Nicolas Cage doesn’t regret rejecting the chance to play one of the most iconic supervillains in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. The actor’s comments came amidst the upcoming release of his new superhero series featuring a different version of the web-slinger.
Nicolas Cage on declining Green Goblin role in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man
On the red carpet for his new Prime Video Original, Spider-Noir, Nicolas Cage reflected on his decision not to play Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man film in 2002.
“For me, that was the right choice at the time,” he told PEOPLE. He acknowledged that villains and heroes are both “important parts of cinema,” which is why he admitted that he likes to play both. While Cage has portrayed villains on the big screen, he explained that he doesn’t want to “get trapped into doing one thing.”
The Longlegs star’s explanation seems reasonable. Green Goblin appeared in all three of Raimi’s films (through hallucinations in the sequels). He also played a major role in the MCU’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Meanwhile, in between the two franchises, Cage played three comic book heroes: Big Daddy in Kick-Ass, Ghost Rider, and Spider-Noir in the Spider-Verse films.
Ultimately, the actor’s decision worked in his favor. He went on to play the twins, Charlie and Donald Kaufman, in Spike Jonze’s 2002 film, Adaptation. It not only received critical acclaim, but it also earned the actor his second Oscar nomination. Meanwhile, the role of Green Goblin went to Willem Dafoe, whose portrayal received unanimous praise.
Later this month, Prime Video will premiere Spider-Noir, in which Nicolas Cage will play the titular hero. Unlike the Spider-Verse animated films, this will be a live-action series. It will take place in an alternate universe in 1930s New York City. Viewers can watch it in either “Authentic Black & White” or “True Hue Full Color” modes.
In preparation for the role, the Oscar-winning actor said that he tried to “channel” some of his favorite old-world noir film actors, such as “[James] Cagney, [Humphrey] Bogart, and Edward G. Robinson,” and “collide” it with Stan Lee’s works.
All eight episodes of Spider-Noir will debut on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on SuperHeroHype.