'Amazing Spider-Man 2': Chris Cooper to Play Green Goblin

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Oscar winner Chris Cooper has signed on to play Norman Osborn in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for Columbia Pictures.

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The character of Osborn is pivotal in the franchise because he is the alter ego of the Green Goblin, which was played by Willem Dafoe in the original Spider-Man trilogy. It is unclear whether Cooper will make his villainous turn in this film or in a sequel. Osborn starts out as a mentor to the superhero before turning bad.

The film stars Andrew Garfield as the webslinger and Emma Stone as his love interest.

Cooper, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for 2002's Adaptation, joins an all-star cast of villains that includes Jamie Foxx and Paul Giamatti.

The screenplay is by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner based on a previous draft by James Vanderbilt. The film will be produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach.

The sequel is set for release May 2,  2014.

Cooper, whose credits also include The Muppets, Syriana and American Beauty, next will be seen in August: Osage County. He is repped by Untitled Entertainment.

Email: Tatiana.Siegel@THR.com, Twitter: @TatianaSiegel27