Rhys Ifans has been announced as the villain for the upcoming untitled Spider-Man reboot for director Marc Webb. Ifans joins Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy in the next installment in the franchise for Columbia Pictures.
Commenting on the announcement Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, 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 film Tolmach is referring to, Anonymous, is the upcoming Roland Emmerich (2012) feature Columbia will be releasing in March next year. It is a film which uses the argument it was the 17th Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere, that actually wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Ifans plays de Vere.
As for his role in the Spider-Man film, it was not mentioned what villain Ifans would be playing. However, with Stone playing Gwen Stacey there is reason to believe Ifans will play the Green Goblin, a character played by Willem Dafoe in the first Spider-Man, but there have also been rumors he’ll be playing Venom, one of the two villains in the disappointing Spider-Man 3. And I’ve already seen comic fans on Twitter saying they see him as Vulture or Lizard.
Webb was also quoted in the press release saying, “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 recently starred in Greenberg and Pirate Radio and is probably best known to general audiences in the States as Hugh Grant’s roommate who mistakes mayonnaise for yogurt in the 1999 Julia Roberts rom-com Notting Hill. He will also be featured as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) penned the screenplay and production is set to begin in December July 3, 2012 release in 3D.
