Alan Grant rumored to play Dr Otto Octavius in SPIDER-MAN 2!!!

I can picture the voice, maybe even the look with the right glasses and wig. He's not a gifted actor, but he ain't a slouch either. BTW: FIRST!!!!!!!!!!

Sam Neil...the best..hands down!

Elton J .. the glasses .. the inserted hair ... COME ON !!!

For a second there I thought you were talking about my favorite comic book writer... Actually, now that I think about it, it would actually be quite inspired casting. Grant certainly has the glasses and the crazy looks of Doctor Octopus down pat. He could also be equally effective as the Scarecrow in a Batman movie.

I can see it. He lends a similar accomplished veteran actor vibe that Dafoe provided. Good casting if it's for real. By the way, funny little dig at Harry in today's onion: http://www.theonion.com/onion3821/general_mills.html

But didn't I read somewhere that Doc Ock WOULDN'T be the villain in the next film? sk

Doodes... Arnold IS Doc Oc... He is build (Doc was) He has a bad accent (Doc Did) He is funny... Dontcha see it... this is your chance Arnold... your career is ...er... welll... OK your HUGE in Europe.. ARNOLD ARNOLD!!!!

Sam Neil isn't Greek, Dr. Octopus is supposed to be Greek just like Elektra...boohoo

The obvious choice to play Doc Ock is Robin Williams. It's as clear as Ving Rhames playing Powerman!

His dialogue should be in classical Latin.

Think about it, Jurgen Prochnow IS Octavius. Appearance, accent, age. Raimi : make it happen.

He is the Doc. No doubt. Just cast him please!

After seeing Insomnia, I'm convinced Robin Williams could play a demented sumna beech. But Sam's a better touch for Doc Oc. He does so look the part. Hopefully though, they'll do without the Kookie hairdo. Sam Raimi, you hear this... Know cartoonie looking hairdo, please. Disheveled hair and thick glasses would do just fine with Neill. And he's definately got calm, cool, and cccccrrrrrazzzzzzzzy down pat. Sam Neill's got one of the most intense and evil stares in showbizness. Now I wonder who they get for The Lizard. He's the other villain rumored to be in Spidey 2. Hmmm... Too bad Bana is working on The Hulk. He'd be good. Hey, maybe they could get Guy Pierce. He'd make a great Lizard. And he's already played a crazed scientist. Oh yeah!!!

He's already in good with Raimi from working on DARKMAN and it would be nice to have a non-big name actor playing the villian again. Don't get me wrong, William Dafoe IS AN AWESOME ACTOR, but he's not exactly a big name in Hollywood, maybe I'm wrong.

Rent "Possession" if you want to see a young Sam Neil be tortured by Uber-psycho-babe Issabelle Adjani. I can see Neil as Octavius & I dig it. Now cast the child molesting dad from "Happiness" (Dylan something?) as Curt Conners & we're ready to roll. Or Bruce Cambell.

Why is everyone looking for established stars to play the villians? Maybe we should see if we can fit Adam West into the movie somewhere too, while we're at it... Let Raimi do his thing!

Heres where i see this franchise going; Harry takes over Oscorp, hires Octavius/Conners to develop anti Spider-Man technology, hence the mech arms and...um... lizard man making formula. Accident happens, Octopus & Lizard born, want revenge on Harry. So Spidey has to defend his best friend/enemy. Meanwhile, MJ & harry are dating again, putting her in harm's way. Add a new love interest to complicate pete's personal life, & there you go. but I'm probably way off base here.

Mark Mothersbaugh, of DEVO fame! If not him, then Doctor Giggles, as someone suggested.

It's Ted Raimi. Didn't you watch the movie? By the way, Harry, it seems a little weird for Sam Neill to be thought of as "Alan Grant" from Jurassic Park before anything else. He's actually been in good movies, too. Why not say "John Trent rumored to play Dr Otto Octavius" or "Stewart from The Piano rumored to play Dr Otto Octavius"? It seems a little mean to water a man's career down to one Spielberg movie.

omigod, omigod. I can't wait for the next movie. doc ock is gonna kick ass. fuck the lizard. who needs him.

