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Nicolas Cage turned down the chance to play Green Goblin in 2002’s Spider-Man, saying it “was the right choice” for him at the time
Although the role eventually went to Willem Dafoe, Cage said he has always enjoyed balancing both heroes and villains throughout his career
Over two decades later, the actor is officially joining the Spider-Man universe through the new Prime Video series Spider-Noir, which premieres on May 27
Nicolas Cage has spent decades balancing blockbuster heroes with deeply unsettling villains, but there was one antagonist he turned down.
Talking to PEOPLE at the New York City premiere of Spider-Noir, Cage admits he declined the opportunity to play the Green Goblin in 2002’s Spider-Man.
The actor says that, at the time, he spoke to director Sam Raimi about the role, but ultimately decided to join the cast of Adaptation instead.
“For me, that was the right choice at the time,” Cage, 62, says.
Adaptation, which also came out in 2002, was directed by Spike Jonze and starred Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper and Tilda Swinton, to name a few.
Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin in 2002’s ‘Spider-Man.’
Credit: Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection
After passing on the role of Norman Osborn in the superhero flick, it ultimately went to Willem Dafoe, whose performance became one of the most memorable villains in superhero movie history.
Even so, Cage explained that he has always enjoyed taking on both heroic and sinister characters throughout his career rather than being boxed into one type of role.
“I’ve played plenty of villains. I like both,” he explains. “I think they’re both important parts of cinema. I would not want to get trapped into doing one thing.”
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Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly in ‘Spider-Noir.’
Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video
Nevertheless, more than two decades later, Cage is finally getting his own place in the Spider-Man universe through Spider-Noir. The live-action comic-book adaptation expands on the character of Ben Reilly, an aging private investigator in 1930s New York City, who Cage previously voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Cage recently appeared at the New York City premiere of the show, alongside costars Brendan Gleeson, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Lukas Haas and Abraham Popoola.
When discussing the development of his character, Cage tells PEOPLE he wanted to blend classic Hollywood influences with the comic-book world by channeling “some of my favorite old-style actors, [James] Cagney, [Humphrey] Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, and collide them with Stan Lee’s masterpiece, Spider-Man, and create something new.”
Cage also shares that much of his preparation came from revisiting older films and trying to capture their “aura.”
Spider-Noir is slated to debut on Prime Video on May 27 and will be available to watch in both black-and-white and color versions.
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