Maguire de-webbed?

Has Tobey Maguire decided to hang up the Spidey suit (again) and put Peter Parker in the past, before SPIDER-MAN 3 can even hit theaters to what will likely bust box office records? That’s apparently what he’s telling press while Aussie-touring for THE GOOD GERMAN: “It feels like a trilogy to me and it feels like the end,” he says.

Kirsten Dunst has also made similar comments (good riddance, Droopy), but director Sam Raimi’s interest in continuing the wall-crawler’s adventures seems to fluctuate — he’s fed public speculation over who the next villain could be. But then, when it comes to major franchises, most talent alludes to finality… until they are pelted with gigantic sacks of currency. It’s highly unlikely that Sony would reject the notion of further films in the series no matter the cost, given the riches Spidey snares.

Some of you might recall that Maguire nearly didn’t return for the second film, citing injury but meaning financial negotiation. And while Tobey has certainly helped define the character, I personally don’t consider him irreplaceable — the production was supposedly quite close to slipping Jake Gyllenhaal into the red-and-blue tights as a replacement, which would still be a fine fit should a fourth SPIDER-sequel be Maguireless.