‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Casts Chris Cooper As Norman Osborn

Guess who The Amazing Spider-Man 2 locked down to play the villainous Norman Osborn? None other than critically-acclaimed actor Chris Cooper.

In my opinion, The Amazing Spider-Man was a so-so reboot of Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy, but it provided enough of a compelling groundwork to get myself (and audiences) amped for a broader sequel. That sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, is truly shaping up to be something special with a stellar cast list that mostly serves to sow further seeds for future entries.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 already hosts returning stars Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker) and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy) and new cast members including Jamie Foxx (Electro), Paul Giamatti (Rhino) and Shailene Woodley (Mary Jane Watson).

Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Chris Cooper(American Beauty) has signed on to play Norman Osborn, also known as the villainous Green Goblin.

The role of Normal Osborn/Green Goblin was previously held by actor Willem Dafoe in the Raimi trilogy. Though his character was officially killed off in the first film, he returned in cameos for the sequels as a ghost/hallucination to son, Harry Osborn (James Franco).

In the new series of films, Norman Osborn’s character was teased in the first film, as the oft-mentioned and enigmatic head of OsCorp where Gwen Stacy was an intern and the film’s villain, The Lizard, was an employee.

We’re not sure how they’re planning on handling Norman Osborn’s character in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 just yet, but the possibilities are endless. Dane Dehaan was cast as Harry Osborn for the new film continuity, so my best guess is that Norman will play a distant bit role while Harry and Peter’s friendship is established. The same rings true of Shailene Woodley’s Mary Jane, who is apparently only going to have a few scenes in the film with an expanded role in the third entry.

Still, the theme of “father figures” in the new Spider-Man films may allow Cooper’s Osborn to take a more central role, and hopefully a deeper one than in the previous films. Ultimately, whether in the sequel or the third entry, Norman Osborn will have to transform into the villainous Green Goblin, and we all know what that means for Stone’s Gwen Stacy.

Fun fact: Chris Cooper was the original Lt. James Gordon in Batman Begins before dropping out of the role (which ultimately went to Gary Oldman).

Sound off, readers! Do you think that Chris Cooper will make a good Norman Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2? What do you think his role in the sequel will be?