Since Johnny Depp’s victory in the highly-publicized defamation lawsuit with ex-wife Amber Heard back in 2022, we’ve been curious if the actor would be getting a career comeback. He’s since starred in the French film Jeanne du Barry, has a movie with Penélope Cruz on the way, and has just signed on to his highest profile movie post-trial yet. Depp is allegedly in “final negotiations” to star in a movie called Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol for Paramount Pictures. The project comes from a celebrated filmmaker and seems to directly be competing with another one like it.

Johnny Depp Is Starring In An Upcoming Version Of A Christmas Carol

As Deadline reports, Johnny Depp is getting ready to work with filmmaker Ti West on Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, who famously made the critically-acclaimed X trilogy with Mia Goth. Depp will be joined by Oscar-nominated actress Andrea Riseborough, and the movie has already earned a place on the 2026 movie release calendar for November 13, 2026. The latest adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic comes from a script by Legion and Tales From The Loop writer Nathaniel Halpern.

While it wasn’t necessarily confirmed in the report, we of course expect Depp to play Ebenezer Scrooge. Knowing some of the actor’s choices in the past, this is right up his alley. And since Ti West has grown a following with his work in the horror space, we’re certainly curious about what his version of the holiday staple will look like.

But, There’s Already A Similar Project In The Works With Willem Dafoe

This brings me to why this is such a surprising project, outside of it being Johnny Depp's biggest one in years. Back in June, it was actually announced that Nosferatu director Robert Eggers was making his own version of A Christmas Carol with Willem Dafoe as Scrooge. This one doesn’t have a release date yet, but Paramount seems to be competitively beating this film from Warner Bros. to the punch by turning around with a date that could very well have Eggers being haunted by Christmas’s future.

Surely if Johnny Depp and Ti West’s A Christmas Carol take comes out before Eggers’ version, people will be comparing it to Eggers version whenever it comes out. Also, Eggers’ current priority is a movie called Werwulf, which is also with Dafoe, along with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Lily-Rose Depp (who is Depp’s daughter). Werwulf is currently in production and set for a Christmas Day 2026 release.

Things like this happen all the time in Hollywood. Just look at how there’s two Frankenstein-related movies coming out within months of each other between Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix version and The Bride! helmed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. We’ll keep our eyes peeled as we wait for more information of these A Christmas Carol movies here on CinemaBlend.

Over the years, Robert Eggers has become one of the directors whose name I look forward to seeing on upcoming horror movies. After his stunning directorial debut with 2015’s The Witch, he’s made a series of great follow ups from The Lighthouse to his biggest hit yet in Nosferatu. Now, I’ve just learned the filmmaker is looking at adapting A Christmas Carol next, a bit of a change of pace for the filmmaker, and the first name coming up for casting already has me ready to visit the spirit of Christmas future.

Willem Dafoe As Scrooge Is Potentially Inspired Casting For A Christmas Carol

Deadline is reporting that Robert Eggers’ frequent collaborator Willem Dafoe is being eyed for the part of Ebenezer Scrooge in his version of A Christmas Carol. And now that I’ve imagined Dafoe as the old miser at the center of the Charles Dickens classic, I absolutely need this to happen now. I have no notes at all; it’d simply be perfect casting to see the acclaimed actor go on the journey of A Christmas Carol.

To be honest, I wouldn’t have said I need a remake of A Christmas Carol before hearing Eggers and Dafoe’s names together. There've been quite a few great A Christmas Carol movies over the years, and I’m not necessarily itching for another version. However, now that I think about it, Dafoe was practically born to play Scrooge. There’s a dramatic and epic quality to his acting that’s perfect for his arc, and I know Eggers will have a unique vision for the classic story.

I'm Also Intrigued About How Robert Eggers Would Adapt The Charles Dickens Classic

Regarding my interest in a Robert Eggers’ A Christmas Carol, I’m particularly interested because the Dickens book isn’t a horror story, but absolutely could be adapted with the filmmaking sensibilities of the writer/director. What Eggers has done so masterfully over the years with his filmography is expertly use production design, sound design, makeup and effects to really immerse audiences into the dread and disturbing feelings were meant to feel with the characters (not to mention specific period settings), and I can absolutely see how he could do the same thing with A Christmas Carol.

In our Nosferatu review, we gave the movie a really solid four out of five stars, and the movie (which came out on Christmas of last year) did rather well, making $181 million worldwide against a reported $50 million production budget. Now that Eggers has shown he can make a commercial success, I do like the idea of him tackling more classics like A Christmas Carol. I’m already shaking in my boots thinking about how he plans to adapt each spirit. And I’d be excited to know who he casts for each one of them.

Before A Christmas Carol, Robert Eggers already has another movie he’s making first. We know he’s doing a werewolf movie called Werwulf which is dated for Christmas Day in 2026. His holiday gifts of movies just keep coming, and A Christmas Carol could be another solid addition to his body of work.

When it comes to immensely talented and lovable Hollywood veterans, Willem Dafoe is a non-negotiable for many due to his ability to transform into different characters. Whether you love him in To Love and Die in L.A. or Nosferatu, he never disappoints. Even Dafoe’s castmate Finn Wolfhard had a similar experience working with the actor in the upcoming A24 film The Legend of Ochi. Though while Dafoe is known for immersing himself in his character, Wolfhard admitted he had trouble differentiating the actor from the role he knew him best from: Spider-Man.

The Stranger Things S5 actor recently opened up about his Spidey sense tingling while working with The Lighthouse alum. While the 22-year-old had nothing but positive things to say to People about the adventure film (filled with a YouTuber's impressive bird sound skills) and his well-regarded peer, he admitted he had a bit of a tough time with it for the "first few days," noting:

The 2002 movie was many people's first introduction to the 69-year-old, and given a lot of fans are frequently watching the Spider-man movies in order, I'm not surprised we're still talking about today. It probably didn't help Wolfhard's perspective that Dafoe more recently reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well. So, it's fresh-ish on everyone's mind.

The actor shared more of what it was like to work with the Poor Things actor, and it does sound like he was a bit star-struck himself over the experience. He noted he continued to marvel at the reality of the household name, and every element of him felt ‘real.’ In his words:

I think most of us see Wolfhard as a pretty big star himself given roles like Stranger Things or It. However, the list of great Willem Dafoe movies wraps around the block compared to what the young actor has put out so far, so I get it.

The rising talent even intentionally took notes from the prolific performer while watching him act. The lessons he took were invaluable, and he believes that Dafoe is honestly fully dedicated to the craft over anything else.

What a great experience for an already-promising actor, musician and filmmaker. While we’ve already seen what type of chops Finn Wolfhard has, it definitely feels like there’s more great stuff to come in his future, especially given how seriously he seems to be studying and taking his Hollywood gigs.

Now that Wolfhard has worked through his Norman Osborn-filled moment with Dafoe, I'm personally excited to catch the title and see their onscreen dynamic. It's not his only role I'm stoked to see, as I'm pumped to watch him as Mike Wheeler on Stranger Things when the final season hits the Netflix schedule. (To note, he was reported to have an emotional hangover post ST5 wrapped so he's frequently a guy with feelings about his work.)

For now, you can check out Dafoe at least in the iconic Norman Osborn/Green Goblin performance with a Disney subscription.

Some of the biggest and best actors have never won competitive acting Oscars. Some of those names might completely shock you as they have certainly put in the performances that make them worthy of winning the awards. There are a few on this list who have won honorary Oscars or won in other categories, like directing or acting, but none of these stars have been bestowed with the one they probably want the most. So here is our list of actors and actresses who have shockingly never won an Oscar for acting.

