SPIDER-MAN 3: Willem Dafoe Has Reportedly Been Spotted On Set Following Casting Rumors

Willem Dafoe's return as Norman Osborn has been rumoured for months now, and the same site that first reported on Alfred Molina's return is claiming that the actor has been spotted on the threequel's set.

By JoshWilding - Feb 05, 2021 11:02 AM EST

Filed Under: No Way Home

Source: GWW

There have been rumblings for months that Willem Dafoe will be part of the Spider-Man 3 cast, but it was last December when we first heard from reliable sources that the actor would appear in the threequel as Norman Osborn.

Now, GWW (the same site that first reported on Alfred Molina's return as Doctor Octopus) claims to have confirmed that Dafoe has been spotted on set. Whether he'll suit up as the Green Goblin remains to be seen, but it would be no bad thing for the Spider-Man star to be utilised as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Norman moving forward.

Yes, the actor is 65-years-old, but he doesn't look it, and visual effects mean he doesn't have to get too physical as the Green Goblin. We can only hope he gets a comic accurate costume this time!

Tom Holland's Peter Parker now looks set to square off with Spider-Man's Green Goblin, Spider-Man 2's Doctor Octopus, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Electro. Whether Dafoe, Molina, and Jamie Foxx are playing the same versions of those characters (unlikely when they're all dead) remains to be seen, but the "Multiverse of Madness" obviously opens the door to all sorts of wackiness in this Marvel movie.

If what happened with Doc Ock is any indication, don't be surprised if the trades soon weigh in with official confirmation that Dafoe is making his return to the Marvel Universe with Spider-Man 3!

Click on the "Next" button below for a breakdown of
how Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4 might have played out!

10. Spider-Man 4...And 5?

Grogu-and-the-Mandalorian-Pedro-Pascal-in-Lucasfilm-s-THE-MANDALORIAN-season-two-exclusively-on-Disn

Spider-Man 3 was poorly received by critics, but it was a long way from being a disaster, and it made plenty of cash at the box office (a healthy $895 million).

With a fourth film gearing up for production, Tobey Maguire signed on the dotted line to return. Bagging mornings and evenings off to spend with his family, the actor scored a $50 million deal. It was later suspected that might be for two films as reports online suggested Spider-Man 4 would be shot back-to-back with Spider-Man 5.

"It would be a real endurance test," Raimi admitted. "Probably only Peter Jackson knows how hard something like that would be. "If Tobey and me, and all the producers, like the story for two pictures and Amy wanted to do it, then we would do it."

In 2009, Raimi shot the idea down, but it was around that time he found himself struggling to crack this fourth film's story...

9. Uncertainty About Kirsten Dunst's Return

You'd think that Kirsten Dunst's return as Mary Jane Watson would be a done deal, especially after the way things ended for her and Peter in Spider-Man 3. Not quite.

The actress was taking her time signing a contract that would see her return to the franchise.

In fact, Raimi even commented on whether the franchise could survive without MJ in a 2009 interview. "I can’t imagine making a Spider-Man movie without Kirsten," the filmmaker confessed. "Of course it can be done because Spider-Man has existed without the character of Mary Jane, but she’s one of my favorite parts and it would be a shame not to have her in the picture. I’m hoping she’ll be in it and I’m planning on having a story with her in it."

Dunst's involvement was never confirmed, but Sony may have been considering another female lead.

8. Sony Plans For The Future

The idea of shooting Spider-Man 5 at the same time as 4 may have been scrapped, but Sony still had one eye on the future of the money making franchise.

Can you blame them?

James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) was tasked with scripting this next Spider-Man film, but playwright David Lindsay-Abaire and Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) later contributed to rewrites. Cracking the story wasn't an easy task, and the more writers Sony turned to, the more concerned most fans became.

While all this went down, Vanderbilt was asked to plot out stories for Spider-Man 5 and 6, with the prevailing theory being that the latter might feature the Sinister Six.

7. Sam Raimi Considered Using The Sinister Six In Spider-Man 4

Spider-Man 6 = Sinister Six? Not quite.