Geez, I'm glad you're not a casting director, Harry. It's a quirky, interesting call, but a bad one. He's too young, and just plain ALL WRONG for Otto. Couldn't portray him at all like he is in the comics. His screen presence is entirely at odds. Not at all villainous--too girly-manish. Sam Neil is SO much better.

i can see it now ... a scene reminiscent of dafoe talkin 2 his reflechsun ... otto has his trip thru insanity by ....pullin owt the abony an ivory an poundin away with all o his fingers ... YEA !

i've heard since before tobey and william were cast that the austrian oak would take on the mechanical arms of Octavius. oh wait i forgot about his last attempt at comic movies. good thing the folks over at columbia pictures didn't forget. i love the big guy but thas just notha role fo him. can you imagine? "the octupus cometh! you're not putting me in da web! ferst i will cova da city in octupus ink...then its dawkness foever here in manhaaatan!" but casting sam neil is terrific. i hope the rumors true. he could be oh so good as doc oc. and the franchise could make a habit of casting real actors as villains. then we'd see kevin spacey as kurt conners...but who to play venom? or should i say eddie brock...cause venom will be ILM or something. but sam neil will rock. "you see spiderman, some south african octopus' have been known to suddenly change sex. the question is...how do you interupt the cellaur mitosis? don't laugh spiderman, an octopus is a multiple strikes hunter...thats when the attack comes. not from the front but from the top and bottom...from the tentacles you didn't even know where there."

...in a JAMES CAMERON directed Spider-Man! Hey, I was kidding but the box-office would be just as big as the first Spider-man!!!

I wasn't saying Drake was better than Dafoe as an actor nor do I think Drake is more famous than Dafoe (which is all the better for Drake to immerse himself into Doc Ock in the public's eye). The point near the end of my last TB that I was trying to make was that, in the grand scheme of things (i.e. Hollywood studios perception), both actors aren't "names" ala a Robin Williams or a Ahnold S. I would like to see a non-marquee name to play Doc Ock. Drake definitely showed his evil acting chops in DARKMAN already. Since Spider-Man made a lot of money there might be a lot of big named actors who would want to play the role OR maybe their might be pressure from the studios to get a "name" in there. I heard Raimi wanted a bigger role as another character for Bruce Campbell but he had to get it authorized with the studios first since he wasn't a "name". I could be paranoid though. Sam Neil would be a good choice too.

If Arnold gets cast as Dr. Ock I'm going to go shoot myself. The thing that made the Spider-man movie so friggin' awesome was the fact that they cast actors that can actually ACT. Arnold couldn't act to save his life. All he can do is blow stuff up and shoot stuff. Besides, hello he was one of the villains in Batman and Robin, and we all know how much THAT movie sucked. GO CAST SAM!!! PLEAZE????!!!!!

Sam Neill is TOO bland! This had better be false information. Bon Hoskins as Doc Ock 4 EVA!

I had forgotten Larry Drake played Dr. Giggles. On the other hand, the movie sucked badly. Still...As for Green Lantern, isn't it interesting that Ben Who-Flack actually resembles Hal Jordan. But if he is DD he can't be GL too.

Though most of the mainstream public are gonna be like, "dude!!! The guy from Jurassic Park is fighting Spider-Man!!!!" Unless you've seen Mr. Neill in other works, that's all you know him as. And he definitely can be as evil as need be. His character was more sarcastic and self-serving in JPIII, so a turn as Doc Ock is definitely a cool way to go.

NO FUCKING TWO-VILLAIN NONSENSE!!! Lets learn from Batman people.....

i'm with the mark mothersbaugh idea.

You ppl know that Venom and Carnage would be a better spider-man movie then Doc Octopus!!! So come on Put VENOM AND CARNAGE IN SPIDER-MAN 2!!!!!

Sam Neill, to my knowledge, is regarded as a decent guy. Ever heard of a film where he made too many demands? Nope. No fuss around the set with him. Whereas Spacey has been accused of prima donna-ish behaviour, and other suggested choices (e.g Jack Nicholson) bring baggage too. I think Sam Raimi casts guys he'll not be troubled by during work. Look at Spidey 1, full of nice people as actors. Or any Sam Raimi film, for that matter (barring The Quick and the Dead, a sorta impersonal, studio driven project there). He doesn't really want anything lik a troublemaker in his films... I think. But I'm sure someone will find an exception to this rule.

He said he wants to get revenge on Spidey? Who does he become?

