Rhys Ifans will battle 'Spider-Man,' but what villain will he play?
Studio wants to keep Peter Parker's adversary a secret
Rhys IFans at the premiere of "Greenberg."
Credit: AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
The rapidly expanding cast of 'Spider-Man' now has a villain. Sony Pictures today announced that Rhys Ifans has joined the cast of Marc Webb's Web Slinger reboot. Curiously, the filmmakers while acknowledging Ifans will play Peter Parker's adversary in the new project, they intend to keep the identify of his character a secret for as long as possible.
In a statement released by the studio, Webb noted, "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."
Ifans is best known for his role in the British romantic comedy"Notting Hill." He recently starred opposite Ben Stiller in "Greenberg," but will return to the screen in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were previously announced for the roles of Parker and Gwen Stacy.
"Spider-Man" is expected to begin production in early 2011 for its previously announced July 3, 2012 release.
Who do you hope Ifans is playing? Share your thoughts below.
With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios and has written for Variety, MSN and the LA Times. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing hitting 3’s on the basketball court and following his beloved Clippers.
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Login or create a HitFix account Login Signupmjayp99
October 11, 2010 at 3:27PM EST Reply to CommentKraven? It makes too much sense to make a movie of the best Spider-Man story ever written however. I think it would be a mistake to re do Goblin, Ock or one of the 19 villains from part 3.
alexd
October 11, 2010 at 3:49PM EST Reply to CommentNo more goblin please, thanks. Maybe they will use the new computer body shaper thing and make him into the kingpin
Donham
October 11, 2010 at 4:01PM EST Reply to CommentYou forgot who cares in the poll.
Dave I
October 11, 2010 at 4:47PM EST Reply to CommentAfter the unnecessary jumping ship "reboot," killing ALL continuity and progression, not to mention the crap with the One More Day ordeal and then somehow idiotically undoing it in what sounded like a pretty stupid way, to them just refusing to let Parker mature, I really think Spider-Man as an entity is dead to me. I might catch it on DVD or something, but I really don't care. I love(d) the character, but all signs point to them taking Spider-Man down a path of regression. I'll pass.
-Cheers
logan
October 11, 2010 at 5:09PM EST Reply to CommentI believe Rhys has the look to pull off Cletus Kassidy (Carnage).
Dave I He could be Cletus K. However, I'm not sure they'd go that route. They (o.k., Sam Raimi) sure did not get Venom and what made him work in the comics. Kassidy is a bonafide serial killer. I would bet on the side that they are not willing to reboot the series with a villain as dark and graphic as they'd have to make it for Carnage to work. On the one hand, I think a movie like that would be great if done right. On the other hand, I am not sure what I think would be great juxtaposes with what Sony wants for a summer tentpole push-the-reset-button movie for a franchise like this.
October 11, 2010 at 6:09PM EST-Cheers
mic fug
October 11, 2010 at 6:14PM EST Reply to CommentHow about the vulture or mysterio
Jas ReyRey
October 11, 2010 at 7:12PM EST Reply to CommentI've got one word for you: Mysterio.
Jack
October 11, 2010 at 7:37PM EST Reply to Comment"Rhys' incredible ability to embody both warmth and rage makes him the ideal choice for this character."
That seems to suggest that the character he'll play would need to show both sides to Peter Parker, perhaps as a mentor and an antagonist. Doesn't the Lizard seem like a reasonable bet?
evan
October 11, 2010 at 7:48PM EST Reply to CommentIfans definitely makes me think of Electro before any other character. The one thing that gets in the way of me saying he's playing Electro, is that Electro is lame. I seriously doubt that Rhys Ifans is playing Kraven the Hunter, though. For all we know, he's playing Scorpion.
Malcontent
October 12, 2010 at 9:49AM EST Reply to CommentScorpion. When I turn out to be right you all can thank me later.
October 12, 2010 at 12:00PM EST Reply to CommentIt makes sense for him to be The Lizard. Webb pretty much said it with the warmth and rage comment. And not to mention the Peter will be starting off in college so they wouldn't have necessarily do the whole "Birth of a Villain" thing all over again with someone that really comes out of left field. We all want the Lizard and we've wanted the Lizard since the end of Movie 2.