Spectacular Spider Man Update

[wayshway]

Veteran character actor Charles Napier is providing the voice of Montana for Kids' WB!'s upcoming The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series.

Napier, 71, has scores of television and film credits, and is known for stern, tough-talking characters, often military types. His live-action credits include Steel, The Incredible Hulk and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Napier has used his familiar voice in animation over the last decade. His genre animation roles include Zed in Men in Black and General Hardcastle in Superman and Justice League Unlimited.

Montana is in the first episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man, and a segment from that episode showing him flying a helicopter is featured in the latest promo clip from Kids' WB!. Also look for fellow Enforcers Fancy Dan and Ox.

In other Spider-Man news:

* Online retailers have revealed the first set of Hasbro's action figures from the series, revealing a first look at Venom and Doctor Octopus.

* The series will premiere on March 8 at 10 a.m. (ET).

* Kevin Altieri and Michael Goguen are directing episodes for the second set of 13 episodes.

* Marvel Studios' Craig Kyle said that producer Greg Weisman had a convincing pitch for the series.

"Greg came in with a beautiful vision of this show and how he wanted to retell this story that so many of us know from the comics, from the film, from the previous series that had been done," Kyle said.

"And it's really daunting to come in with a character like Spidey and do him right and do him well. I think with our last series (on MTV), we had mixed experiences. We had a wonderful producer, but it really wasn't what we wanted to see when the show was done.

"When Greg came in, he had the whole first 13 laid out and it was captivating and it was exciting and it was true to who Spidey is and what Stan Lee did and those great artists back then."

* The Molten Man will be a villain in the second set of 13 episodes.