Glenn Close

At the top of the list of actors who have shockingly never won an Oscar has to be the great Glenn Close. For decades Close has been putting amazing performances on film, and yet that golden statue has eluded her. She has won multiple Tonys, Emmys, and Golden Globe awards, yet, despite an amazing eight nominations for either Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress, she's yet to win one.

Tom Cruise

There is no bigger "movie star" on the planet than Tom Cruise. While no one would realistically expect Cruise to be nominated for his action roles like in the Mission: Impossible movies (though, his stunt work in those movies should really be acknowledged), the Top Gun star has put in the work with Oscar-worthy performances in films like Rain Man, Jerry Maguire, Born on the Fourth of July, and Magnolia. He has been nominated four times, but he's yet to take home the prize.

Angela Bassett

In 1994 Angela Bassett lost out on the Best Actress Oscar for her incredible, transformative performance as Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It. Not to take anything away from the winner, Holly Hunter for The Piano, but it's frankly astonishing Bassett didn't win. Sadly, though she was honored in 2024 by the Academy, she still has yet to win a competitive Oscar.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp has gotten a lot of bad press in recent years and that may hurt his future chances to win an Academy Award, but frankly, it's amazing he hasn't already won multiple Oscars, and yet he's never won even one. Despite three nominations and many other amazing performances, the Pirates Of The Caribbean star is still Oscar-less.

Sigourney Weaver

It's hard to believe that Sigourney Weaver hasn't even been nominated for an Oscar since the 1980s, when she was nominated thrice. In spite of wonderful performances in huge hits like Avatar and Aliens, she's still searching for that golden statue.

Bradley Cooper

Honestly, you can almost smell the desperation on Bradley Cooper to win an Oscar and that's completely understandable. Cooper is one of the best actors of his generation and has been nominated five times in an acting category (and another seven times in other categories), but hasn't won...yet. He'll surely get one.

Annette Bening

Five nominations and no wins. That's Annette Bening's resume at the Oscars and that is shocking. For decades she's been crushing it on screen and despite those nominations, most recently in 2023 for her incredible performance in Nyad, a win has eluded her.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey may have burst on the scene in wild comedies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask - and we can argue that amazing comedic performances don't get nearly enough love from the Academy - but his more serious roles, like in Man on the Moon and even The Truman Show are certainly worthy of Oscars. Despite multiple Golden Globe nominations and wins, the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind actor has never even been nominated for an Oscar.

Amy Adams

When Amy Adams was first nominated for an Academy Award in 2005 for her breakthrough performance in Junebug, a betting person would have bet everything that she would win an Oscar in her career. Yet here we are more than 20 years later and despite five more nominations, Adams is still Oscar-less.

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson has played every kind of character and starred in every kind of movie. From mega-franchises like Star Wars and the MCU, to more indie films like Pulp Fiction and Do The Right Thing, Jackson has done it all in Hollywood, except win a competitive Oscar and he's shockingly only been nominated once. He was honored by the Academy in 2021 for his body of work.

Scarlett Johansson

In 2020 Scarlett Johansson was nominated in both the Bet Actress category for Marriage Story and Best Supporting Actress for Jojo Rabbit. She lost out in both that year and despite an incredible career, they remain her only nominations.

Laurence Fishburne

Literally, since his breakout movie role when he was only 16 in Apocalypse Now, Laurence Fishburne has been putting in award-worthy performances. One of the most astonishing facts on this list, Fishbourne has only been nominated once, for What's Love Got to Do with It in 1994. Despite roles like Furious Styles in Boyz n The Hood, Professor Phipps in Higher Learning, and countless others, he still hasn't won.

Hugh Jackman

While he's best known for his work as Wolverine these days, the multi-talented Hugh Jackman has a ton of performances that have deserved more attention from the Academy. He's won every other award on the planet, including three of the "EGOT" awards, but he's still missing the "O."

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams has been nominated for an Academy Award five times, starting with her breakout role in 2005's Brokeback Mountain. She has yet to break through with a win though. Certainly, she will at some point, right?

Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan was just 13 years old when she landed her first Oscar nomination for her performance in Atonement. The Lady Bird star has been nominated three subsequent times but hasn't been able to nail down an award yet. A win for Ronan at some point seems inevitable, given how she crushes every role she's in.

Matt Damon

Another one of the biggest movie stars in the world who has yet to win an acting Oscar is Matt Damon. His most recent of three acting nominations was for 2015's The Martian, and while he has won an Oscar for Best Screenplay for Good Will Hunting, an acting award has eluded him.

Salma Hayek

Despite her transcending performance in Frida, the great Salma Hayek wasn't able to win an Oscar in a stacked category in 2003 (Nicole Kidman won for The Hours). Despite numerous great performances, that remains Hayak's only nomination. For shame.

Willem Dafoe

Despite being one of the most reliable actors in Hollywood for more than four decades, somehow Willem Dafoe has yet to win an Oscar. It seems like every single role he takes on is award-worthy, and yet, despite four nominations, starting with Platoon, he still has yet to take home an Academy Award.

Carey Mulligan

2009's An Education garnered Carey Mulligan her first Oscar nom, and she's since nominated another couple of times, for Promising Young Woman in 2021 and Maestro in 2024. She's run into some stiff competition, but surely at least one of those performances was Oscar-worthy.

Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo has been acting his butt off for decades. For that hard work, he's received four Best Supporting Actor nominations, and shockingly, not for his work in Dark Waters, which might be his best performance of all. It's confounding.

Michelle Pfeiffer

The great Michelle Pfeiffer landed her first Oscar nomination in 1988 for Dangerous Liaisons and picked up two more for The Fabulous Baker Boys in 1989 and Love Field in 1992. Since then? Nothing. Zip. She has not even received a nomination as one of the best actresses of her generation. That has to be remedied, as it makes no sense.

Ralph Fiennes

Between 1996 when he was nominated for The English Patient and 2025 when he was nominated for Conclave, the great Ralph Fiennes wasn't even nominated for an Oscar despite countless award-worthy performances.

Naomi Watts

With two nominations and zero wins, Naomi Watts finds herself on this list. She was first nominated in 2004 for 21 Grams and again in 2013 for The Impossible, but she hasn't lucked out with a win yet. Surely one is in her future though, she's too much of a force not to win one.

Ryan Gosling

Year after year Ryan Gosling has put up fantastic performances, so his inclusion on this list is among the most surprising. He seems like a shoo-in to have won at least one Oscar, right? In not for Barbie or Half Nelson, both of which he was nominated for, then certainly for La La Land. Alas, he's yet to take home a trophy.

Alfre Woodard

When Alfre Woodard was nominated for her first (and to-date only) Oscar nomination way back in 1983 for Cross Creek, you'd be crazy to predict she would not get another one for what is now more than 40 years. Despite amazing performances in films like 12 Years A Slave and many others, she has been shut out.

Warren Beatty

There was no bigger movie star than Warren Beatty in the late '70s and '80s and despite a slew of hits, Beatty has never won an Oscar. Beatty has been nominated four times for Best Actor, yet his only Academy Award win came for Best Director for Reds in 1982. He didn't even win for Dick Tracy! He wasn't actually nominated for that iconic role though, which is understandable.

