UPDATE: Will Rachel McAdams play a SPIDERMAN 4 villain???
Iron Man will be getting Scarlett Johansson in tight black leather as Black Widow in his upcoming sequel. Will Spider-Man 4 get Rachel McAdams in an equally form fitting outfit as Black Cat???
We've been keeping you kind folks up to date with every tid-bit of casting news for Sam Raimi's fourth installment of Spider-Man. All the main players are back, but the big question is: Who will the villain be in Spider-Man 4?
When Dylan Baker confirmed that he would return as Peter Parker's professor, Dr. Curt Connors, it was unclear whether or not the character would(true to the comics) finally transform into the classic villain, The Lizard. Rumors hit a couple of weeks ago that The Lizard would be the one and only villain in the newest sequel. But those still aren't confirmed.
Now contrary to those early reports, Mania's sources say that producers have begun the process of casting the villains and supporting players for Spider-Man 4. The source also revealed that it'll be a two-villain movie, one male villain and one female. With Baker confirmed to return, there is another male villain being cast.
Though they had no details on the role or actors being looked at for the male villain, they say Rachel McAdams(The Notebook, Wedding Crashers, Sherlock Holmes) has met with the producers of the film and is said to be a top contender for the role of Felicia Hardy, a.k.a The Black Cat.
The choice of this character specifically, is reportedly due to the Black Cat's story fitting in with Raimi's Spider-Man formula, which always finds the villains troubling not only the costumed hero, but also becoming entangled in Peter Parker's personal life as well.
In the comic history of the character...
...when Spidey first encounters the Black Cat, she's a cat burgler looking to free her ailing father from prison. She becomes smitten with the web-slinger, to the point of a stalker-level obsession. Later stories had Peter reciprocating her affection and her becoming a lover, a friend and ally.
I'll be a little disappointed if ALL the rumors are true. I do think McAdams would make a great Black Cat. She has is capable of being bubbly and fiunny, but can bring the emotional weight and intensity when needed. Physically... ya can't argue, she's gorgeous and looks the part.
But with Raimi acknowledging his mistakes with Spider-Man 3, I thought he'd be sticking with one villain. But let's not count out the possibility that a villain is being cast merely to make a minor appearance. Like how the Connors character has mainly been a wink to the fans up this point.
Do you like Rachel McAdams being considered to play Black Cat? If not, who should they cast? Who do you want the male villain to be? And... do you think these rumors are true?
UPDATE____________________________
There may be another girl up for the role as well. Actress Romola Garai (Atonement) has a column over on The Observer which she writes the following:
"Love is at the root of everything good that has ever happened and will happen." This phrase swam into focus as I moved up the escalator at Oxford Circus tube on Tuesday morning on my way to put myself "on tape" for a part in Spider-Man 4. This is the acting equivalent of the London Marathon in that it's important to try your best as long as you understand that you aren't going to win.
Who do you want to see in the role?