Paul Giamatti is in final negotiations to suit up as Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Yep, you read that right. Not only that, but apparently he is a MASSIVE fan of the character and has been carrying on in interviews from time to time for the past 2 years about how it is a dream role of his. Let it never be said that studio execs and filmmakers don’t watch Conan O’Brien. Especially when he asks guests the age old “if you were in a superhero film, who would you want to be?” question. Someone paid attention when Paul stated on the show that he would forever sit patiently by the phone for a call to play Rhino in a Spidey flick.
“I thought Rhino was the greatest thing when I was a little kid,” he told ShowbizSpy in March 2011. “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.”
Around the same time he was also on Late Night with Conan O’Brien where he talked about the character: “The Rhino was fantastic. He was, like, a Russian guy. He was real fast and he hit stuff real hard.
Your wish has been granted, Mr. Giamatti.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is slated to begin production sometime in February. The core cast from the first are returning and will be joined by Dane Dehaan as “Harry Osborne“, Jamie Foxx as “Electro“, Shailene Woodley as “Mary Jane Watson“, and Felicity Jones in an unspecified role. We still have no clue where the plot is headed, but given the nature of the first film and the characters involved with this one, I think it is safe to say that Norman Osborne will be factoring in more this time around. I doubt he or his son Harry will Goblin-out in this entry, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Norm is funding or at least somehow responsible for the emergence of street-level threats like Electro and Rhino. The situation also smells of a potential Sinister Six film on down the line.
Expect more announcements to roll out soon as this sequel quickly inches towards the starting line.
Source | THR