Ted Raimi played "Hoffman". It was rumored for a while he was playing Dr. Conners, but it was not to be. As for my opinion? I'm down with Dr. Grant. But Mark #1 would rule.

Harry Osbourne became the 2nd Green Goblin, taking up his father's business, as it were. I believe that this is what the film is refering to.

Doesn't he become The Hobgoblin? Or is that someone else?

Who's going to play Felicia Harding? I do hope there's some top totty in that figure hugging costume... Still pissed that we in Britain haven't seen this film yet (though even more pissed at the 24 debacle)

John Lithgow would have been a great Doc Oc.Just put some hornrimmed glasses on his Dr. Lizzardo character and he'd be perfect.

Sam Neill would bring ZERO energy to the role, just like he did in Jurassic Park. He also sucked as the villain in that invisible man movie with Chevy Chase. William Hurt would bring an inspired choice. Has he ever played a villain?

That I read this entire TB and no one mentioned star wars. Yet. I guess all the trolls are hiding now that its clear AOTC will finish as the second biggest picture of the year. Not that I care.

He's good in some things but those things are always movies in which he needs to play either laconic or depressed (perhaps over having had his dick shot off).

What are you, blind? Can't you see? Who looks even more like Dr. Octopus than Elton John? William T. Vollman! He could tickle all the asian cuties in New York! And with those metal arms he won't get carpal tunnel and the rest of the Seven Dreams can be 8,000 pages each!

...how the hell would you cram all that backstory in? You can't in one film, so forget it. Hear, hear, CLASSIC villains only. But I must correct you on your casting. A wrestler as Kraven?? No thanks, let's get an ACTOR instead. Someone threw out Oded Fehr weeks back, and I thought that was pretty inspired. And I'll repeat for the zillionth time the perfect Vulture casting for Spider-Man 3 -- BEN KINGSLEY IS THE VULTURE!!! Check out his scary, snarly Don Logan in "Sexy Beast" and then tell me you don't agree. Johnny Ahab, over and out...

sam neil will wear an over sized octopus head!

I always felt Doc Ock was pretty lame as a villain. I guess it's because his design just seemed plain silly. Btw, anyone notice how alot of classic Spidey villains wear green (GG, Doc Ock, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman, The Lizard, The Scorpion, The Vulture)? As for Spidey 2...my personal ideas were always Lizard and Kraven. You could have a little plot about Kraven hunting the Lizard perhaps...then bring in Chameleon for Spidey 3 with a subplot (again) to avenge the death of his friend. Yeah that's pretty weak too. Oh, and second stringers such as Shocker, The Rhino, and Tombstone should remain as such.

I am tired of the majority of talkbackers spouting opinions they have heard as fact. Please validate your overheard and overstated opinion that the Batman movies sucked because of multiple villains. The Batman franchise suffered, not because of having two villains per movie, but because of mishandling the characters, poor script writing and fantastically misdirected direction. The movies were shredded by taking two villains with different agendas and histories and teaming them up. What is gained by the team ups of Penguin with Catwoman, Two Face with The Riddler or Mr. Freeze with Poison Ivy? The movies failed because of this pairing of two unrelated villains. In the same regard, the most valuable villains were eaten up by the pairing. Batman has only five villains worth the time on the big screen, and they were consumed in three movies, leaving the rest to wallow in mediocre nemesis such as Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Scarecrow, Clayface, Batmite and the like. They are no threat. They are boring villains with boring gimmicks. As proof, name one comic story containing these pathetic villains that even compares with a Two face, Joker, Catwoman, Penguin or Riddler story? Whereas Spider-Man is defined not by one villain, but by his Rogues Gallery. Thus it would be fitting to have several enemies in one movie, just not team ups. Rhino, Scorpion, Electro (save Cameron's ubercool take on him in his script treatment) Vulture, Sandman, Lizard, Kraven and the rest could not carry an entire film on their shoulders. But to see vignettes of Spidey fighting them or getting pounded pounded by several unrelated villains over the course of the day would be nothing short of Spectacular. If they must team up though, the Sinister Six would definitely and definitively rock.

Harry, you must not have seen Insomina. Robin was pretty solid in that and also pretty subtle. Now, i agree with you if its Robin Williams in FLUBBER mode. then yes. that IS pretty bad. But if its Robin Williams in Insomina mode, then we should all be in for a treat....You know, Since the Kingpin is gonna be John Coffy, it would rule if Morpheus played Doc Ock too.

