We have a deluge of casting news today.
It has been confirmed, via The Wrap, that Rhys Ifans will play Dr. Curt Connors, aka the Lizard, in Marc Webb’s reboot of Spider-Man. The Welsh star will face off against Andrew Garfield’s webslinger, and his girlfriend Gwen Stacey, played by Emma Stone. Fans of the original trilogy will recognise the name Curt Connors as he was played by Dylan Baker throughout the series. Unfortunately Baker never got the chance to become the snarling monster that Dr. Connors’ attempts at self-genetic manipulation turned him into. We know that Ifans has the right sensibility to play the nerdy doctor, here’s hoping that he can bring the inner monster too.
The original Highlander himself, Christopher Lambert, is set to join Nicholas Cage in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengance (per Facebook). No word on who he will be playing but he joins a cast that already features Nicolas Cage as Jonny Blaze, Ciaran Hinds as The Devil, Johnny Whitworth as his henchman, Idris Elba as an alcoholic warrior monk, and Violante Placido as the mother of The Devil’s child. That’s an eclectic mix right there. Crank directing duo Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are behind this sequel which will need to be very good in order to replace the memory of the original stinker.
According to Pajiba, Sharlto Copley, Alec Baldwin and Gemma Arterton are all in negotiations for roles in Barry Sonnenfeld’s upcoming third outing of the Men in Black franchise, MIB III. These three would join a cast that already features Emma Thompson, as Rip Torn’s replacement as head of MIB; Josh Brolin, as a young Tommy Lee Jones; Tommy Lee Jones himself; the mega-movie-star that is Will Smith; and Jemaine Clement as the big bad. Copley is set to play “a fast-talking Yoda-type alien”, with Baldwin the 1969 head of MIB, and Arterton his shapely assistant. It’s all go now with MIB III gearing up to start shoot in New York in the next month.
Christopher Nolan has cast his Inception star Tom Hardy in an undisclosed role in Batman 3. Deadline is reporting that Hardy will have a lead role but that’s about the extent of the information available. Assuming that he is not going to play Robin that leaves only villains with The Riddler and Penguin being bandied around. Whomever Hardy does play he will do a great job as he was one of the star attractions in Nolan’s brilliant mind-bending movie Inception. Hardy joins, Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne, Sir Michael Caine’s Alfred, and Gary Oldman’s Commissioner Gordon in a movie that should mark a new level of excellence for superhero trilogies. No pressure Chris.