) and Julianne Nicholson(Ally McBeal
) are all but set to play Spidey's parents, Richard and Mary Parker. Scott has already signed on, while Nicholson is currently in talks. In the comics, Richard and Mary are undercover agents for the CIA(recruited by Nick Fury), who are killed under mysterious circumstances, leaving their only son an orphan. They would eventually return but would be revealed to be extremely lifelike decoys. Ain't that always the luck?
But what has got me really excited is the addition of Irfan Khan, who most will recognize from Slumdog Millionaire
. Khan is set to play a character named Van Atter. That name likely means nothing to most folks, but in the Spideyverse there was a character named Nels Van Atter, who was used as a test subject for an unfinished version of the Green Goblin serum. The formula drove him mad, changed him into a red demon-like creature known as the Proto-Goblin, going into a violent rampage and blaming Norman Osborne for what happened to him. This poses an interesting question. Rhys Ifans we know is going to be playing The Lizard in the film, right? The addition of Van Atter means that maybe the Osborne clan isn't going to be sitting this one out afterall. Chances are Marc Webb isn't going to be looking to have two major villains competing for time so early into his franchise, so does that mean perhaps The Lizard's storyline will be a slow burn? Or perhaps we wont' see Osborne transform into the Green Goblin until next film? Or possibly even the third?
Or maybe I'm just reading too much into this and maybe Van Atter is just an inconsequential character with a name pulled out of Spidey lore. Eh, doubt it.
You can read more of HeatVision's coverage of this story here.
