... so says a breaking news story at Deadline. A firm offer has gone out to the Welsh born actor to play the baddie of Sony's new 'Spider-Man' reboot, which he will of course accept. Ifans has been in the public eye since his break-out role in 'Notting Hill' a little over ten years ago, but it's only more recently that his career has gained the continuous momentum of high-profile roles in films such as 'Greenberg', his leading turn in 'Mr. Nice' that's playing in U.K. cinema's right now and the forthcoming 'Harry Potter' finale. He's always been an interesting actor, whose film choices are always eclectic and offbeat. But like Alfred Molina's turn in 'Spider-Man 2', this is completely new territory for him. I probably would have come up with 500 hundred other actors that were more likely to play a villain in a 'Spider-Man' movie over him, so I'm shocked but I'm certainly not disappointed. I've always enjoyed his edgy, and more sinister turns, if you've seen the movie 'Enduring Love' you will know what I'm talking about, and I'd love to see what he will do with this. The question now shifts to which character he will play because director Marc Webb isn't spilling;
"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"
Doesn't that sound like it could be Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard? I'd say so. Of course it would also work for Norman Osbourne/Green Goblin too. I would expect we will find out soon. Who would you like to see Ifans play? Are you happy with him as your new 'Spider-Man' villain? Ifans will join Andrew Garfield (Spider-Man) and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy), with much more castings to come.