How did Marvel lose the rights to Spider-Man? Why is it so complicated? 

Downey breaks it all down, in simple terms, with a look back at the history of the wall-crawler on the big screen. 

This includes near-misses that would've starred Tom Cruise, Charlie Sheen, or Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Parker; Arnold Schwarzenegger as Doc Ock; the time Jake Gyllenhaal nearly replaced Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 2; Sam Raimi's scrapped plans for Spider-Man 4; and more. 

Give this episode a listen and you'll be able to spin a web to your friends about why Tom Holland may never swing alongside the Avengers again. 

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Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: Hoosier Illusion, No Prize From God, and Speak N' Destroy.

PopCurse Lives! Is it a reboot? A sequel? 

Ryan J. Downey is joined by his old friend and Hoosier Illusion (part of the PopCurse podcast shared universe) cohost Neal Taflinger to lay the groundwork for what's sure to be a fun and informative rewatch of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

As we breathlessly follow the news about Black Widow, Doctor Strange Into the Multiverse of Madness, the Disney+ TV shows and all of the rest, we're taking a detailed look back at the first ten years of the MCU: the films, the TV shows (RIP, MCU adjacent Netflix shows), the struggles to get each hero onto the screen; the false starts and almost-casting or almost-directors; the various rights issues that kept Spider-Man away from the MCU (then in it and then apparently back out of it again) and more.  

Whether you're knee-deep in MCU lore, an old school comics canon connoisseur, or a casual fan, we promise this will work for you. We'll have guests, extra insights, and even some news along the way. Let's go! 

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Check out other PopCurse network podcasts: Hoosier Illusion, No Prize From God, and Speak N' Destroy.

Freddy Krueger himself, horror icon Robert Englund, joins PopCurse to talk about tipping his pal Mark Hamill off about a new movie called "Star Wars"; why he wasn't cast as Han Solo; specifics about the way he played the Man of Our Dreams; late nights with the cast of "X-Men" while shooting "Freddy vs. Jason"; his favorite Freddy musical moments, from S.O.D. to Dokken; Japanese cosplayers; and his new supernatural horror thriller, "Nightworld." You'd better get ready for Freddy!

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Check out PopCurse network podcasts Speak N' Destroy, No Prize From God, and Hoosier Illusion.

Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria, We Are Harlot, solo artist) joins PopCurse to talk about his favorite films; the forthcoming Asking Alexandria animated series; acting; American accents; Wesley Snipes; James Bond; Green Lantern; Will Smith; Chris Hemsworth; Ben Bruce; and much more. A lot of laughs are had in this one, so buckle up.

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Check out PopCurse network podcasts Speak N' Destroy, No Prize From God, and Hoosier Illusion.

David Hasselhoff talks about the challenges of getting movies made, celebrity roasts, Pamela Anderson, his infamous brush with tabloid culture, the proposed reboot of the Knight Rider TV series with David Gunn and Robert Rodriguez, and his new movie, Killing Hasselhoff. Plus, ten things you never knew about the movie Tombstone.

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Check out PopCurse network podcasts Speak N' Destroy, No Prize From God, and Hoosier Illusion.

Baby Driver interviews and conversations, presented in partnership with Movieweb.com. Writer/director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Jon Hamm, Lily James, Eiza González, and Ansel Elgort from the film Baby Driver speak with Ryan J. Downey.

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Check out PopCurse network podcasts Speak N' Destroy, No Prize From God, and Hoosier Illusion.

Star Wars Turns 40! This episode has interviews with Alan Tudyk, John Knoll, and Hal Hickel from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, conducted at Industrial Light & Magic. Could K2SO return in Rebels or another film? What did Anthony Daniels have to say to Alan? A bit of reminiscing on the Star Wars franchise, a story about Master P and Yoda, plus, quick Star Wars-centric bits with Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson from Downey’s interview archives, and the secrets behind the construction of a Sith Lord’s red lightsaber.

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Check out PopCurse network podcasts Speak N' Destroy, No Prize From God, and Hoosier Illusion.

An introduction to all things PopCurse! Plus, Ryan J. Downey went to the Grammys and he has some thoughts about Metallica, Lady Gaga, and Megadeth; an interview with the late Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest, from Downey’s personal archives; news about the Dillinger Escape Plan and Machinima’s new series, Greater Creators.

Follow PopCurse on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Follow Ryan J. Downey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Check out PopCurse network podcasts Speak N' Destroy, No Prize From God, and Hoosier Illusion.