Stars: They’re Just Like Us - Tobey Maguire wants a good script for ”Spider-Man 4,” too.

There’s been plenty of talk over the last week about the delayed start for filming “Spider-Man 4″ and whether that jeopardizes it’s May 5, 2011 release date (most people seem to say yes). Now the titular hero himself weighs in (or at least the actor who plays him).

ComingSoon reports that in a live chat with the LA Times, Maguire basically said they were just taking their time to make sure they got it right. His words:

“Like anything, it’s a process,” Maguire said. “We’re just in the midst of the process. We have a lot of great stuff in terms of story and script. We’re just trying to dial it in and get it ready as quickly as possible. Of course, these movies are a very big undertaking and take a lot more time than a drama or something more straightforward.”

Maguire also tried to give hope that his character would be a little more well-thought out this time (well, he didn’t exactly say that, but I think that’s what we’re all thinking):

“Not only do I have specific ideas, but the ideas are evolving on the page,” he said. “It’s all happening right now. It’s all sort of coming together. It’s very exciting to me. I think the evolution of the character is really exciting, to be rooted in the history of what we’ve done already and to have a continuity, yet have a progression or evolution.”

Again, we hope this means evolving in a way that makes sense. Unlike in “Spider-Man 3″ other movies we could mention.

Meanwhile, ComingSoon (my friend for the day) also brings us John Malkovich’s own confirmation that he is ready to play bad guy (or bird. Or guy bird) the Vulture in “Spider-Man 4.” The Italian website BadTaste provided this translation:

“When conductor Simona Ventura asked him about his role of Vulture in the movie, he not only didn’t deny his involvement, but confermed [confirmed] that he’s waiting for the final script to be sent to him, and that the movie has been delayed. He also hopes that shooting will begin as soon as possible”.

Well, provided he’s in the final script. One of the issues Sony Pictures had with the script was Raimi’s choice of the Vulture for a villain. Maybe they don’t think he’d make a great action figure, or fit in with a Happy Meal. But if you reframe that as “a John Malkovich action figure,” or “John Malkovich in  a Happy Meal,” well, doesn’t that begin to sound a lot more marketable? Or is that just me?

Gossip Girl to Green Lantern Girl. 

Sometimes organizations release news over the weekend because they want to bury it, but sometimes it is just bad timing. Here are a bunch of little pieces of news that fall into the latter category; they’re each worth noting, but aren’t so big that they should get individual posts (yes, I judge).

• The Hollywood Reporter says that Blake Lively has been cast as Carol Ferris, Hal Jordan’s love interest in “The Green Lantern.” Ryan Reynolds is starring as the man in the green suit who will get to win the lovely Ms. Lively. THR notes that later in the comics series, Carol becomes Star Sapphire, a villain. I doubt we’ll see that in this movie, but it would be a nice twist if this is successful enough to generate sequels.
• ComingSoon says that Paramount has apparently claimed the June 29, 2012 weekend for the JJ Abrams “Star Trek” sequel. No other films are yet scheduled for that date, and no, no other details about the film are available, other than that most of the cast will be returning.
• SuperheroHype reports that backstage at the People’s Choice awards, Hugh Jackman said that “Wolverine 2″ won’t begin shooting for another year to year and a half, putting it in line for a 2012 release date (provided the world doesn’t end). Jackman again said that the film would be set in Japan. He’ll next film Shawn Levy’s “Real Steel,” and undoubtedly squeeze in a few other projects–including, I hope, another stint on the New York stage (sorry, London, Sydney; I’m just greedy).
• Did you love “Avatar?” Did you love it so much that you’d like to read a version of it? Well, now you can. 20th Century Fox has posted the script online. Here you go: http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/Dances_With_Wolves.pdf.
  Oops, sorry about that! You can find the actual “Avatar” script here.

The Hiroshima and Nagasaki atom bombs ended World War II, and in that way, and only that way, are justified. However, hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians died as a result, and the atom bomb ushered in an age of cold war and scaremongering.

A new book by Charles Pellegrino called The Last Train From Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back attempts to tell the true story of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through the eyes of the people who were actually present, both survivors on the ground and the pilots of the planes which delivered the weapons of mass destruction.

According to Variety, James Cameron has optioned the movie rights to the book, despite the book not being released until Jan. 19. Cameron even took a day off from promoting Avatar in Japan to visit Tsutomu Yamaguchi, one of the last remaining survivors of the bombings, and one of the few to have experienced ground zero in both cities.

Yamaguchi unfortunately died last Monday, but his story, and the story of everyone else present during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still look set to be told, not only in book form but also on the big screen.

Cameron is said to have used his own personal funds to acquire the rights, but it will likely take a long time for the project to come to light.