Despite reliable rumors to the contrary, it doesn't sound like Paul Giamatti will be reprising the role of Aleksei Sytsevich, aka Rhino, for Spider-Man : No Way Home after all.
Though the character did always seem like an odd choice to be reintroduced as a member of the interdimensional Sinister Six, Jeff Sneider recently reported that the rampaging villain was set to return along with Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Electro (Jamie Foxx), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and Lizard (Rhys Ifans). Although he did stress that this was just something he'd heard, it gelled with previous rumors.
Now, Giamatti has cast doubt on his return during an interview with ComicBook.com
"I'm happy. I hadn't followed any of [these rumors]. Somebody else just asked me about this, so I hadn't been following. I'm okay with that. I'm certainly okay to just leave it all where it is. It's fine with me."
Of course, there's always a chance the Gunpowder Milkshake actor is simply playing coy in order to avoid pulling a "Molina" and confirming his involvement prematurely, but something tells us he's on the level here.
While specific plot details are still under wraps, we do know that Spider-Man: No Way Home will feature Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Spider-Man 2 actor Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus, and TASM 2's Jamie Foxx as Electro, along with returning cast members Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Tony Revolori and Marisa Tomei.
Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield (among others) are expected to return as their respective takes on Spidey, but that's yet to be made official.
What do you guys make of Giamatti's comments? Were you looking forward to seeing Rhino again? Let us know in the usual spot.