In an interview which took place around the time of Spider-Man 3's release, Raimi admitted that "[I'd] love to see Electro, Vulture, maybe the Sinister Six as a team" in Spider-Man 4.

These were comments made before a script had been written, but the filmmaker was clearly interested in the team of villains and felt it wasn't too soon to introduce them. Who could have joined the roster is unclear, while Raimi had struggled with just three villains in Spider-Man 3.

A Norman Osborn resurrection was always rumored, so Green Goblin could have easily led them.

6. Lizard Was Never Eyed As The Film's Big Bad

Lizard served as The Amazing Spider-Man's lead villain, with it widely speculated that Sony had been pushing to use the character on screen for years.

Both Lizard and Kraven the Hunter were once rumored for Spider-Man 4, but there were never any concrete plans to use them. Actor Dylan Baker had joked in interviews about being too old to play Dr. Curt Connors as a villain, but admitted, "We’re hoping it’s not too far down the line!"

Raimi, meanwhile, would reveal that, "The Lizard is probably one of my favorite characters. But [Spider-Man 4] will probably have to start with the central journey of the main character to arrive at the proper villain."

Despite this, and comments from producer Grant Curtis saying">http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=2127">saying "it’s hard to beat the Lizard," there were never plans to use Lizard as an antagonist in Spider-Man 4.

5. Spider-Man 4 Casts Its Villains

Billions actor John Malkovich was later cast as Adrian Toomes, a villain better known as The Vulture. Concept art depicted him as a serious threat to the web-slinger in Spider-Man 4.

He wasn't going to be alone in menacing Spider-Man, however, as Anne Hathaway - who would later play Selina Kyle/Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises - was set as Felica Hardy/Black Cat.

"I loved what she was doing with the auditions for Spider-Man 4," Raimi said in a 2013 interview, confirming that he did indeed plan on using Black Cat. The character still hasn't made her live-action debut, though Rogue One star Felicity Jones played "Felicia" in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

This feature isn't about that sequel, but we've since heard she was supposed to be undercover in Oscorp.

4. Concept Art Shows A Scrapped Mysterio Cameo

Bruce Campbell's cameos had grown increasingly more elaborate as time passed in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man franchise. While social media was in its infancy at this time, you didn't have to look far online to find theories that the actor was going to be revealed as Chameleon or Mysterio.

Believe it or not, the latter villain was indeed slated to cameo in Spider-Man 4.

As the concept art above reveals, Spidey was going to take Mysterio into police custody, with his helmet falling off to reveal Campbell's face beneath it.

This Mysterio was to be a punchline, not the serious threat Spider-Man: Far From Home presented.

3. Romance For Peter Parker And Felicia Hardy

It's likely Sony would have convinced Dunst to return as Mary Jane, but there was a backup plan.

Bryce Dallas Howard's return as Gwen Stacy was similarly unconfirmed, but storyboards have shown Peter Parker smooching a mysterious, dark-haired woman. It doesn't take much to come to the conclusion that was Felicia Hardy, a frequent love interest of Spider-Man's in the comics.

However, Spider-Man 4 wasn't necessarily planning to take Felicia down the Black Cat route.

Well, at least not for long...

2. The Vulturess

There were enough mentions of Black Cat early in Spider-Man 4's production to safely assume that persona would have made it into the film. However, it seems a big twist was being planned.

With Sony seemingly wary of Catwoman comparisons (don't forget that it hadn't been that long since the Catwoman film had bombed), the plan was for this Felicia Hardy to become Vulturess.

Movieline claimed this Felicia would be Adrian Toomes's daughter, a huge departure from the comics.

After the negative response the changes Spider-Man 3 made to Sandman and Venom, it's a surprise more of the same was coming in this film, but there's a chance Raimi might have made it work.

1. Why The Film Never Happened

Shortly before Spider-Man 4 was scheduled to start filming, Maguire took part in an interview expressing his excitement about returning as Peter Parker for the film.

