By Paul Giamatti, as a way of branching beyond play sexy male leads, might be playing a villain again. Although this time, it’s a type of villain you wouldn’t expect. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Giamatti is talks to play The Rhino (another one of Spider-Man’s animal related baddies), joining the villainly likes of Jamie Foxx (as Electro) and Dane DeHaan (as Harry Osborn). Felicity Jones is also in talks to play some unknown character.
So why the Rhino? In the comics, Rhino is a musclebound brute and in the (canonical) Amazing Spider-Man video game, Rhino and Scorpion turn into mutant monsters. So I’m not sure how to react to this as I’m getting the “Topher Grace as Venom” vibe again. Giamatti plays a damn good villain, but Amazing Spiderman‘s writing was terrible. And how is this going to work? Is Giamatti going to mutate into the Rhino and voice him (but that would be too much like The Lizard)? Who’s more important in the sequel, Electro or Rhino now given the talent?
I still have all of these questions, but I’ll give the sequel the benefit of the doubt. There’s a lot of talented people in this, and I’m sure it won’t be worse off than the first film.
[via THR]