More SPIDER-MAN reboot casting news hit today. Rhys Ifans has been cast to play the baddie in Marc Webb’s 3D Spidey movie. Check out the official Columbia/Sony Pictures press release below. One thing that isn’t being said is which villain Rhys will be playing. Let the guessing game begin! I’m wondering if The Lizard would be a safe bet, as we’ve yet to see that role truly played out on the big screen. Dylan Baker played Dr. Curt Connors in Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN 2 and 3 movies, but we never saw him turn into The Lizard. So that character is a definite possibility. Other potential baddies include Morbius, the Living Vampire – a villain that at one point was strongly rumored to hit the big screen Spidey storyline, at least while Raimi was attached. And then of course there’s The Vulture, which at one point was also strongly rumored with John Malkovich attached to play the winged menace. This seems most likely, especially since the character was one of the earliest and most recognized villains from the original Spider-Man comic books. But if you really want to read into likely possibilities, let us remember the strong rumor revolving around the studio’s interest in Philip Seymour Hoffman playing Venom. Could Rhys Ifans be the new Eddie Brock? I guess that could be the case. What role would you like to see Ifans in? Tell us in the comments below.
October 11, 2010 – Rhys Ifans will play the villain, opposite Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, in the next installment of Spider-Man from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, it was announced today by Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures. The film, to be directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt and produced by Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will begin production in December and will be released in theaters nationwide in 3D on July 3, 2012.
Commenting on the announcement, Tolmach said, “We have been very fortunate to attract some of the best actors working today to play the villains in the Spider-Man movies, and it is exciting to see that trend continue with Rhys Ifans. After seeing his performance in our upcoming film Anonymous, we’re in awe of his talent and think he’s the perfect choice to take on this role.”
The filmmakers prefer to not reveal which character Ifans will be playing in the forthcoming film.
Webb added, “What sets the Spider-Man villains apart is the complexity of their relationships with Peter Parker. Rhys’ incredible ability to embody both warmth and rage makes him the ideal choice for this character.”
Spider-Man is being overseen at the studio by Tolmach and Rachel O’Connor. Ifans is represented by United Talent Agency, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Independent Talent Group.
RHYS IFANS’ breakout performance came in 1999 in Roger Michell’s Notting Hill, opposite Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, for which he received a BAFTA Film Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Prior to that, Ifans starred in Heart, Twin Town, August, and Dancing at Lughnasa, and since then, he has appeared in more than 20 films, including Vanity Fair; Rancid Aluminium, Little Nicky, The Replacements, Hannibal Rising, Enduring Love, Human Nature, Formula 51, Hotel, The Shipping News, Once Upon A Time in the Midlands, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Pirate Radio, Greenberg, and Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang. He will next appear in Mr. Nice, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Passion Play, and Columbia Pictures’ Anonymous, for director Roland Emmerich.
On television, he played the role of Peter Cook in Terry Johnson’s “Not Only But Always,” for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He also appeared in “A Number.” In the theatre, Ifans has appeared in “Accidental Death of an Anarchist,” “Bad Finger,” “Volpone,” “Under Milk Wood,” “Beautiful Thing,” “Thyesters,” and, most recently, Patrick Marber’s adaptation of “Don Juan in Soho” at the Donmar Warehouse.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
Shocker
or Mysterio
Since they are redoing everything…. He could be anyone.