Paul Giamatti may not be the first person you’d think of to play a villain called The Rhino, but Sony and director Marc Webb obviously think differently, as they’ve got the actor in talks to play that part in The Amazing Spider-man 2. Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) is also in negotiations for an unspecified role, according to THR.
The Rhino character first appeared in the Marvel comic Amazing Spider-Man #41 in 1966, as a Soviet thug who wears a superhuman suit that makes him virtually indestructible, while giving him super strength and speed. However in recent years he’s tended to be a more sympathetic character and some are speculating that rather than being a villain, Giamatti’s Rhino will highlight the unintended consequences of Oscorp’s work, which has already ended up with Spider-man and The Lizard.
What makes the choice of Giamatti perhaps less unexpected is that back in a March 2011 interview with ShowbizSpy, the actor said it was a dream role for him. “I thought Rhino was the greatest thing when I was a little kid,” he said. “It was a guy who was basically in this rhinoceros outfit and I always thought, ‘Why don’t they have The Rhino in one of their movies,’ but maybe The Rhino wasn’t that big of a deal for anybody but me…If they ever go with The Rhino I would be ready and waiting.”
Amazing Spider-Man stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are returning as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, while new cast members include Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, Shailene Woodley as Mary-Jane Watson, and Jamie Foxx as Electro. Filming starts next month for a summer 2014 release.