Rhys Ifans to battle Spider-Man

Columbia Pictures have revealed the actor who will star as the villain in Marc Webb‘s upcoming Spider-Man reboot: Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, The Boat That Rocked)! It is unknown which character from the Marvel universe Ifans will bring to life.

As previously reported, Andrew Garfield will star as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Emma Stone has been cast as his first love Gwen Stacy. Supposedly Mary Jane Watson will also feature in the film, albeit in a much smaller role than in Sam Raimi‘s original trilogy.

Spider-Man 3-D begins shooting later this year for a May 2012 debut.

Discuss: So, Spike from Notting Hill will be the big bad? I’m intrigued. Looking forward to more casting surprises…