Obviously, Wiliam Hurt is known as playing in understated roles. I'd even say "laconic" if I knew what the hell it meant. But to me there is an underlying intensity to him that he's shown in "Children of a Lesser God," "Big Chill," "Body Heat," "Broadcast News" and "Altered States." I know he's never played this type of role before, which would make it that much more interesting to watch. He obviously is very natural at playing an intellectual. You have to find somebody that can play the Doctor first, or else you won't care about him as a villain. Remember that Tobey McGuire was known as playing down roles before "Spider Man," but he turned out to be a great choice.

I just saw Spiderman. I have nothing nice to say about it (I'm really restraining myself here), except it would have made a great Power Rangers movie sequel.

I thought one of the things that made Spiderman work so well was the absence of a big star...Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst have had successful movies, and Willem Dafoe has had critical and commercial success, but they weren't huge stars. Putting an Arnold into the movie makes it an "Arnold Movie," and I thought that Spiderman was a borderline ensemble film...everyone in the cast could hang with everyone else, acting wise. Kevin Spacey and PS Hoffman would be good, just for the fact that theyre good actors. Sam Neill isn't bad either. But, if you still want Ah-nold, go down to Blockbuster and rent Batman & Robin. PS...Sam Raimi, bring back Bone Saw McGraw, please please please.

I'll believe it when I see it confirmed from a better source. Sam Neill is great, but I'm so used to seeing him in movies where I'm rooting for him. He's so likeable. Who knows, maybe he'll pull a Henry Fonda and play a real nasty like in Once Upon A Time In The West. This could add a really cool dimension to the character. At least with this one we'll get to see the villain's face.

be afraid little spider

Especially in Money Train he had the same haircut. Too bad he murdered his wife.

...but actually, Dylan Baker is a brilliant choice for Conners, they only mentioned him in passing during Spidey 1. First remember that you've got to imagine the choice for Conners with only one arm - physically Baker looks fragile, on edge and he can act. As said above, watch "Happiness" - his last talk with his son...whoa. Will that put Felicia in there since her and Mary Jane's characters were condensed for Spidey 1? She could actually be a new love interest as Peter tries to hide his feelings for Mary Jane. Anyway, I just say that since Felicia's family is responsible for Octavious' bonding this his suit. OH, and please, no Black Cat. Black Cat was magic, no magic.

Back in the day, when the filmmakers were still kicking around the notion of two villains for the first Spidey movie, one name hovered around DocOck and wouldn't go away. Lawrence Fishburne. This is perfect. There need be no debate. Neill is a solid second choice.

Thanks Feral Kid! He would be perfect. He allready has those creepy, lizard like lips. Plus, he can act. Spidey villians need PATHOS, dammit. Thats where the Batman films went wrong, especially with Two Face, my favorite Bat villian. Oh, and the horrible scripts.

The question I really want answered is what will his costume look like? 1.Will he look like he did in the 90's cartoon? Pros/cons with that idea: He was buff in the second cartoon series, which was cool but green & orange spandex? An outfit like DOES that sounds scary, but for all the wrong reasons. 2.Sometimes in the comics Doctor Octopus wore a business suit. Serious, a jacket, necktie and all. If they play him in the movie like he's some behind the scenes-criminal mastermind or an uranium smuggler(read Octopus Agenda,pbk by Diane Duane) that might work but I can't see him slugging around NY with Spidey in an Armani. 3.Will it be a labcoat? I don't know, like the idea of a suit that just doesn't have the "HOLY-$#;T!"freakiness G.G.'s armour had. There's also the question of what would he wear underneath? Nothing? That's even scarier than the green/orange spandex! 4.Something completely different? OK, that's lame, but I don't know what else to say. Stuff like this is the reason I wish they didn't use Doctor Octopus anyway. I'd much rather see Spidey tangle with Alister Smythe & the Spider Slayers.

...When are we gonna see the muthafuckin' SANDMAN?? The CGI for him would be off the hook. Hell, I'd rather even see Mysterio or Electro in action than the Lizard, even if they were able to make the creature look convincing...

He's the best actor of our generation. He could handle Doc Ock, but I wouldn't want him too. See "Swimming with Sharks", he's excellent in that. And although "Pay it forward" wasn't great, "K-Pax" was pretty good. So clam up.

