Home » News » Spider-Man - Nicolas Cage was the first choice to play Green Goblin and not Willem Dafoe; did you know?
Spider-Man - Nicolas Cage was the first choice to play Green Goblin and not Willem Dafoe; did you know?
Spider-Man starring Tobey Maguire was the beginning of a trilogy that is to date labelled iconic.
Jun 17, 2024
Nicolas Cage Was The First Choice For Green Goblin?
The world of Spider-Man in the live-action realm is one of the most headline-making corners of the film industry. Even with just a handful of films featuring the web-slinging superhero, they have managed to be among the most buzz-worthy releases in their respective years. While Tom Holland’s trilogy and involvement in the MCU are much discussed, and Andrew Garfield’s incomplete trilogy always makes news, nothing can compare to the love Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man movies enjoy. Directed by Sam Raimi, these three films are cherished by fans and are still enjoyed today. The most beloved of them has to be Spider-Man 2, which became iconic in no time. The film is still regarded as the best Spider-Man movie of all time by many fans across the world.
Nicolas Cage As Green Goblin?
While Tobey was, of course, the heart of these films released in the 2000s, the trilogy became iconic also because of its villains, who became the highlight. Alfred Molina, who played Doctor Octopus, gave us sleepless nights, but it was always the Green Goblin, played by Willem Dafoe, who scared us to the core. Dafoe made the character so legendary that no other actor can ever match what he did with the Green Goblin. But what if we told you he wasn't the first choice to play the part and that it was actually Nicolas Cage? Read on to know everything about this fascinating trivia.
We were equally shocked to learn this fact. Nicolas Cage is no stranger to playing superhero characters. His journey with Superman, the very brief Ghost Rider stint, and now the Spider-Man Noir series are things we have been reading about for a while. But we never thought that the studio once considered him to play Green Goblin over Willem Dafoe because that is the wildest casting trivia for us at this point. According to Screenrant, Cage was the first choice to play Norman Osborn in Spider-Man (2002).
Nicolas Cage was the frontrunner in the race to play the part that Willem Dafoe ultimately made iconic. It is said that he was always the first choice, and even Stan Lee himself advocated for his casting as Norman Osborn. Unfortunately, Cage’s schedule was too packed, and he was indeed a busy actor, which led the makers to drop the plan and move to Willem Dafoe.
However, Willem Dafoe has now reprised his role as Norman Osborn in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and he is still as scary as he was two decades ago. The actor was hailed for his performance in the Tom Holland starrer. There have been reports that he might even reprise the part soon. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.
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