Days later, the plug was pulled on the project, with Raimi later describing it as "the most amicable and undramatic of breakups. He's add that, "It was simply that we had a deadline and I couldn’t get the story to work on a level that I wanted it to work."

"I was very unhappy with Spider-Man 3, and I wanted to make Spider-Man 4 to end on a very high note, the best Spider-Man of them all," Raimi would explain. "But I couldn’t get the script together in time, due to my own failings, and I said to Sony, 'I don’t want to make a movie that is less than great, so I think we shouldn’t make this picture."

"Go ahead with your reboot, which you’ve been planning anyway.'" Yes, Sony had been planning a reboot the whole time (it's likely those are what Vanderbilt was working on) Raimi was working on his Spider-Man 4, and that would be released in 2012 as The Amazing Spider-Man.

SPIDER-MAN 4: Franchise Producer Amy Pascal Refuses To Comment On Plans For The NO WAY HOME Sequel

Recommended For You:

SPIDER-MAN Director Sam Raimi Rumored To Be In Talks To Helm NO WAY HOME Sequel

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Do you have what it takes to write for us?

Want to contribute?

235 Comments

1 2 3 4 5 6

GhostDog - 2/5/2021, 11:18 AM

Feralwookiee - 2/5/2021, 11:40 AM

@BlackBeltJones - Whadda handsome devil!

Reeds2Much - 2/5/2021, 12:58 PM

@BlackBeltJones - FIRST WE ATTACK HIS HEART!

GhostDog - 2/5/2021, 1:01 PM

@Reeds2Much -

RolandD - 2/5/2021, 11:19 AM

He's not in it. I heard he just has a thing for Marisa Tomei.

Mrcool210 - 2/5/2021, 11:25 AM

@RolandD - Get in line Dafoe. We all got that

RolandD - 2/5/2021, 11:43 AM

@Waddles - As everyone knew you would. And yes, who wouldn't. Actually it's @Mrcool210 's gif I saw. Yours didn't show, Waddles.

LSHF - 2/5/2021, 11:46 AM

@AverageCBMuser - "Everybody wank together."

RolandD - 2/5/2021, 11:53 AM

@LSHF - I really could have done without that song starting up in my head. For revenge, I'm just going to throw a few numbers out there.

867-5309

You're welcome. 😂🤣

CorndogBurglar - 2/5/2021, 11:56 AM

@RolandD - If you guys keep this up I'm going to have to put on the red light.

......Roxanne

RolandD - 2/5/2021, 12:27 PM

@CorndogBurglar - Much better choice of song. Thank you!

LSHF - 2/5/2021, 12:47 PM

@Mrcool210 -

LSHF - 2/5/2021, 12:49 PM

@RolandD - OMG. Every line of that was lol funny! Awesome!

Revenger really "is" sweet, isn't it?

LSHF - 2/5/2021, 12:50 PM

@CorndogBurglar -

Poopmaster89 - 2/5/2021, 3:13 PM

@AverageCBMuser - don't be a downer.

MCUKnight11 - 2/5/2021, 11:19 AM

Please let this lead to Dark avengers.

1 2 3 4 5 6

Related Headlines

Marvel Studios

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

MarkCassidy

4 hours ago

Madame Web

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

10 hours ago

Madame Web

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

1 day ago

Related Headlines

Marvel Studios

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

MarkCassidy

4 hours ago

Madame Web

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

10 hours ago

Madame Web

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

1 day ago

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 Star Dane DeHaan Talks NO WAY HOME Rumors And Whether He'd Return As Green Goblin

JoshWilding

1 day ago

Spider-Man

SPIDER-MAN 4: Franchise Producer Amy Pascal Refuses To Comment On Plans For The NO WAY HOME Sequel

JoshWilding

1 day ago

Spider-Man

Captain America: New World Order

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Happy Meal Toys Reveal A First Look At MCU’s Take On Red Hulk

