While Columbia Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man 2 won't be hitting theaters until next year, details surrounding the superhero sequel seem to be trickling out by the week.
New casting choices have been made public for a while now, as the studio revealed that Jamie Foxx will be portraying Electro, Dane DeHaan will take the role of Harry Osborn, and Shailene Woodley will be playing the ever-iconic Mary Jane Watson.
Also announced recently was Paul Giammatti as Aleksei Systevich, better known to Spider-fans as the Rhino. Director Marc Webb teased fans by tweeting an image of the actor in action, revealing still shot of Giammatti's character angrily driving a vehicle. The actor appears to be tatted up, wearing a jumpsuit, and sporting some sort of mark on his forehead, which likely has something to do with his eventual evolution into the heinous Rhino.
This technically isn't the Rhino's first appearance in the Spider-universe inhabited by Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. The Rhino was a key vilain in last year's Amazing Spider-Man video game, which told a new story set after the events of the first film. Those who played the game will have to wait and see if Columbia makes some sort of connection between the two, but chances are they won't.
According to Marvel, the comic-book version of the villain originated as a member of the Russian mafia who sought ultimate strength and power. He agreed to be part of a dangerous experiment that would transform him into a human rhino - the ultimate form of his destructive self. Spiderman-diehards will have to wait and see how closely the film mirrors this backstory, though the image suggests that his ties with the Russian mob should at least be intact.
Between Foxx's Electro, Giamatti's Rhino, and Chris Cooper playing Norman Osborn, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 could potentially be an all-star slugfest featuring Spidey's most infamous villains. Who are you most excited to see on the big screen?