Laura Linney

Over her long, impressive career, Laura Linney has been nominated for many awards. She's won multiple Emmys and multiple Golden Globes, but she's never taken home a golden statue from the Academy. Linney has been nominated three times, for 2000's You Can Count on Me, 2004's Kinsey, and 2007's The Savages, but lost out each time. Linney has never been in a movie that has won Best Picture, either.

Ed Harris

Ed Harris is one of the best character actors of the last 50 years and yet he's never won an Oscar. He's been nominated three times for Best Supporting Actor, for Apollo 13, The Truman Show, and The Hours, plus picking a nomination for Best Actor for Pollock, but alas, he's never won. Weirdly, he's also 0-3 on Emmy nominations too. He has picked up two Golden Globes though.

Joan Allen

Joan Allen is an actress flies a little under the radar despite putting in amazing performances in everything she is in. It might because she's been incredibly unlucky at winning awards, despite multiple Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations. That luck includes her Oscar nominations, of which she has three, for Nixon, The Crucible, and The Contender, but sadly no wins.

Richard Gere

Despite being box office gold since the early 1980s, Richard Gere has shockingly never been even nominated for an Oscar. He's been in beloved movies that have stood the test of time like Pretty Woman, An Officer And A Gentleman, Primal Fear, Runaway Bride and so many more, but no nominations. Crazy.

Isabelle Huppert

It might not be a huge surprise that a French actress like Isabelle Huppert hasn't won an Oscar, as obviously the winners are almost always from English-language films. Still, Huppert is one of the most decorated actresses of all time in her native France, having been nominated 16 times (and winning twice) for the César Award (France's version of the Academy Awards). She was nominated for an Oscar in 2016 for Elle but lost to Emma Stone (for La La Land).

Paul Dano

It almost seems pre-ordained that at some point Paul Dano will win an Oscar. In performance after performance, he just crushes it. From There Will Be Blood to Love & Mercy, the list of his amazing performances just keeps growing. Like others on this list, the fact that he hasn't even been nominated for an Oscar is mindboggling.

At the end of 2021, Willem Dafoe returned to the role of Norman Osborn, a.k.a. The Green Goblin, in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the 27th of the Marvel movies in order. While it was great to see him reprise the baddie from the Sam Raimi Spidey film series, and we’ll also soon hear Colman Domingo leave his stamp on the character in the Disney+ animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the fact of the matter is that there’s still no indication we’ll ever meet a version of Norman who lives in the main MCU continuity. That said, I am intrigued by another actor’s pitch on playing the role within the franchise.

Chris Diamantopoulos is no stranger to superhero media, having voiced DC characters like Green Arrow, Steve Trevor and Aquaman, as well as various roles in Invincible, which can be streamed with a Prime Video subscription. However, he has yet to leave his stamp on the Marvel space, but while speaking with The Direct, the actor shared how he’s like to play Norman Osborn in the MCU:

That’s a pretty interesting idea. After all, the Spider-Man villains Venom, Morbius and Kraven the Hunter have gotten their own movies set in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, so as Peter Parker’s arch-nemesis, Norman Osborn is more than deserving of his own project to shine in. But unlike those other movies, this series Diamantopoulos is pitching could be set in the same world that Tom Holland’s Peter is swinging around in. 2002’s Spider-Man covered Willem Dafoe’s Norman transforming into Green Goblin, but I like the idea of a Disney+ subscription-exclusive series dedicating six-eight episodes to exploring his fall from grace.

Given those aforementioned Spider-Man-adjacent spinoffs, plus Agatha Harkness getting her own spinoff series after WandaVision and DC giving villains like Joker and Penguin the spotlight on the big and small screens, respectively (and next up is the DC Universe-set Clayface movie), I’d like to think a Green Goblin series could stand a decent shot of happening rather than merely be a pipe dream. Whether or not this does end up being added to the upcoming Marvel TV shows slate someday remains to be seen, but Chris Diamantopoulos is certainly game to join the MCU in some form or fashion. As he explained:

As far as upcoming Spider-Man movies and TV shows go besides the aforementioned Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the only other one that’s scheduled so far is Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4, which comes out on July 24, 2026. However, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is still on the way to wrap up the animated Spider-Verse trilogy, and it’s also been teased that Miles Morales could get his own live-action movie. Then there’s Nicholas Cage’s Spider-Noir series, which is filming now and will air on MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video at a yet-to-be-determined date.

For now, head to Disney+ to revisit Willem Dafoe’s previous Green Goblin appearances, and remember that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man premieres on January 29. Chris Diamantopoulos’ latest project, the TV show The Sticky, can be found on Amazon Prime Video.

While some comic book characters have proven to be ever-recastable on the big screen, some actors leave an indelible mark on the roles they play – and Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn is a perfect example. There have certainly been jokes made about the Green Goblin costume he first wore in 2002's Spider-Man (specifically about the helmet), but his performances as the character are perfection, and it's because Dafoe totally understands the way in which the role needs to be played.

Willem Dafoe has been earning raves of late for his performance in Robert Eggers' Nosferatu (I'm personally a part of that chorus, as seen in my four star CinemaBlend review), but he recently spoke a bit about his time playing Spider-Man's greatest foe in an interview with Empire. He spoke about his specific approach to his performance, and he explained that the key was recognizing it as a dual role: playing both Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin. Speaking to his time making Spider-Man: No Way Home, Dafoe said,

Of course, there is no better sequence that emphasizes this truth than the sequences in Spider-Man in which Norman Osborn converses with his more sinister personality – either via his reflection in a mirror or hearing a voice in his head while talking with his mask.

The extreme distance between the two halves is also brilliantly utilized in Spider-Man: No Way Home when the mad Goblin reveals that he has been pretending to be the "innocent" Norman – which Willem Dafoe directly spoke to in the interview:

Whether or not we will ever seen Willem Dafoe play Norman Osborn again is an unknown at present, but MCU fans can keep fingers crossed, and we can all appreciate that his past performances as the character are endlessly rewatchable. The bad news is that neither Sam Raimi's Spider-Man nor Jon Watts' Spider-Man: No Way Home are currently available in any subscription streaming libraries, but it is easy to acquire both either digitally (both blockbusters are available for rental or purchase) or via physical media (you can find them on either 4K UHD or Blu-ray).

And if you're hoping to see a different side of Willem Dafoe's incredible talent, Nosferatu is now playing in theaters and placed third at the weekend box office.

Some of the most famous memes on the internet come from some of the oddest places. Often you may recognize the star, or the movie or TV show, the memes come from, but the original context is completely lost on you. With this list we are going to help explain what the original context was for these famous memes.

John Travolta In Pulp Fiction

This is one of the more obvious ones. The meme is John Travolta looking around confused. It comes, of course, from Pulp Fiction, when he walks into the Wallace's house to pick up Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) for their date. When he first walks in, Mia is nowhere to be seen, but she can be heard over what seems like an intercom system or sound system. He is confused about where Mia is.

Charlie Day In It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

The "Pepe Silvia Conspriracy is what gives us the great meme of Charlie Day on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia standing wide-eyed in front of a bulletin board with a red string drawn across "evidence" that he's co-worker Pepe Silvia isn't real. it comes from the Season 4 episode, "Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack."

Nicolas Cage In Vampire's Kiss

There is no better actor from which to get great memes than Nicolas Cage, especially in those scenes where Cage goes completely bananas. In Vampire's Kiss, we get such a scene when Cage is just starting to lose it after he hooks up with a vampire who bites his neck.

Gene Wilder In Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

The "tell me more" meme, known officially as "Condescending Wonka" features Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka comes from a scene when Wonka isn't being condescending at all. He's just excited to show the kids the Ever-Lasting Gobstopper.

