Today it was announced by Sony Entertainment & Colombia Pictures that Rhys Ifans [Little Nicky] will play the main 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.