JoshWilding

6 hours ago

Madame Web

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

10 hours ago

Latest Headlines

Marvel Studios

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

MarkCassidy

4 hours ago

Captain America: New World Order

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Happy Meal Toys Reveal A First Look At MCU’s Take On Red Hulk

JoshWilding

6 hours ago

Madame Web

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

10 hours ago

Batman vs. Superman

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

MarkCassidy

12 hours ago

Superman

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Shares New Behind-The-Scenes Photo With David Corenswet And Rachel Brosnahan

MarkCassidy

15 hours ago

Sci-Fi

REBEL MOON R-Rated Director's Cut Will Include A Graphic Alien Sex Scene

MarkCassidy

17 hours ago

Hot Headlines

184 comments

SUPERMAN: James Gunn's DCU Reboot Finds Its Martha "Ma" Kent

MarkCassidy

1 day ago EST

140 comments

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MarkCassidy

1 day ago EST

101 comments

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

MarkCassidy

12 hours ago EST

94 comments

THE FANTASTIC FOUR Rumored To Introduce Norrin Radd Alongside Julia Garner's Silver Surfer

MarkCassidy

1 day ago EST

92 comments

More Sci-Fi & Fantasy ►

SNOW WHITE Rumored Plot Details May Clear Up Seven Dwarfs/Seven Bandits Confusion

More Cartoons & Animated ►

FALLOUT TV Series Renewed For Second Season After Impressive Debut On Prime Video

More Anime & Manga ►

TRAP: First Trailer For M. Night Shyamalan's Latest Spoils The Big Twist

More Horror ►

JAMES BOND: Henry Cavill Isn't Closing The Door On Playing 007; Maybe I'm Too Old Now. Maybe I'm Not...

More Action Movies & TV ►

AEW EVPs Matt And Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks, Have No Regrets After Airing ALL IN Footage

More Pro Wrestling ►

REBEL MOON: PART TWO - THE SCARGIVER First Reactions Land Ahead Of Netflix Premiere

More Sci-Fi & Fantasy ►

More Cartoons & Animated ►

More Anime & Manga ►

More Horror ►

More Action Movies & TV ►

More Pro Wrestling ►

SPIDER-MAN 3: Willem Dafoe Has Reportedly Been Spotted On Set Following Casting Rumors

Willem Dafoe's return as Norman Osborn has been rumoured for months now, and the same site that first reported on Alfred Molina's return is claiming that the actor has been spotted on the threequel's set.

10. Spider-Man 4...And 5?

9. Uncertainty About Kirsten Dunst's Return

8. Sony Plans For The Future

7. Sam Raimi Considered Using The Sinister Six In Spider-Man 4

6. Lizard Was Never Eyed As The Film's Big Bad

5. Spider-Man 4 Casts Its Villains

4. Concept Art Shows A Scrapped Mysterio Cameo

3. Romance For Peter Parker And Felicia Hardy

2. The Vulturess

1. Why The Film Never Happened

SPIDER-MAN 4: Franchise Producer Amy Pascal Refuses To Comment On Plans For The NO WAY HOME Sequel

SPIDER-MAN Director Sam Raimi Rumored To Be In Talks To Helm NO WAY HOME Sequel

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 Star Dane DeHaan Talks NO WAY HOME Rumors And Whether He'd Return As Green Goblin

SPIDER-MAN 4: Franchise Producer Amy Pascal Refuses To Comment On Plans For The NO WAY HOME Sequel

SPIDER-MAN Director Sam Raimi Rumored To Be In Talks To Helm NO WAY HOME Sequel

Popular Headlines

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Happy Meal Toys Reveal A First Look At MCU’s Take On Red Hulk

SUPERMAN: James Gunn's DCU Reboot Finds Its Martha "Ma" Kent

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Shares New Behind-The-Scenes Photo With David Corenswet And Rachel Brosnahan

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Happy Meal Toys Reveal A First Look At MCU’s Take On Red Hulk

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

MCU Rumor Roundup: AVENGERS 5 Shoot Date, X-MEN Synopsis, Natalia Tena's Role, & More - Possible SPOILERS