Patrick Stewart In Star Trek: The Next Generation

There is no question that the Patrick Stewart/Jean-Luc Picard facepalm from Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of the most widely used memes in the history of the entire internet. Curious, it comes from a very brief moment on the show. It's seriously like half a second when he does it. it comes from the Season 3 episode titled "Deja Q" and unsurprisingly, he's stunned by Q.

Leonardo DiCaprio In The Great Gatsby

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the actors people most love to use in a meme and one of his most famous is from the first party scene in The Great Gatsby as he's finally introducing himself as the great Gatsby. Of course, it's matched with great fanfare in the movie, which is sadly missing from the meme (obviously).

Steve Carell In The Office

Steve Carell has had some classic memes made from his expressions on The Office but none more used than the classic shot of him yelling "NO!" It will be no surprise to fans of that Carell's character Micheal is reacting to the return of his nemesis in the office, Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein).

Sean Bean In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

At the Council of Elrond in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Sean Bean's character Boromir declares that "One does not simply walk into Mordor." So a meme was born as the look on Bean's face is perfect for describing anything that isn't easy.

Homer In The Simpsons

The scene of Homer Simpson disappearing into the bushes, used for all kinds of memes to show embarrassment, is, incredibly, over 30 years now. The scene comes from a Season 5 episode called "Homer Loves Flanders." The scene is specifically parodying the Terminator in Terminator 2 and his shape-shifting as Homer chases after Flanders.

Spider-Man In Spider-Man

The famous Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man meme comes from way back in the 1960s and the Spider-Man cartoon that aired for one season in 1967. In the episode, the villain disguises himself as Spider-Man and they confront each other outside the police station.

Robert Redford In Jeremiah Johnson

Jeremiah Johnson is not one of Robert Redford's most remembered movies. In fact, there is a decent chance it would be forgotten completely if not for the famous meme of Redford with his bushy beard looking back over his shoulder seemingly approving something, as the meme makes it out to be. In the movie, he's nodding approval after having trapped a beaver.

Joaquin Phoenix In The Joker

One of the most recent memes to really take off is the scene from The Joker of Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character dances on some stairs as he embraces the villain he has become. The stairs themselves have become a popular tourist spot and famous filming location in The Bronx.

Ice Cube In Friday

It's a statement that has come to mean so much more than the fleeting scene it was originally in Friday. Felicia is the annoying neighbor who is always looking to get over on someone but isn't very good at it. After begging the main characters for a whole bunch of stuff, finally, Craig (Ice Cube) says curtly, "Bye Felicia" and a meme was born,

Willem Dafoe In Spider-Man 3

Willem Dafoe In Spider-Man 3 is really great, especially as Norman Osborn, the alter-ego of The Green Goblin. Famously he tells Peter that he is "something of a scientist himself" and that moment is one that has lived on as one of the most popular memes on the web, used to tell people that "someone is quite the something."

Keanu Reeves In Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Long before the internet was part of everyday life, people were celebrating Keanu Reeves for his famous "Whoa!" in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. In the years since, that celebration has only grown and now it's one of the most widely circulated memes in the world, usually used to signify the same thing it is in the movie, pure surprise. In the scene, it's when they discover all both Bills and Teds are thinking of the same number.

Laurence Fishburne In The Matrix

What if I told you that the line "What if I told you" doesn't actually appear in The Matrix? Would that blow your mind? The reason most people think it does is because of the famous meme of Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus. Morpheus is explaining what the matrix is in the scene, but he never says those words.

James Van Der Beek On Dawson's Creek

The famous "Dawson" crying meme comes from a moment on Dawsom's Creek so brief if you blink at the wrong time, you'll miss it. It comes from a scene in the Season 3 finale when Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and Joey (Katie Holmes) break up. the meme has had a far longer impact on popular culture than the show, it turns out.

Tim Robinson On I Think You Should Leave

Tim Robinson's saying "You sure about that" has quickly become one of the most used memes around, especially on YouTube. It comes from a Season 2 episode of one of the best Netflix original shows, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson where Robinson is playing a stereotypical pitchman on an infomercial.

Jeff Goldblum In Jurassic Park

Ah yes, we've finally come to the "Jeff Goldblum shirtless in Jurassic Park" meme. The scene is after Goldblum's character Dr. Ian Malcolm is injured in the T-Rex attack and he is resting and trying to recover while criticizing what's happening around him.

Woody And Buzz In Toy Story 2

The famous meme of Woody And Buzz from Toy Story 2 has been used for every kind of meme imaginable when trying to explain something to someone. In the movie, it doesn't really have anything to do with that. The scene is when Woody has lost his hat right before leaving with Andy for summer camp and they are desperately looking for it as Buzz seems unconcerned about it all.

Wayne Knight In Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park really is a meme-able movie and one of the most famous ones is Wayne Knight of Seinfeld fame laughing and pointing away from another character. In the scene, he is mocking Dobson (the man in the shades and the hat) for thinking anyone in the beach bar cares what they are doing there. In Meme form, it's used to mock anyone, really.

Bruno Ganz In Downfall

Bruno Ganz in the amazing movie Downfall is a different kind of meme as people rewrite the subtitles of the epic scene in the German movie to fit whatever they are angry about, from sports to casting decisions in the MCU. In the movie, of course, Ganz plays the evil man with a tiny mustache as he is freaking out towards the end of World War II and it's clear he and the Germans have lost.

Ray Liotta In GoodFellas

This famous meme comes from a very famous scene in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. In the scene, Ray Liotta's character Henry Hill is reacting to a funny story told by Tommy (Joe Pesci). It's used for just about everything as a meme, but in the movie, Tommy is very angry at Henry for not explaining how Tommy's funny. Funny how? Funny like a clown? The meme is, that's for sure.

Leonardo DiCaprio In Django Unchained

The very famous meme of Leonardo DiCaprio laughing in Django Unchained is from a shot so brief it's amazing anyone picked up on it to even make it a meme. It's obviously from the dinner party and DiCaprio's character is laughing at his own joke, which makes the meme even better.

Jordan Peele In Key And Peele

Jordan Peele has become better known for his direction of amazing horror movies these days than as half of the brilliant comedy duo Key And Peele, but his most famous comes from the latter. In the sketch, his wife is asking him about his browser history, and the crazier and crazier the searches get the more he starts to sweat until it's pouring like a faucet out of his head.

Wagner Moura In Narcos

"Sad Pablo" has become very popular since Wagner Moura's amazing performance as Pablo Escobar in Narcos. The various memes on him looking sad or contemplative are taken from many moments on the show, but very rarely from when he is actually sad, Mostly they are fleeting moments of the drug kingpin thinking about his next move.

Christine Taylor In A Very Brady Sequel

"Sure Jan" is a pure classic. Obviously, it's Marsha Brady and she is indeed talking down to her sister Jan in the scene in A Very Brady Sequel, which is a pretty underrated comedy based on the original show from the 1960s. In the scene, Jan is making up a story about her imaginary boyfriend, George Glass and while everyone else in the family believes her, Marsha certainly does not.

Arnold Schwarzenegger And Carl Weathers In Predator

In the meme, all we get is two very muscular arms gripping hands in a very masculine handshake. One arm belongs to Arnold Schwarzenegger and the other to Carl Weathers. It comes from a scene in the first Predator movie. When the two characters, who are old friends, first see each other before the mission to seek and destroy the titular enemy.

