No matter the superhero franchise, when it comes time to make a sequel, people mainly want to know one thing: Which villains will be in it? Currently, fans are trying to crack the mystery of Spider-Man 4's bad guys; rumors and speculation had it that every actress in Hollywood was trying out for the sexy villainess Black Cat, or that Dylan Baker's Curt Connors would finally get to transform into the Lizard in this installment. Now, though, Movieline has confirmed with sources close to the film that Raimi's sequel is circling John Malkovich and Anne Hathaway to play Spider-Man's adversaries, and neither evildoer is quite what you might have expected.
If negotiations proceed according to plan, Malkovich will be playing Spider-Man's nemesis the Vulture, who packs a punch despite his advanced age. The Vulture is able to fly through the air and brandish his sharp wings to attack Spider-Man.
As for Hathaway, that's where things get tricky.
The 27-year-old actress is currently the top choice for Felicia Hardy, who'd been long-rumored as one of the new characters in this installment. (Other names bandied about for the role included Julia Stiles, Rachel McAdams, and Romola Garai.) However, unlike in the comic books, this Felicia Hardy doesn't transform into the Black Cat. Instead, Raimi's Felicia will become a brand-new superpowered figure called the Vulturess.
What does this mean for poor Dylan Baker, who's patiently played Curt Connors in the last two installments? As much as it would seem that the series is setting up his eventual transformation into supervillain the Lizard, we hear that the suits simply can't bring themselves to sign off on such an odd-looking enemy -- instead, they'd rather hew closer to villains with a human face. Perhaps, then, it's the best-case scenario for Baker: He gets to remain the subject of fanboy interest, but he doesn't have to cede his role to a motion-captured reptile in a lab coat.
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