Back in 2012 when ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ first came out, there was a lot of mixed reviews for the film, some really liking the reboot and others feeling that it was not as great as it had potential to be. Little did we know that the man who played the film’s main antagonist The Lizard, (Rhys Ifans), also took umbrage to how the film and his character were handled by the studio. In his words:

“As I got into it, I remember looking into The Lizard and there was one of the comics where Dr. Curt Connors goes home, and he’s messing about with his Lizard-ness. He takes his work home with him, and he eats his kids. I remember thinking at the time, ‘That’s the film I want to be in.’ Not necessarily Dr. Curt Connors eating his kids, but in terms of exploration, in terms of what this film could be about, that was the film. And of course, it could never be that. Whatever you’re told and promised at the beginning of something, when it comes to franchises like that, it’s never ever going to be what ends up on screen.”

It seems he thought that he was going to be playing up more of the duality of the Dr. Connors/The Lizard character, when instead in the film, once he becomes the lizard, he becomes entirely evil, and more or less a one-dimensional villain. It would have brought real depth to the role to see Dr. Connors’ personality attempting to emerge from or control the Lizard, trying to prevent the atrocities he wanted to commit, but instead the lizard was singular in his vision, and all the more boring because of it. One can definitely understand the frustration of Ifans in knowing what a great role the character could have been, all stymied by the studio’s demands and the vision of Marc Webb.

When asked what Ifans thinks of Spidey being rebooting in the MCU, the actor did not really seem to care that much, aside from a comment that he hopes they emphasis the “boot,” as in his words, the franchise “…needs a kick up the arse.”

What were your thoughts on how the Lizard was handled in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man?” Do think it was the writing, or Ifans portrayal that most affected the final result? Share your opinions below!

Source: Total Film