It’s a Trap! In Return Of The Jedi

This is probably the most famous meme of them all, or at least the one that most people are going to know where it comes from. The origin story here of Admiral Akbar in Return Of The Jedi after the fleet has jumped in the battle above Endor. His famous line is, of course, "It's a trap!"

Bill Skarsgård In It

In what has to be the creepiest popular meme around, Pennywise, as played by Bill Skarsgård in It, is looking up out of a storm drain. It occurs after one of the kids chases his paper boat as it floats down the gutter and into the sewer.

Leonardo DiCaprio In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Proving that everyone loves a great Leonardo DiCaprio meme, one of the more popular ones lately is of the actor from Once Upon A Time In Hollywood as he points at the TV because he's about to be on. Not seen in the photo is Brad Pitt, who is also in the scene watching with DiCaprio.

Nicolas Cage In Wicker Man

"NOT THE BEES!" is one of Nicolas Cage's most unhinged lines from a totally unhinged movie, The Wicker Man. It's a movie that seemingly only exists for the memes. There are a lot of options in the movie, that's for sure.

Willem Dafoe and Bill Skarsgård join us for an exclusive interview about the making of their film "Nosferatu," directed by Robert Eggers. In our penultimate interview of the year (that's right, one more!), Willem Dafoe and Bill Skarsgård break down their process and approach to bringing the classic movie monster to the big screen. Bill shares details about his voice for the Nosferatu character and how no one, even his loved ones, believes it is actually him. Willem praises his director Robert Eggers, explaining how he is a one-of-a-kind filmmaker working today.

Our final interview of the year is dropping Friday so keep a look out for our chat with "Babygirl" director Halina Reijn!

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Billy Bob Thornton has been in a lot of big movies and TV shows over the years, but apparently the actor could have played two iconic movie villains. The actor shared why he turned down being in one of the best Spider-Man movies and being an adversary to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt for rather practical personal reasons.

Thornton recently found himself at the forefront of one new series on the 2024 TV schedule when the Landman premiere date arrived last month. Amidst starring in Taylor Sheridan’s latest Paramount+ series, he spoke about why he chose to pass on two iconic movie roles. In his words:

While speaking to The Playlist, Thornton bluntly shared why he decided not to be the villain in the first Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie or Mission: Impossible III. In terms of Spider-Man, he just wasn’t up for all the prep work to get into costume as Norman Osborn’s alter ego, The Green Goblin. Though from our standpoint, Osborn more so had to wear a mask and a clunky suit rather than having a lot of time in the makeup chair. Obviously Willem Dafoe would go on to play the character not only in the original Spider-Man movie, but also through cameos in the two sequels, and then fully reprising the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

When it comes to Mission: Impossible III, we have to imagine Billy Bob Thornton was initially up for the role of Owen Davian, who famously was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Thornton had an awareness that the villain in the Mission: Impossible movie would forever be recognized and remembered as such, and it sounds like he wasn’t interested in being perceived as such. And hey, in his defense, I do still vividly remember Hoffman in that role nearly 20 years later.

So Billy Bob Thornton drew the line at some seriously great roles. It doesn’t sound like he regrets the decision one bit. The actor has instead kept us guessing, between becoming a great director and spending the early 2000s in some of his best movies like Monster’s Ball, Bad Santa, Friday Night Lights and The Astronaut Farmer.

In his new series, Landman, Billy Bob Thornton plays Tommy Norris, a Texan who works on the oilfields and has to deal with an investigation of his business. You can catch up with a Paramount+ subscription, and look forward to new episodes on Sundays.

Even though Spider-Man has seen a lot of big-screen iterations across the past two decades, Tobey Maguire's version of the character is most definitely counted among the best Spider-Man movies we've ever seen. To pay tribute to the first trilogy of movies starring the beloved Marvel Comics character, here are the best quotes from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies from the '00s.

“Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.” - Uncle Ben, Spider-Man

There's of course no quote more iconic for the Spider-Man character than this one. The phrase was first used in the Spider-Man comics in a 1962 issue written by Stan Lee as part of the last panel of the comic, initially without ties to Uncle Ben. The connection of the quote with Peter and his uncle came later. And, Michael Sheen made the quote especially unforgettable in the first 2002 movie when he imparts some wisdom about growing up to Peter just hours before his untimely death. The quote ultimately helps create Spider-Man.

"I believe there’s a hero in all of us. That keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally, allows us to die with pride. Even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most – even our dreams." - Aunt May, Spider-Man 2

Rosemary Harris' Aunt May established herself as a particularly perspective figure in the first movie, but her best quote comes in the middle of Spider-Man 2. In the plot line that has Peter Parker giving up his role as Spidey, May gives the hero a pep talk, without even knowing it. The powerful moment happens when Peter's young neighbor asks Peter where Spider-Man is and if he'll come back while helping Aunt May move.

"You know, I guess one person can make a difference." - Stan Lee, Spider-Man 3

There were a lot of great Stan Lee cameos during his lifetime, but one of the most special has to be when he crosses paths with Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker during Spider-Man 3. The creator of the comic book character has had a lot of funny appearances in Marvel movies over the years, but this is one of the most earnest of them as he says, "One person can make a difference."

“You know who I am. Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!” - Spider-Man, Spider-Man

"Your friendly neighborhood Spider-man" is a famous phrase the hero says in the comic books, and in 2002's Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire's version gets to say it himself. In a scene where he saves Mary Jane Watson for the first time at the Thanksgiving Parade, she asks him who she is and this is how he responds.

“Being brilliant is not enough, young man. You have to work hard. Intelligence is not a privilege, it’s a gift. And, you use it for the good of mankind.” - Otto Octavius, Spider-Man 2

Early in Spider-Man 2, the movie establishes Alfred Molina's Otto Octavius as a brilliant mind who Peter Parker looks up to. Prior to the nuclear physicist becoming the movie's villain, he meets with Parker for a college paper he is writing. During their first conversation, he imparts wisdom about how it's not enough to be a smart person, one has to use their gifts for good things.

“If he doesn’t want to be famous, I’ll make him infamous!” - J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man

In the Spider-Man universe, J. Jonah Jameson is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, who is content with painting Spider-Man as a villain, likely to sell more papers. In one particularly memorable quote from the first 2002 appearance of the comic book character played by J.K. Simmons, he declares he wants to make Spider-Man "infamous." The character is so beloved he returned for Tom Holland's version.

“The cunning warrior attacks neither body nor mind. The heart, Osborn! First we attack his heart.” - Green Goblin, Spider-Man

In the first Spider-Man movie, the hero faces a formidable foe in Norman Osborn's Green Goblin. The fantastic Willem Dafoe plays the character almost like a rendition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In one scene, as Norman realizes Peter Parker is Spider-Man, the Green Goblin instructs that he defeats the hero by going after his "heart" which includes terrorizing both Aunt May and Mary Jane in the third act of the movie.

“You have a knack for saving my life." - Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man

The most famous scene in the first Spider-Man trilogy is when Mary Jane Watson shares a kiss with Spidey while he's hanging upside down. It happens right after the hero says she has a "knack for getting into trouble" and she responds to the above quote. She asks if she can thank him for saving her the second time and they have a romantic moment in the rain. However, Kirsten Dunst's own experience with the scene was "kind of miserable" considering the pouring rain of it all.

“No matter what I do. No matter how hard I try. The ones I love will always be the ones who pay.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man

At the end of the first Spider-Man movie, Peter Parker wins the heart of Mary Jane Watson after she was previously with Flash Thompson and Harry Osborn in the transition between high school and college. Despite Peter's longing for Mary Jane and her confession of love, the first movie ends with Peter saying he can only be friends with her before a narration has the character sharing his fears as a hero.

