Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 introduced some of the most interesting antagonists in the franchise, but one actor laments that he did not get his chance to show off his character’s villain side after the fourth installment was scrapped.
The Lizard aka Dr. Curt Connors was supposed to make his way into Spider-Man 4. However, fans still got to see the character come to life in Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man film.
Spider-Man 2 Star Dylan Baker Regrets Not Being Able To Play Lizard
In an interview with ComicBook, actor Dylan Baker expressed his disappointment at his lost opportunity to fully transform his character Curt Connors as the Lizard in Sam Raimi’s unproduced 4th Spider-Man movie.
I have to say, when Sam Raimi called me up and said that he was not going to be carried on to direct Spider-Man 4 [I was disappointed]. He started to tell me about the script he had written and was ready to do and ready to shoot, but it was not going to be able to be done at the time they wanted it to be done.
Baker said he was happy to see actor Rhys Ifans bring the Lizard to the big screen in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, but he wishes it could have been him. In the movie, he portrayed one of Peter Parker’s college physics professors.
It was just letting the Lizard come out and see the world and it just killed me. I would have loved to have done that. Luckily, Rhys Ifans was fantastic and I got to go, ‘Very well done,’ while wishing I could have done it.
Raimi shared his realization with Fandango via ComicBook after working on MCU’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He said of the possibility of making a Spider-Man 4 happen: “Anything is possible, really anything in the Marvel universe, any team-ups.”
However, he admits: “I don’t really have a story or a plan. I don’t know if Marvel would be interested in that right now.” Nonetheless, Raimi is enthusiastic to work with Tobey Maguire again even if it’s not in a Spider-Man film.
Spider-Man 2 Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary
This year marks two decades since Raimi’s second Spider-Man film came out. It was a massive success for Sony and Columbia Pictures after it earned over $795 million in worldwide ticket sales against a production budget of $200 million, as per The Numbers.
On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered an impressive 93% approval rating and was highly lauded for its emotional focus and commendable villain. The sequel film was re-released in theaters last April as part of Columbia Pictures’ 100th anniversary celebration.
Despite getting rebooted twice, Raimi’s Spider-Man movies with Tobey Maguire in the lead remain a crowd favorite and still a guilty pleasure to watch for many fans.
Spider-Man 2 is available to watch on Disney+.