...who thinks that Milke Myers would make a great Doc Ock? Think about it: give him a Moe Howard haircut, some big ol' Austin Powers teeth...it could work!

but thats just me. :)

Malkovitch as Doc Ock. Malkovitch as Lizard. Malkovitch as Spider-Man. Malkovitch as new love interest Gwen Stacy. Directed by Malkovitch. Please save the franchise, John.

I have read a lot of posts on this board where they keep refering to things that happened on Fox's animated Spiderman series as continuity and i just want to make one thing straight. Felicia HArdy was NEVER a school chum of peters, there was never a Hardy institute like there was in the series and we never met Felicia's mom! Also felicia Hardy nor her family had anything to do with the creation of Doc Ock, that was just another sttoryline liberty taken by the FOX network. All felicia Hardy ever was was a cat burlger who peter dated in his spiderman persona briefly who continually switched from spider ally to spider foe at the drop of a hat

Fitting withing to "no superstars but solid actors" approach began with Defoe... I give you... DOCTOR OCTOPUS: Lawrence Fishburne. He would bring a fantastic twist to the role. He could do the whole "silent brooding" thing nicely while his arms tear shit up. I would also love to see him locked up in an asylum at the end of the flick, crippled with arachnophobia after Spidey has thwarted him at every level. Imagine, he's there in a titanium straightjacket, holding his arms in, when he catches a glimpse of a tiny spider climbimg up the wall. The camera pulls to a exterior shot of the hospital as he screams his head off.

I doubt they'll use the "Moe" hair cu.........Wait.......PETE ROSE, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PETE ROSE IS DOC OCK...BOOO HAH HAH AHA HAHA HAHA!!!!!!!!

He was born to play Ock!

1. Lesser known, but decent actors are preferred over big names. 2. He had the right haircut and psychopathic attitude in the Frighteners. 3. He is not new to comic book vilians having voiced Scarecrow in the Batman animated series. 4. Yes there is a reason he is best known for the Re-animator movies, but then again what was Sam Raimi best known for before Spider-man?

The great thing about Spider-man's villians is that many of them have a logical connection so the movies could work: Green Goblin & Hobgoblin (both goblins), Venom & Carnage (symbiotes), Doc Ock & Lizard or Scorpion (works/accidents of science), Electro & Shocker (electricity). The Batman movies villians always seemed weird in the pairings (Freeze & Ivy). Under a better writer, maybe, but not the way they were. Spidey with Ock and Lizard will be fine. Sam Neill was a selection I hadn't considered but think he could do a great job and can see him taking the character seriously. I hope the Lizard gets an actor who can also handle the evil voice as well as Dafoe did with GG. I could see Guy Pierce (as someone mentioned) being Connors. I hope, since Spidey has to be in action before the main villian(s) get going, that Raimi utilizes the good B-Team villians like Rhino, Hydroman, etc.. as cannon fodder for Spidey instead of just thugs. Good luck Raimi!

C'mon, you know you want him. Shit, where do I get one of these extra fucking wide monitors?

I know. I'm a genius. I also stand by my William Hurt suggestion. I would even prefer Robin Williams to Sam Neil.

Just looking at his promos for his upcoming HBO special makes me want to vomit!

What I'm saying here might well be a useless TB because we know the next movie's a Doc Ock flick, but why must the film be one good guy versus one/two bad guys? The first Spidey movie was best when it concentrates on Peter Parker and the cast of supporting characters. My suggestion would be a movie that's say, six months in the life of Spider-Man, with multiple villians providing the stunning set pieces but the real story concerning Peter Parket at college, his relationships, J Jonah Jameson's hatred of Spider-Man etc etc etc. When I read Spider-Man as a kid, the ongoing story arcs concerned Peter Parker's life. Villains for the most part were the distraction and barely lasted an issue or two. So why not attempt a similar approach for the movie? As I said though, we all know it's going to be a Doc Ock movie, so let's hope that the Masterplanner storyline is the basis for it.

Opening shot of the movie: (Just like any issue of Spidey)Spidey's already in mid-battle with The Lizard. (Maybe show a quickie-origin for Connors in flash-back mode during the fight sequence.) Spidey defeats him and "cures" Doc Connors of being the Lizard (temporary as usual). Then the movie is set up for Doc Ock as the only villian for the duration of the movie. Don't place 2 villians in the same movie siding together against Spidey-it's overkill and the villains end up having to upstage each other!