“Love should never be a secret. If you keep something as complicated as love stored up inside, it can make you sick.” - Otto Octavius, Spider-Man 2

In the Spider-Man trilogy, Peter Parker has been in love with Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson since they became neighbors as kids. However, when he becomes Spider-Man he makes a decision that he cannot pursue her romantically because it would put her in danger. When Peter meets Otto early in the movie, he insinuates there's a girl he likes (MJ of course) but hasn't made it known. Otto suggests he should let her know with poetry.

“Hey kiddo, let mom and dad talk for a minute, will ya?” - Spider-Man, Spider-Man

In Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson's sharp tongue gets in the way of a squabble Spider-Man and Green Goblin are having at the Daily Bugle. It leads Spider-Man to hilariously use his webbing to trap Jameson's mouth shut and continue forth fighting his foe.

“I’m Spider-Man no more. No more.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 2

In a 1967 issue of The Amazing Spiderman. the Marvel hero decides to be "Spider-Man No More!" in an iconic comic book cover. And in Sam Raimi's 2004 movie, Peter Parker emulates the issue by deciding to hang up his heroics and be a regular guy again. When Peter Parker says this in the movie, it's an awesome tribute to the comic books. The themes of the movie particularly continue to resonate because of how relatable it is to see Spidey struggle with all the responsibilities of life.

"Uncle Ben meant the world to us, but he wouldn’t want us living one second with revenge in our hearts. It’s like a poison, it can take you over. Before you know it, turn us into something ugly." - Aunt May, Spider-Man 3

In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker's personality takes a turn when an alien symbiote attaches to him. This happens as he learns the true killer behind Uncle Ben's death is alive and on the loose in New York City. After Peter thinks he has killed Flint Marko / Sandman, he tells Aunt May proudly that Spider-Man has done so. However, Aunt May preaches how she would never want revenge on her late husband, much to Peter's initial dismay.

“So here I am standing in your doorway. I’ve always been standing in your doorway. Isn’t it about time somebody saved your life?” - Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man 2

The end of Spider-Man 2 almost acts as our favorite romantic comedy. During the finale, Mary Jane, who has recently learned that Peter Parker is Spider-Man decides to walk out on her own wedding and show up at his door in her wedding dress to tell him that she doesn't care about the risk of being Spider-Man's girlfriend, because she wants to be there for him. It's the sweetest moment.

“But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall. Die trying. In spite of everything you’ve done for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother?” - Green Goblin, Spider-Man

While the Sam Raimi movies have some powerful superhero quotes, there's also a good amount of great ones from villains that describe their side of things. Such as when Green Goblin tries to convince Spider-Man to join him in his evil plots by sharing how the people he fights for will turn against him. This is certainly true for Goblin's alter ego Norman Osborn, who was recently ousted from his company amidst his villainous turn. As the trilogy shows time and time again, Spider-Man always has kind strangers who stand up for him.

"The truth is, you don’t know what you feel, except you know what kind of man you want to be. It’s as if you’ve reached the unreachable, and you weren’t ready for it.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man

When Aunt May gets hospitalized by the Green Goblin in Spider-Man, Mary Jane visits her and Peter Parker. During a memorable scene for the pair, Peter Parker shares his feelings for his longtime next-door neighbor by sharing how looking in her eyes makes him feel. It feels like the moment MJ really sees and falls for Peter.

“Did Edison sleep before he turned on the light? Did Marconi sleep before he turned on the radio? Did Beethoven sleep before he wrote the Fifth?" - Otto Octavius, Spider-Man 2

Prior to Otto Octavius becoming Doc Ock, the nuclear physicist shows his excitement for his fusion reactor experiment by comparing his presentation of his turning on his invention to Thomas Edison turning on the lightbulb and so forth. Little does he know it will fail and turn him into Spider-Man's latest adversary.

“I have a father. His name was Ben Parker.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man

At the end of Spider-Man, Peter Parker / Spider-Man learns that Green Goblin has been Norman Osborn the whole time. in a last-ditch effort to exterminate Spidey, Norman acts like he needs help from him because he's like a father to him. However, it becomes a sweet moment instead when Peter declares the late Uncle Ben was his father. It's a great callback moment because right before he died, Peter suggested he shouldn't act like his father when he is not.

"You start by doing the hardest thing. You forgive yourself." - Aunt May, Spider-Man 3

Peter Parker goes in a dark place over the course of Spider-Man 3 that leads him to really treat Mary Jane in particular poorly. In one scene he even tries to make her jealous by taking Gwen Stacy to the jazz club she is working at and showing off in front of her. The scene leads to Peter accidentally slapping his ex-girlfriend. When he opens up to Aunt May about feeling bad about his actions, she suggests he must forgive himself before he can do anything else. Aunt May always knows what to say!

“Planning is not a major at this university.” - Dr. Connor, Spider-Man 2

Early in Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker is having a hard time juggling being a superhero and a regular guy. His professor, Dr. Connor, gives him a reality check when he throws back his words of "planning" to do something as something that will not help him succeed. The words hit deep for Peter, and ultimately he tries to not be Spider-Man in order to get back on track.

“He's just a kid.” - Random New Yorker, Spider-Man 2

In one of the best scenes in the Spider-Man trilogy, Spider-Man saves a train full of citizens from Doc Ock, but in the meantime exposes his identity to them. As they all gaze on his face, one New Yorker comments about how the hero is "just a kid." It's an emotional quote because it shows that the city probably doesn't imagine that Spider-Man is basically a teenager.

“There’s only one man who’s always been there for me, who makes me feel like I’m more than I ever thought I could be. That I’m just me… and that’s OK. The truth is I love you. Oh, I love you so much Peter.” - Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man

At the end of Spider-Man, while Peter and friends are attending the funeral of Norman Osborn, Mary Jane confesses her love for him with these romantic words. However, she's met with deep disappointment and rejection when Peter suggests he can only be her friend.

“Follow the cold shiver running down your spine.” - Green Goblin, Spider-Man

During Spider-Man, Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn does an incredible job of going between playing Osborn and the Goblin. One great quote from the character is when his bad side tells Norman to follow the "cold shiver" running down his spine to find him.

“Listen to me now.” - Otto Octavius, Spider-Man 2

At the end of Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man / Peter Parker successfully gets Otto to snap out of his villainous tendencies by knocking some sense into him. It leads to a powerful sequence where Otto asks his robotic tentacle arms to listen to him instead, and therein Otto stops his own plot from likely destroying the city, declaring he will not become a "monster".

"You don’t understand, I’m not an empty seat anymore. I’m different. Punch me, I bleed." - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 2

In the middle of Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker hangs up being Spider-Man and tries to be there for MJ by going to her play and making time for her. While the mutual feelings are certainly there, one can't blame MJ for feeling burned after he rejected her love. However, Peter makes a case that he's "different" and wants to try with her now.

“Do you love me or not?” - Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man 2

The Spider-Man trilogy takes great pleasure in the frustrating push and pull of Peter Parker and MJ, mostly at the cost of MJ due to her being in the dark about why he keeps shutting her out of her life. In one famous scene in the movie when they get coffee, MJ boils it down by blunting asking if he loves her or not. She was tired of the mixed signals, and rightfully so.