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Happy Meal Toys Reveal A First Look At MCU’s Take On Red Hulk

MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney Responds To Producer Who Said "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Shares New Behind-The-Scenes Photo With David Corenswet And Rachel Brosnahan

REBEL MOON R-Rated Director's Cut Will Include A Graphic Alien Sex Scene

Hot Headlines

SUPERMAN: James Gunn's DCU Reboot Finds Its Martha "Ma" Kent

Hollywood Producer Slams MADAME WEB Star Sydney Sweeney: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

Leonardo DiCaprio Was In Talks To Play Lex Luthor In BVS; Gave Zack Snyder JUSTICE LEAGUE Idea

THE FANTASTIC FOUR Rumored To Introduce Norrin Radd Alongside Julia Garner's Silver Surfer

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Shares New Behind-The-Scenes Photo With David Corenswet And Rachel Brosnahan

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

REBEL MOON: PART TWO - THE SCARGIVER First Reactions Land Ahead Of Netflix Premiere

TRANSFORMERS ONE: First Trailer For Animated Origin Movie Takes Us Back To The Early Days Of Cybertron

FURIOSA: Witness Anya Taylor-Joy As The Wasteland Warrior On New Total Film Covers

Cartoons & Animated Features

SNOW WHITE Rumored Plot Details May Clear Up Seven Dwarfs/Seven Bandits Confusion

TRANSFORMERS ONE Trailer Reveals The Origins Of Optimus Prime And Megatron

X-MEN '97 Creative Express Interest In Bringing An X-MEN Animated Movie To Theaters

Gaming

FALLOUT TV Series Renewed For Second Season After Impressive Debut On Prime Video

Jack Black Seemingly Confirms Who He Will Be Playing In The Upcoming MINECRAFT Movie

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SPLINTERED FATE Headed To Nintendo Switch This July

Anime & Manga

Studio Ghibli's SPIRITED AWAY Is Returning To U.S. Theaters This Month

New AVATAR Movie, AANG: THE LAST AIRBENDER, Delayed To 2026

MY HERO ACADEMIA Season 7 Countdown Kicks Off With Class 1-A Character Visuals

Horror

TRAP: First Trailer For M. Night Shyamalan's Latest Spoils The Big Twist

IMMACULATE Star Sydney Sweeney Has Been Slammed By A Hollywood Producer: "She's Not Pretty, She Can't Act"

SCREAM VII: Rumored Details On Sidney And Gale's Roles And Ghostface's Targets - SPOILERS

Action Movies & TV

JAMES BOND: Henry Cavill Isn't Closing The Door On Playing 007; "Maybe I'm Too Old Now. Maybe I'm Not..."

Alex Garland's CIVIL WAR Is The #1 Movie In North America- Opens To $25.7M

THE ACCOUNTANT 2 Adds Four More Actors Including JURASSIC WORLD Star Daniella Pineda

Pro Wrestling & MMA News

AEW EVPs Matt And Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks, Have "No Regrets" After Airing ALL IN Footage

Kurt Angle Reflects On What Went Wrong During Final WWE Run: "Fans Could Tell I Was Not The Same Wrestler"

AEW President Tony Khan Believes It "Made A Lot Of Sense" To Air ALL IN Backstage Footage On DYNAMITE

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

REBEL MOON: PART TWO - THE SCARGIVER First Reactions Land Ahead Of Netflix Premiere

TRANSFORMERS ONE: First Trailer For Animated Origin Movie Takes Us Back To The Early Days Of Cybertron

FURIOSA: Witness Anya Taylor-Joy As The Wasteland Warrior On New Total Film Covers

REBEL MOON Director Zack Snyder Suggests He Has A Six-Movie Plan For Netflix's Sci-Fi Franchise

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Director Steven Spielberg Reportedly Planning To Return To Sci-Fi Genre For His Next Movie

REBEL MOON Star Ed Skrein Has A Graphic Alien Sex Scene In R-Rated Extended Cut

Cartoons & Animated Features