As long as he doesnt demand to do the soundtrack...I am game.

Gary Oldman is the perfect Doc Ock - period.

Check out the third season of OZ. The pics at IMDB aren't the greatest. http://us.imdb.com/EGallery?source=ss&group=0119303&photo=ha3.jpg&path=pgallery&path_key=Krupa,+Olek

I know a lot of you who didn't like Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin/Norman Osborn, but I for one enjoyed him. Think Sam Neil could have the goods as well, perhaps even moreso to play opposite Tobey Mc Guire. The only hiccup in the whole thing would be doing yet another villan who's origin is the dreaded science experiment gone wrong (as it was with the Goblin, the Lizard and a host of other Spidey baddies). I myself am still hoping Eddie Brock/Venom in the third sequel.

sounds cheesy already, but hey what the hell! From what I've read already anybody can play a spidy villian. I'm more concerned about what villians there gonna use. Doc Ock sounds okay for the sequel, but he also needs a good storyline to accompany the character. After ock is created, whats his masterminded plan for world domination gonna be? Sure you can get the villians you want and the actors to play the villians. But remember that a somewhat decent storyline is more important. You also need someone with aerial skills to combat spidy in the air and not just on the ground, like Goblin. Vultures an aerial enemy, he'd be good for one of these aerial fights. And unless Doc Ock has a jetpack along with his tentacles, than the sequel will be minus and aerial battle. The CGI for a Venom character would be awesome, but like everyone else said, lets stick to old school for now.

I swear. It's true. I work at kinkos and the pre-production team came in to copy scripts and casting decisions. It's all true. I swear.

Drew Carey is DR OCK...or maybe if you are going for crazy, Mariah Carey

I think you're off your mark there. Ted Raimi was a reporter in the first Spider-Man, not Dr. Conners. They never showed Doc Conners. Peter just mentions him when he tells Harry he got fired from his lab internship.

I always thought Oliver Platt would make a good Doc Oc! What do you think?

I thought it would've been the best of the Batman movies if it wasn't for that stupid penguin march at the end. Certainly having two villains in it didn't detract from anything. DeVitto and Pfeiffer were spot on. The feel for that movie was spot on. Damn that stupid penguin march. Having two villains in Spidey will rock. I suppose it will come down to who's cast and whether or not they can carry the role or not. If not, we could have a Batman three where Two-Face ended up being an idiot. Of course, I don't think this was TL Jones fault. As long as we got Raimi on board, I'm pretty sure there won't be a repeat of that disaster.

"Fat man in a little biohazard suit!" Rrrripp! "Uh-oh.."

...how's this for a plotline: Spider-Man, on routine patrol, thwarts a break-in at the lab where Otto Octavius is working with his new mechanical arm device. In the ensuing chaos, there is an explosion of radioactive matter and the arms get bonded to Octavius and he goes berserk. The radiation hits Spidey, and later, Peter Parker suddenly discovers he's beginning to mutate further (works in the Man-Spider thing! CG galore!). He goes to Dr. Connors, who as we all know is working on a DNA resequencing thingamajig to regrow his arm. Connors is helping Spidey, but just as he's about to throw the switch, Doc Ock smashes in and busts up the place, causing the accident that turns Connors into the mindless Lizard. Connors/Lizard goes nutso, and Spidey/Man-Spider must stop Doc Ock and the Lizard and find out how to turn Connors back to a human, all the while battling the monster within and trying to get MJ off his mind, and coping with college at the same time! Think of the pathos! Think of the angst! Think of the box office! throw in a couple of hit songs by some flavor-of-the-month alterna-rockers and...my GOD--I think we've got a bona fide hit on our hands! With Mike Myers as Doc Ock, Jeffrey Combs (why the hell not?) as Connors, and NO lame-ass Goblin/Hobgoblin to be seen! Woo-hoo!

and all this time i thought you were talking about TOM arnold. boy is my face red.

Unfortunately, I think you'll get your wish on the next Spider-Man... Probably more so than you would wish. The writers of that crappy WB show, Smallville, are reportedly writing the script to the second film. So don't worry. It should be as situational as Saved By the Bell, The College Years. I like the human aspect of Spider-Man as well, but I wish they could've got someone with a lick of talent to write the script. Like someone said on a previous talkback, how could you give this project to a team of people who have stated publically that they hate comic books. I'm way counting on Sam Raimi to make all the right tweaks to the script during production.

