When it was first revealed that the talented thespian, Irrfan Khan (Slumdog Millionaire) was cast in The Amazing Spider-Man and that he would play a scientist named Van Atter fans immediately made the connection to Proto-Goblin [known in Marvel Comics as Van Adder]. However, recently Sony revealed that Khan's character would be renamed Dr. Rath and the actor himself has stated that his only condition for joining the cast was that he would not play a masked villain or a creature. However, in a subsequent interview, Khan did reveal that he would indeed be playing a pivotol villain in the film [I'm assuming just not a masked one]. Now, in a more recent interview, Khan briefly touched on The Amazing Spider-Man and has a quote that quizzically seems to contradict one of his prior statements.
On his work in The Amazing Spider-Man:
Khan: "It was wonderful working with Marc Webb in the film. He is a fabulous director. Adapting a costume was not difficult but the way he approached me, the respect he showered on me is very rarely seen".
Again, previously Khan stated that he did not want to play a masked villain or a creature, so many assumed that Proto-Goblin was out. Furthermore Sony changed his character's name to Dr. Ratha, maybe to throw observant fans off track? However, Khan has revealed that he will indeed be a villain and now that he might have a costume? Granted, he could be referencing some other aspect of the film, but the placement and timing leads me to believe that he's referring to his own costume. Also, the initial denial from Khan was rather odd, why speak out against playing a creature or masked villain unless that was Sony's initial request?
My best guess is that Khan was approached to play Proto-Goblin and Khan, as most actors would [see Captain America sans his helmet in most of the The Avengers footage seen thus far], responded that he did not want to have his face covered-up on screen. If I was a betting man, I'd say the "Proto-Goblin" character was retooled per Khan's request and that Sony changed the character's name because they've strayed so far from the characters comic book origin. I'd also place a second wager on the notion that Khan's character, who works at OSCORP, will probably engage in work that will lead to a Nomran Osborn/Green Goblin appearance in a sequel.
Running Time: Unknown
Release Date: July 3, 2012 (USA)
MPAA Rating: Unknown
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Rhys Ifans, Emma Stone, Sally Field and Martin Sheen.
Directed by: Marc Webb
Written by: James Vanderbilt (initial screenplay),Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves (revised draft)
Click here to read a rundown of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN spoilers for 2011.
The Amazing Spider-Man is an upcoming American superhero film directed by Marc Webb, based on the comic book of the same name and starring Andrew Garfield as the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures film that portrays Spider-Man in film and is a reboot of the film series that stars the superhero. The cast includes Garfield as Peter Parker and his alter ego, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors. The film will portray Parker as his super powers are evolving in high school.
The film's development began simultaneously with Sony announcing the cancellation of Spider-Man 4. Opting for a reboot with the same production team rather than another sequel, the studio announced a July 2012 release date for what was now titled The Amazing Spider-Man. James Vanderbilt was hired to write the script while Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves helped fine-tune the script. Filming started in December 2010 in Los Angeles before moving to New York City with the help of RED Epic camera. The film entered post-production in April 2011.
Sony Entertainment has focused its marketing campaign with a promotional website with released images, 2 theatrical trailers, a prologue screening in certain cities and a video game tie-in being developed by Beenox among other products. The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled to be released in 3D and IMAX 3D on July 3, 2012. A sequel of the film is being planned for release in 2014 with James Vanderbilt hired to again write the screenplay.