C. Thomas Howell Joins the Spider-Man Reboot

Some projects in Hollywood seem like they never get off the ground (see all the turmoil surrounding The Three Stooges), while other project like The Social Network go from idea to potential Oscar winner in only a few months.

The Spider-Man reboot seems to fall in the latter category (Oscar-winning potential excluded) because it feels like just a few months ago we were discussing the news of how Sony let everyone attached to the Spider-Man 4 project go, decided to reboot the series, hired Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) to direct and announced Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) would be the new web-slinger.

Even as production on the Spider-Man reboot began last month – as verified by the set pictures of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) – Webb is still adding actors to the roster and the latest to join his crew is C. Thomas Howell. There is no official word by Sony on Howell’s character in Spider-Man other than that his name will be Ray.

There aren’t many characters from the Spider-Man canon named Ray, so the only comic book-related possibility to choose from is the father of Peter Parker’s current comic book girlfriend, Ray Cooper. With the knowledge that Gwen Stacy is going to be Peter’s main squeeze in this film, the chances of the character being Ray Cooper are slim.

It was rumored that Zooey Deschanel could be joining the cast as Betty Brant and maybe Howell will play her father – of course that’s only speculation on our part. More realistically, Howell’s character is new to the Spider-Man universe and was created specifically for the film.  We already know the Curt Connors and Flash Thompson are returning to the story and Denis Leary will be Gwen Stacy’s father, George.  Only time will tell how many other characters will join the party, but as production ramps up over the next couple weeks I’m sure we’ll hear plenty of news.

Howell had a great run during the ’80s with roles in popular films like The Outsiders, Tank and Red Dawn. Unfortunately, the quality roles available to him started to decline as he has starred in mainly direct-to-video films such as War of the Worlds and The Da Vinci Treasure, both produced by The Asylum.  Maybe a role in Spider-Man is exactly what he needs to kick-start his career once more?

Spider-Man swings into theaters July 3rd, 2012.

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Source: EW

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‘Castle’ Investigates Laura Prepon & Thomas Calabro for Guest Roles

The universe of ABC’s weekly whodunit is about to get a lot more confusing. See if you can follow: in Castle, Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Serenity) plays a millionaire crime novelist akin to James Patterson, who follows NYPD detective Kate Beckett (played by Stana Katic) in order to get inspiration for his series of novels.

The characters of the novels mirror Castle and Beckett’s ‘real’ relationship.

TV Guide reports that Laura Prepon, best known for her role as Donna in That 70s Show, will play an actress hired for the movie role of Nikki Heat, Beckett’s literary counterpart. In addition, Prepon’s actress-character, Natalie Gray, will tail Castle and Beckett for inspiration of her own.

So, Prepon is a real actress, playing a fictional actress, playing a fictional role, based on a fictional novel, based on a ‘real’ fictional cop. Except that the books Castle writes aren’t entirely fictitious (even if they are fictional), ABC has hired ghost writers and published the books that Fillion’s character writes - which you can buy in a real bookstore.

By contrast, the news about Melrose Place veteran Thomas Calabro is pretty straightforward. Calabro will a murder suspect in an investigation surrounding a matchmaker for high-class Manhattanites.

Both Calabro and Prepon have played relatively minor roles since their breakouts. Prepon had a lead role ABC’s short-lived October Road and Calabro reprised his role of Dr. Mancini in CW’s revival of Melrose – which fizzled out after just nine episodes earlier this year.

Castle has found a good niche as light hearted murder-mystery among more serious fare like Law & Order: SVU and TNT’s The Closer.

Nathan Fillion’s status as an underground sci-fi star has helped the show along considerably. After Buffy and Firefly, he’s made the rounds on geek-favorite shows such as Justice League Unlimited, Robot Chicken, and The Venture Brothers as well as roles in Slither, Whedon pet project Dr. Horrible, and the recent Wonder Woman direct-to-video movie.

Fillion and co-star Stana Katic have excellent chemistry in a flirty arc that’s been building since the series began. Screen Rant readers may recognize Katic from the latest Librarian TV movie and a brief recurring role in the 5th season of 24.

Both Laura Prepon and Thomas Calabro are set to appear in the January 3rd episode; though, Prepon’s role may continue for a few episodes more.

Castle airs Monday nights at 10pm on ABC.

Source: TV Guide

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