin history, will there even be room for a third villain? We're betting on a late Venom showing, if at all - there's got to be enough time to get the black suit on Spider-Man, back off of him and then to Brock, who'll need a reason to hate both Parker and Spidey. All while dealing with two other villains and a new love interest, the ever-dying Gwen Stacy. That's a hell of a lot to cram in.

Activision's working on next- and current-gen versions of Spider-Man 3, due out closer to the movie's release on May 4, 2007. We're excited about flinging through a PS3-powered cityscape, but can anyone deny the appeal of using the Wii wand to sling webs in people's faces? Or, more likely, tossing black, symbiotic ooze all over the place as you struggle to wrestle the costume off of your body? So many possibilities, but absolutely no official word. Expect to hear more as the film's release nears... you know, sometime over the next 10 months.

June 28, 2006

Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.