Heath Ledger went out and purchased dozens of Batman comic books and thoroughly researched the character inside out to gives one of the most definitive and most accurate portrayals of the insidious and homicidal Joker.

It was a powerful and faithful representation of the comic books and graphic novels. All credit to Christopher Nolan for a wonderful cast and crew.

If Heath had lived I don’t think I would be insisting on him to repeat the role on a continual basis. There are tons of great actors you know.

I also happen to think Christian Bale makes an exceptional Batman but I can see other actors in the role as well. Even though he’s a TV actor I can sort of picture David Boreanaz in the role.

I respect Tobey Maguire as a fine actor, but he has never fully convinced me in the role of Peter Parker. My reasons are well documented in other posts. I am anticipating Spiderman 4 BUT in all honesty, I can’t wait for the reboot to happen with a mature treatment of script and some thrilling hardcore action.

If there is a reboot, who`s the best person to replace Tobey? It seems the 2 spidey franchises will go reversed from the 2 batman franchises, the old batman franchise has the wrong actors while the new one has the right actor as the old spidey`s have the right actor but the new one`s will have the wrong actor(s).

What`s the matter with some of you with Tobey as Spidey? Too ugly? too old? definately not too ugly or too handsome kinda in the middle(which is what i call, “average) but too old? hmm, right now, i don`t think he`s really THAT old to play spidey, but they better try makin peter grow up to be about 24/25 instead of doing all the tests to make him look 13/14 years younger.

“he`s supposed to be average looking, and tobey`s the only right guy.”

I don’t think you know what “average” means.

I have a university degree in Communications which included Screen Studies and Media Production as part of my Sub Major, so I think I have some sense of being able to critique a movie.

Secondly by saying “No one can play Peter Parker without Tobey” is a bit like saying no one but Stan Lee & Steve Ditko can write and draw Spiderman since they were the first ones to do it.

Since then there have been many outstanding contributions by writers and artists over the years. The same thing will happen to this franchise when it gets a reboot. It is bound to happen.

Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst as professionals will move on to other projects. I don’t see them extending their roles, getting older and typecasting themselves repeatedly.

ok, no, not saying no actor has ever been wrong for their role, i kinda thought val kilmer and george clooney were incorrectly cast. But most movies i`ve seen had the right actors for their roles.

Now did you see the scene where Tobey`s shirt was off and looking in the mirror in the first one? He absolutely not goofy looking! Maaybe with his glasses on or the way he smiles is goofy looking? now i think in most scenes you probably thought his face was both average and goofy looking? I doubt so, in most scenes he seemed pretty moony, not at all goofy looking.

I didn`t say he was ugly, but he always supposed to be just average looking, nothing really interesting or complex about his dialistics.

kirsten is the best mary jane you should get. I`m fine with her hair looking a bit different from mary jane`s hair in the comics and restly looking very much like mary jane.

Are you saying their bad actors? no their not, in some senes in the first 3 movies they`ve done amazing in their roles. You need to have a real sense of movie critique in yourslef.

DrSam Beckett,

Wise-Cracking Spiderman! I prefer the deeper looking into life Spidey. You mean making jokes against the villains? I think it`s better if peter doesn`t make as much jokes about the villains in the movies.

I could picture Josh Hartnett as Peter Parker.

Josh Hartnett – maybe?

David Boreanaz – reminds me more of Batman

Anyone ideas for his replacement?

So in the entire history of movie making there has never been a movie in which actors were unsuitably or wrongly cast? That’s a pretty big call even if it is just your humble opinion.

Actors are constantly re cast for certain roles, even opting out of confirmed lead roles due to other commitments, other roles or for whatever other reason. Did those Directors and Casting Agents initially get it wrong because according to you they always get the right people?

I don’t have any animosity towards Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. I own several of their movies on DVD and respect them as fine actors BUT they fail to fully convince me in their roles as Peter Parker and Mary Jane.

I’ve been reading Amazing Spiderman my whole life. My collection is almost complete plus I have the entire comic book collection on DVD. Sam Raimi’s adaptation may in some ways run parallel to the original source material, BUT parallel lines never meet and his should come to an end soon.

With all due respect when you say “peter hadn`t ever been handsome in the comics” LOL -which comic books have you been reading? He certainly wasn’t ugly!

There is some truth to what you say when Steve Ditko was illustrating the comic books in the early sixties. Peter Parker was a nerd. He was uncool. A major bookworm and yes he faced the everyday dilemmas that teenagers face including peer group pressure.

And yet as Spiderman he was cool and confident. He made witty remarks when battling the enemy and when John Romita took over from Steve Ditko after 38 issues, the overall style changed. Peter Parker was more confident, mature and dare I say it again handsome. The artwork very much reflects that.

Steve Ditko had a great quirky style for Spiderman which embodied the trials and tribulations of a teenager coming to terms with great power and responsibility and all the artists that followed: John Romita Sr, Gil Kane, Ross Andru, Sal Buscema, Keith Pollard, John Romita Jr, Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Mark Bagley, Joe Bennett, John Byrne, Mike Deodato, Jr plus the current rotation of artists have certainly NEVER drawn Peter Parker in a nerdy, goofy looking way but as a mature adult.

Overall I think the attempt was made to make Toby Maguire look more like Ditko’s nerdy Parker. It’s seriously time to move on after Spiderman 4 and explore a mature treatment of Marvel’s greatest super hero.

Sam Raimi’s Spiderman still seems to be stuck in the Ditko era but without the dark quirky edge that so epitomized Steve Ditko’s brilliance.

um, peter hadn`t ever been handsome in the comics, and have you not seen some shots in the first 3 films he did not look anywhere near goofy looking he was kinda cool in the first one. I have no comment to whether or not he`s too short to play spidey but mostly he fits the tights well.

Not sure about the whole son idea, but I do like the thought of killing Spiderman off in 4, then when he comes back in 5+6, a new actor can play the part.

but how freaking beyond crazy would it be to see spiderman die in the 4th. in an EPIC fight with whomever spiderman bights it. and the 5th and 6th can be the revival of a hero in his son against the established tyrant.

itd be a cool way to move on to a new spidey franchise, and for spiderman to once again make waves in comicverse.

I know a lot of people think Raimi is awesome, and maybe he is, but not with these movies. He just doesnt have the scope to breathe life into these characters, and the actors portraying them are not of good enough quality, they do not embody the characters properly and it comes off as awkward, The only actor who, in my opinion, did a good job during 1-3 was James Franco and then they went and killed off Harry!

I couldn’t agree more. I have never been totally satisfied with Sam Raimi’s treatment of the web slinger.

I can’t help myself as I always use my Spiderman comic book collection as a benchmark to measure these movies and Sam Raimi’s version just falls short of being truly amazing and spectacular.

I also have never been 100% comfortable with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. While I appreciate their fine acting talents in other films, they just don’t convince me in their roles as Peter Parker and Mary Jane.

Peter Parker from the comic books is taller, he’s handsome and not as goofy or nerdy looking.

Mary Jane is sexier, she’s independent, vivacious and the character exudes a bubbly fun loving personality.

I don’t know how many folks here actually read and collect Amazing Spiderman but check out issues 601 – 603. Mary Jane is featured on all three covers. Fantastic artwork and great stories too.

I can only hope for a total reboot with a veteran (A list) Director, a fresh brand new cast and a mature treatment of the script and characters.