"Call Deborah. Tell her not to open the caviar." - J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man 2

J. Jonah Jameson almost becomes Mary Jane's father-in-law in Spider-Man 2 until she runs out on her own wedding to be with Peter Parker. In a funny moment, Jameson turns to her wife to make sure the caterer knows not to open the expensive caviar he shelled out for the reception. The editor-in-chief is known to be a penny pincher, so it's so on-brand.

Where do all these guys come from?” - Spider-Man, Spider-Man 3

In Spider-Man 3, Spidey comes head-to-head with Sandman for the first time early in the movie. When he finds himself emptying out his suit with sand, he questions where all the random villains he fights come from, and it's so hilarious! Spider-Man has defeated some wild villains in his heyday.

"There are bigger things happening here than me and you." - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 2

After the events of Spider-Man, the hero finds an enemy in Harry Osborn, who believes he killed his father and makes his mission to avenge him. He is almost successful with the help of Doc Ock until he finds out that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While Harry becomes caught up with the matters of his late father, the reveal comes as Otto has MJ and is about to set off his powerful and dangerous experiment, and stops Harry from saying these words.

“I’m gonna put some dirt in your eye.“ - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 3

In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker starts acting nasty thanks to the Venom symbiote that attaches to him. This manifests itself through Peter's competition with another photographer, Eddie Brock. When Eddie publishes a fake photograph of Spider-Man in a black suit, he says this.

"It’s the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what’s right." - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 3

While the end of the Spider-Man movies didn't end in a way we like (though we still have hope for Spider-Man 4 with Tobey Maguire/Sam Raimi), it did end with a solid quote about how we, no matter who we are, have the power to choose to do what's right rather than go the way of the villain. In the context of the movie, Peter Parker's journey ends with the funeral of his best friend, Harry, who worked alongside him as a fellow hero right before his death, after previously letting vengeance into his heart.

“No thanks, I had a bite.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man

The Spider-Man script goes the punny route when Peter Parker is initially bitten by a radioactive spider, which turns him into a hero. After the field trip occurs that changes his life, he's not feeling so hot. When he returns home, his Aunt and Uncle ask if he wants some dinner, but under his breath, he says he's already "had a bite."

Dracula may be the first thing you think of when it comes to the best vampire flicks, but that wasn’t the only classic that was inspired by Bram Stoker’s novel. The 1922 film Nosferatu is also considered one of the greatest horror movies of all time, and thanks to filmmaker Robert Eggers, we’ll see a new version hitting the 2024 movie calendar. Despite there being over a month before its release in theaters, some are attending early screenings, and the critics are already sinking their teeth into the horror remake Nosferatu.

To be clear, that’s quite a good thing when it comes to vampire movies, and indeed the first reactions to Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok are likely enough to make even the most casual of horror fans intrigued. Nosferatu also stars Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp and a number of other big names that have some saying it’s one of their favorite films of the year. CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg doesn’t go that far, but he does say it’s worth the buzz. His post says:

Horror lover Heather Wixson, however, says the upcoming horror movie is her favorite of the year. She had an emotional response to Robert Eggers’ passion project, writing:

Rodrigo Perez also says Nosferatu will end up in the critic’s Top 10 list for the year, if not the Top 5. In addition to a creepy, unsettling tone akin to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, it showcases a dark eroticism throughout that may leave audiences simultaneously grossed out and turned on. Perez continues on X (Twitter):

Clayton Davis of Variety praises Bill Skarsgård in a role that scared the actor more than Pennywise in It, as well as co-stars Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe, saying:

Emerson Testa agrees the “crazy vampire hunter” Willem Dafoe only adds to an already brilliant film, with Bill Skarsgård perfectly embodying the titular monster. In Testa’s words:

Courtney Howard lauds the horror movie’s director as well as the crew in charge of the “haunting compositions,” “painterly cinematography,” and “inspired production design.” Also, Howard warns that if you weren’t already afraid of rats, you will be now. The critic says:

Griffin Schiller of FilmSpeak is another who says the remake of the German classic is going to end up on a “best of 2024 list,” writing:

Perri Nemiroff also praises Jarin Blaschke’s cinematography, with both atmospheric elements and Robert Eggers’ passion seemingly leaping off of the screen. The critic posts:

The first reactions to Nosferatu are nothing if not promising, and for those who have been looking forward to seeing Bill Skarsgård in this role, surrounded by what sounds like some impressive performances from his colleagues, this movie remake might be just the Christmas gift you were hoping for. Nosferatu is set to hit theaters on Wednesday, December 25.

Your favorite movie and TV star had to start somewhere and, sometimes, that somewhere is appearing in commercials. There have also been some cases in which an actor has already made it to the top but decided to lend their star power to a TV ad. You can find both kinds in the following collection of TV commercials featuring some huge celebrities.

Ben Affleck (Burger King)

An early blip in Ben Affleck's acting career was a commercial for the popular fast food chain, Burger King. The future live-action Batman actor and Academy Award-winning filmmaker plays a teen who accidentally invents Door Dash when his car phone intercepts a car from a girl who wants to order a whopper.

Cameron Diaz (Coca-Cola)

When Cameron Diaz was still a model primarily, one of her first experiences with acting – before making her feature debut in The Mask – was in a TV ad. The future Shrek movie star shines in an early '90s Coca-Cola commercial that feels a lot more like a perfume ad from the era in its alluring direction.

Paul Rudd (Super Nintendo)

All of Paul Rudd's versatile talents – from making us laugh in movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin to thrilling us as Ant-Man in the Marvel movies – can be traced back to a Super Nintendo commercial he did in the early '90s. He plays a very enthusiastic video gamer who attracts a crowd when he, somehow, hooks up his console to a drive-in theater projector for the ultimate experience of playing The Legend of Zelda and other favorites.

Jennifer Lawrence (My Super Sweet 16)

Jennifer Lawrence got to be the original My Super Sweet 16 girl without appearing on the actual reality TV series that documented wealthy young women's extravagant birthday celebrations. MTV ran dramatized promos for the then-new show starring the future Academy Award winner and Hunger Games movie star as the birthday girl who encounters a few mishaps during her festivities.

Brad Pitt (Pringles)

Years before he starred in Super Bowl Heineken ad helmed by his Fight Club director, David Fincher, the then-up-and-coming Brad Pitt got a taste of commercial acting by starring in a 1988 Pringles spot. He plays one of three surfer dudes who become stranded on the side of a California road when a trio of lovely women approach them for an impromptu Pringles party.

Amy Adams (Commercial Federal Bank)

Mainstream audiences first became aware of Amy Adams' impeccable singing talent in 2007's Enchanted but customers at Commercial Federal Bank were really the first to discover her. In 1997, the multi-Oscar nominee starred as an Olvia Newton-John lookalike in a parody of 1978's Grease for the bank.

Steve Carell (Brown's Chicken)

Steve Carell's channeled his inner Michael Scott long before leading NBC's The Office cast when he was just starting out acting in commercials. In the early 1990s, he played a Brown's Chicken employee whose clumsy mistake while setting up a marquee advertising "cholesterol-free cooking" accidentally convinces customers the food will cost them nothing.