Why couldn't Sam Niell play the Lizard? He could reprise his role of Alan Grant who got his arm bitten off by a Radioactive Raptor on that Jurrasic Park Playground while trying to save Tea Leoni career. As for Doc Ock wouldn't it be better to use an Old Actor like Max Von Sydow or something; this way they can use that classic Spiderman storyline where Doc Octopus was in love and tried to marry Aunt May.

He already has acting experience with Toby, see Pleasantville. Check out this pic: http://www.worldofcheese.org/knotts/gallery/older_don.jpg If you don't like that idea, how about Bob Hope. I'm sure suspending him by wires would kill him though.

Since at least there we've got Kirsten vouching for her presense in the film. Whoever it is must be 1) Blonde (hopefully); 2) Able to compete on the Sex-o-meter with Kirsten; 3) Be flighty and dangerous, all at the same time. Actually, if you ditch the 'blonde' requirement, Eliza Dushku would be perfect. I'm not sure there ARE any young blondes who could do the job.

Some very good suggestions here. Harvey Keitel would be a *fantastic* Doc Ock. I still would have liked to see him as Wolverine, but him as Ock would be a super consolation prize. Ben Kinsley as Vulture is exquisite! Kudos to those of you who mentioned the preceding. My own suggestions would be Billy Zane as a younger Electro and Christopher Sarandon (Fright Night, Princess Bride, "Hands Clean" video) as Kraven.

Now there's an oppourtunity for boring cgi lightning bolts if I ever saw one. Is anyone else sick of lightning bolts shooting out of people's hands? God, I am. I was really bummed when they showed up in AOTC, but evil Jedi's are known for that sort of thing, so I forgave it. If memory serves me, they could have done it in FOTR, but didn't. Thank God! Anyway, Electro blows, give me a Lizard guy or Doc Ock anyday. Im beggining to think that us fanboys don't know crap! Electro? ELECTRO???!!

My suggestions for casting actors in forthcoming Spidey (sic Stan Lee) movies would be: Doctor Octopus - Tyne Daly The Lizard - Rosie O'Donnell Sandman - Steve Guttenburg Venom - Tim Allen The Vulture - Tom Selleck The Rhino - Bill Cosby Hobgoblin - Burt Reynolds and For everything else Marky Mark (feat The Funky Bunch as sidekicks). Plus The Obligatory Guest Appearance From Bruce Campbell. Give the fans what they want. Is it me or is it getting hot in here?

Because he is a great actor. I don't keep up on his social itinerary and I don't really care if he wastes his time off camera. I remember a him as a great actor who played Mel Prophet on "Wise Guy" and did some great work in the '90s. I have not seen him in anything since "American Beauty". And btw people,John Malkovich already turned down the Green Goblin role so he aint doin' a Spidey villian ever-then again, $350M and counting domestic gross may change his mind. (Hahaha dummy!)

Sam Neill is too skinny. Doc Ock is stocky, super-intelligent, menacing, and weird. WHO can play such a role AND physically look like the character? Vincent D'Onofrio, of course! Robin Willimas!?! Please be serious, it is out of his range (I like Williams in some of his roles, but this is beyond him, I think). Phillip Seymour Hoffman? A good actor, but too mild, in my opinion. D'Onfrio would tear up the screen He has the chops and the intensity to play this character, as well as the look. Cast him now, powers that be!

Sam Neill is a name. He's known worldwide. He may not be the biggest name in show business but that's not the point. It appears that the suits, powers that be, or whoever got Neill this part saw that he is a good actor. Truth of the matter is he'll do fine. He resembles Ock and he's a recognizeable enough screen presence. No complaints here. The decision to have two villains, however, is another story.....If you must cast The Lizard Liev Schreiber will fit the bill quite nicely I do believe.

He was allegedly already offered the role, but turned it down colder than a stuck up college broad to a nice guy. He's quoted as saying "There are some things you don't do." IMHO he's not at a position as an actor to frown upon roles as fad favorite characters in comic book movies.

