Malkovich on ‘Spider-Man 4′ Casting, Joins ‘Red’

Published by Jeff Leins on January 11, 2010

Sony is still sorting through script issues on Spider-Man 4 that caused the indefinite delay just before the holidays.  Director Sam Raimi hated the latest screenplay draft, according to reports, and the argument seems to be over which villain (or villains) should be included in the fourth installment.

John Malkovich has been rumored as the Vulture and Anne Hathaway’s casting as either Black Cat/Felicia Hardy or the Vulturess remains a question mark.

In an interview with Italian soccer TV show “Quelli Che il Calcio” (translated at ComingSoon), Malkovich did not deny his involvement in the sequel while confirming he’s waiting for the final script.  Technically he never said “I am playing the Vulture,” though reports have linked him as the main villain and Raimi’s first choice for the new Spidey nemesis.  Malkovich hopes shooting will begin as soon as possible.

Malkovich was originally considered for the Green Goblin role in the original Spider-Man, but the part ultimately went to Willem Dafoe.

Meanwhile, Malkovich is finding work in other comic book movies outside of Jonah Hex and Spider-Man.  According to THR’s Heat Vision Blog, he’s replacing the previously announced John C. Reilly in Red, a spy thriller about a retired black ops agent battling a team of hired killers.  Malkovich plays an erratic retired CIA agent who is paranoid everyone is out to kill him, and joins forces with Bruce Willis’ character to discover who ordered the assassination.

The cast is already packed with stars, including Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Mary-Louise Parker, Julian McMahon, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine and Brian Cox.