IN his third time round as Spider-Man, life isn't getting any easier for nerd-turned- webslinger Tobey Maguire. For one thing with the film being released all round the world next Friday his life is currently in a whirlwind of publicity.

It's just before Easter and here he is in a London hotel talking to journalists who have seen 20 minutes of a film that wasn't even finished at that stage.

Maguire himself hadn't yet seen the finished article - though he did check it out at last week's world premiere in New York - and he's talking about the sort of pressure that everyone associated with the film is under.

"After we released the second movie, I can't remember if it was a week or two weeks after or maybe right before," he recalls. "But they said Okay, our third movie is coming out in May 2007', and they hadn't even started to write a script," he smiles.

The 31-year-old actor, who has become a household name on the back of the Marvel Comics icon, describes the sort of ticking clock scenario usually associated with Jack Bauer as they raced to make the release date.

He admits they could have done with some more preparation - "another several months" - but instead they had to build time into the schedule to allow them to go back and film scenes to make the story clearer.

The actors finished their work more than a year ago and handed things over to the computer wizards, but they have been back a couple of times in the past year to film more scenes. This was especially true of one epic fight involving Spider-Man and Sandman, played by Thomas Haden Church, which needed huge amounts of effects work.

"Although the story was there and the script was written it didn't have the polishes that you would normally have before you start shooting a movie, because they put that ticking clock on us," Maguire explains. "So for me anyway, the whole process is one I really enjoy because it becomes a more collaborative experience where we as the actors get to be part of the building of the story and the characters' storylines."

Unusually for a comic book based, effects heavy, summer blockbuster the Spider-Man series has had critical raves to match its enormous box office success. Spider-Man 3 seems likely to follow the same path and Maguire says this sort of thing really matters to him.

"I want to be in good movies so it's important to me," he says thoughtfully before adding, "although I can't really control how people are going to review the film. I can only satisfy myself in terms of the energy and creativity I, or we as a team, put into the movies.

"I think we have a good team that are all going for the same common goal which is to make good movies.

"So in terms of how the film is reviewed, that's great if it's reviewed well, but I don't put my emotional state in the hands of the critics. It's more about how I feel about what I gave to it."

As well as his battle with The Sandman, Spider-Man 3 also focuses on the dark side of the superhero thanks to the parasitical Venom, a space-borne bug that takes over Spider-Man turning him into a black-clad vigilante.

Anticipating the question, Maguire confesses to not having a mean bone in his body.

"I'm pretty much a nice guy, I'm a well-rounded character," he shrugs flashing a Peter Parker goofy grin. "This is where, if I could manufacture something, I'd be more famous. If I could think of some naughty stories, but I don't really have any, I'm such a boring guy now. Maybe in my youth," he hints.

Spider-fans have been raving about the black suit, a direct result of peer pressure from comic book fans who wanted their favourite villain Venom to be in the movie. In the film Tobey wears the new black version as well as the iconic red and blue costume.

"They are both about the same" says Maguire when asked to express a preference," except one is black and one is red and blue. I don't know, it was kind of nice having something different with the black costume, it was also an extension of the character and what he's going through so I think it's kind of cool."

With Spider-Man 3 about to hit cinemas worldwide the studio must already be thinking about a fourth. Initially it was conceived as a three-film arc but it's hard for any studio to give up a guaranteed moneymaker.

But would Maguire come back?

"First of all I do think that if you look at the three films, this film does conclude some storylines that we opened up in the first two pictures. I think it certainly is its own good little box set at least," says Maguire.

"In terms of future movies, the studio I think is definitely interested in making more of them and I'm interested if I feel there's a story to tell and the right team comes together. I don't know," he says enigmatically, "we'll see."

  • Spider-Man 3 (12A) opens on May 4