Roy Orbinson

I don't beleive it! This guy basically played a giant cockroach in Men in Black!! Once you have played a comedic giant cockroach in a sci-fi action-comedy NOTHING is beneath you! Puh-lease! Doc Ock is a big step UP from a ridiculous giant cockroach. Someone should contact D'Onofrio and smack some sense into the man. Doc Ock is a good role for him in a sure-fire blockbuster film.

Scorpion sounds kinda good. But not for the next sequel. maybe for Spider-Man3. Or 4. Ya know what I don't give a shit anymore theres too many jackasses talking about "Well this guy should play this guy." As long as the role isn't fucked up by a terrible actor or the script isn't shitty, than I don't care who plays who. Defoe was perfect for Goblin cause he could act like the mentality of a crazy billionaire and even sort of looks like a goblin, without the mask. So who gives a shit anymore. Sam Neil seems fine for Doc Ock, but I think Marlon Brando looks more like Doc Ock. just give him the crazy hair and big goggles with a lab coat, and it'd be decent enough for a good movie. But thats my opinion, and frankly it doesn't even matter to me.

Really, the pudge, the haircut, the glasses and the grin...Sam Raimi. At least he already has the enthusiasm to play a madman! Failing that, get Bill Gates.

No matter how good or bad an actor they get for the part of Dr Ock, assuming they use him, a poor judgement in the costume could destroy the sequel. So we should worry less about the actor and more about his duds. What do you hope/pray/demand and/or will kill to ensure he wears in the movie? 1. Labcoat? What should he wear beneath? 2. Standard costume in the comics? It's green spandex with orange stripes. 3. 3-piece suit? Sounds good if he's portrayed as a master criminal, but not for a climactic battle. 4. Street clothes? Ummmm, No. 5. Body armor/hi-tech suit? Sounds "safe". And they already did that with GG. And then it somehow doesn't feel like the Doc. I give up. What should he wear? Somebody please help me here. And this is NOT off-topic. The costume is almost as important as the actor.

I've heard Robin Williams as being rumored to play Doc Oc....which would be outstanding

Robin Williams, out of all the potentials that have been mentioned, would be the best Doc Oc. Same Neil looks nothing like Otto Octavius. Robin Williams has the perfect build for the character, and he's perfect for the role of a deranged scientist. Sam Neil?!?! What's wrong with you guys?!?!

Dafoe was as convincing as Jeremy Irons in Dungeons and Dragons. A big name actor does not always equal a good casting choice. Personally, I am of the camp who thinks that Dafoe trashed what was otherwise a very good superhero movie. Now if we can all forget Merlin, maybe Niell will do a good job as th' Doctor.

i wish he were still alive! he would be the perfect doc oc! he could sing "pretty women" while stalking mary jane down a dark alley. it would have been grand. hell just make a cgi of roy orbison it can be done! hhhhhhhhhwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh...hhaaa..ha...........the horror..the horror...

Since Roy Orbison is dead the only logical choice for Doc Oc can only be Arnold..his accent..bad as it is..is perfect for this role..and his one liners would be great too!...Arny was definitely born to play this part!..just slap on the beatle wig and the Roy Orbison glasses and he be the man! As far as Venom or Carnage...how about putting Randy the Macho-Man Savage in the suit..that dude is HUGE!!...better yet...somebody needs to cast him a LOBO!...FRAG YEAH!

Spider-man was absolutely PERFECT. No matter how great the screenplay, no matter how talented the actors, no matter how realistic the visual effects, PERFECTION can not be surpassed! Same goes for the Matrix sequels... by the way, Sam Neil WOULD be an ideal selection for Doc Oc. Either him or Ben Kingsley (see "Sexy Beast"? Now that guy could REALLY portray a pissed-off, megalomaniacal super-villain!)

This movie had three villians....remember Christopher Walken?

Too bad it's only a rumor. When I read that Sam Neill might play Doctor Octopus, I just about blew my ... well you get the point. I shouted, "There is a God and he loves me!" But, it's probably just a rumor that won't be true and the universe is laughing at me. I'm a big fan of his obviously, and I saw him do nutso pretty well in Event Horizon... too bad the script and director Sucked!

Please tell me no one is actually considering Arnold as Doc Ock! Am I the only person who saw his disasterous performance as Mr. Freeze. God that was horrible. Arnold is no supervillian. That is, unless his skeleton is pure steel and the villian he plays is a villian of the 1980's. The Terminator was the best bad-guy movie Arnold ever did. He should just leave the supervillian game alone.