Drew Barrymore (Pillsbury)

It must have been clear to anyone who spotted Drew Barrymore in her early Pillsbury commercial that she was destined to capture our hearts in E.T. the Extra-terrestrial just a few years later. The 1979 ad stars the then-four-year-old as a little girl whose mother cheers her up on a rainy day by making chocolate chip cookies.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Bubble Yum)

Before breaking out with his supporting role in Growing Pains and really hitting big leading the Titanic cast, the up-and-coming Leonardo DiCaprio did a few commercials. One sees the future Oscar winner demonstrate his natural charisma while demonstrating the powerful flavor of Bubble Yum bubble gum.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Alinamin V)

You may never be able to look at Arnold Schwarzenegger the same way again after witnessing the series of gobsmackingly bizarre ads the Terminator star filmed in Japan long after his big break. As the spokesperson for an energy drink called Alinamin V, the future California governor puts on a maniacally large smile and is sometimes seen riding the beverage's bottle into space or popping out of it like a genie.

Mila Kunis (Telephone Tammy)

Had Mila Kunis' Jackie Burkhart been a child of the '90s, Telephone Tammy – a doll who responds to your call with an included play phone – sounds like the kind of toy she would have grown up with. Not to mention the fact that the future That '70s Show cast member appeared in a commercial for Mattel when she was just starting out.

Morgan Freeman (Polaroid)

Future Academy Award winner and voice-over extraordinaire Morgan Freeman starred in a number of TV commercials early on in his career. One such ad was a 1970s spot for Polaroid, not as the man holding the camera that instantly prints out photos but the man telling the amateur photographer to cool it with the reshoots.

Britney Spears (Maull's)

Die-hard fans of pop superstar Britney Spears know that she started out as a child actor who worked with Ryan Gosling on The Mickey Mouse Club, among other rising stars. One of her earlier roles was a young girl who was apparently very excited to eat a home-cooked hamburger in a commercial for Maull's Barbecue Sauce, a local St. Louis brand.

Mark Hamill (Kodak)

Before playing Luke in the Star Wars movies made him familiar with technology from a galaxy far, far away, Mark Hamill represented what must have felt like a futuristic innovation at the time. He starred in a 1975 commercial for a Kodak camera that takes high-resolution photos from far away, allowing him to snap a shot of his girlfriend (and her mother) on a balcony while he stays on the ground.

Anne Hathaway (Better Homes And Gardens Real Estate)

Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway first showed her talent for performing in romantic dramas like One Day and The Idea of You in a 1996 commercial for Better Homes and Gardens. She plays a young woman who believes she and her boyfriend will still have time to spend before his family moves away until they learn the real estate agency has already sold the house.

J.K. Simmons (Farmers Insurance)

From his memorable roles in HBO's Oz and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies, J.K. Simmons was pretty well known by the time he was cast as Professor Nathaniel Burke of the University of Farmers for a long-running Farmers Insurance ad campaign. When he won his Oscar for Whiplash, host Neil Patrick Harris sang an impromptu parody of the company's commercial jingle.

Harrison Ford (Kirin)

Playing Han Solo in Star Wars and the title hero of the Indiana Jones movies made Harrison Ford an international star and one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He would also increase his notoriety in Japan by starring in a series of commercials for a regional brand of lager called Kirin.

Keanu Reeves (Corn Flakes)

Before playing a master of kung fu in The Matrix, a master of gun-fu in the John Wick movies, and a master of excellency in the Bill & Ted movies, Keanu Reeves played a master of sneaking a bowl of cereal for himself. The role of a waiter who enjoys some of the breakfast food he has been hired to serve comes from an '80s-era ad for Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

Betty White (Snickers)

Snickers had a funny ad campaign starring well-known actors as metaphorical representations of the out-of-character behavior of hungry people. One of the earliest, and funniest, stars the legendary Betty White as a dude who needs a bite of the protein-loaded candy bar when his performance in a casual football game is off.

Bruce Willis (Seagram's Coolers)

When he was best known for Moonlighting and before starring in one of the all-time greatest action movies, Die Hard, Bruce Willis had another claim to fame: Seagram's Golden. He served as the adult beverage's spokesperson in a series of ads, some of which utilized his musical talents.

Jeff Goldblum (Apartments.com)

It's a little strange how a performer as widely recognized and beloved as Academy Award nominee Jeff Goldblum would be hired to star in an ongoing ad campaign as an original character and not just as himself. Nevertheless, the star of Jurassic Park and The Fly is dazzling and dazzling in the Apartments.com commercials as Brad Bellflower.

Sharon Stone (Finesse)

In the 1990s, films like Basic Instinct and her Academy Award-nominated role in director Martin Scorsese's Casino made Sharon Stone one of the most esteemed, and desirable, actors of her time. In the 1980s, her looks helped sell Finesse shampoo as one of the most desirable brands in the hair care market.

Jack Black (Pitfall)

It appears that Jack Black's charismatic, high-energy sense of humor was something he possessed from a young age. Exhibit A: his appearance in a 1982 commercial for Atari's Pitfall, as a wide-eyed child in a safari hat enthusiastically recalling his experience in the jungle-set video game, years before he played a jungle-set video game character in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Burger King)

No one would have believed, in 1983, that an adorable six-year-old girl who became a recurring spokesperson for Burger King would grow up to become one of the fiercest horror Scream Queens in the genre's history. Yet, that would become Sarah Michelle Gellar's destiny after leading the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast as the titular defender against evil.

Tobey Maguire (Tropicana Twister)

In 1991, when he was still a teen, Tobey Maguire did an ad for a blended juice drink from Tropicana called Tropicana Twister. The future Spider-Man actor only briefly appears as a kid who breaks the fourth wall, suggesting that broccoli be added to the next unique flavor combination.

Courteney Cox (Tampax)

Before starring in the Friends cast as Monica Gellar, Courteney Cox was best known in the 1980s for dancing with Bruce Springsteen in the "Dancing in the Dark" video. However, did you catch the future Scream movies star's appearance in a Tampax ad as a gym patron?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Pop-Tarts)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the most acclaimed former child stars who still act, with film and TV credits that back to the late '80s and early '90s like Angels in the Outfield and, of course, 3rd Rock from the Sun. If you go back even earlier than those classics, you can see the future Looper and Inception star in a 1991 ad for Kellogg's Pop-Tarts as a child who child urging his father to have breakfast before he leaves for work and offers him the toaster pastry.

Bryan Cranston (Preparation H)

Four-time Emmy winner and one-time Academy Award nominee Bryan Cranston has worn many faces throughout his career, from a hapless suburban dad in the Malcolm in the Middle cast to a ruthless drug lord as the lead of the Breaking Bad cast. Years before then, he wore the face of a spokesperson for Preparation H in a commercial from the early 1980s.

Willem Dafoe (Mercedes Benz)

With roles like one of the best Spider-Man movie villains, Green Goblin, and others, Willem Dafoe has proven time and time again that he plays an exceptional bad guy. Thus, he was the perfect choice to star in a Super Bowl ad for Mercedes Benz as the Devil, who almost convinces a young man to trade his soul for the car until he learns how affordable it is.

Geena Davis (WMET)

With an eclectic career that includes her Academy Award-winning role in The Accidental Tourist, the horror-comedy movie favorite Beetlejuice, and plenty more, it is clear Geena Davis can be anything. So, we imagine early '80s TV viewers who lived in the region where WMET broadcasted had no trouble accepting her as the voice of the local rock radio station when she starred in its enchanting commercial.

Jeremy Renner (Duracell)

Before he was defending the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Avengers, Jeremy Renner made a living as a commercial actor. One of his greatest hits was a 90s-era Duracell ad in which he plays a tourist in Mexico whose stereo battery harnesses the power of a herd bulls.

John Travolta (U.S. Army)

Years before he played Santa in a Capital One ad and sent up his role in Grease for T-Mobile, John Travolta starred in an Army recruitment promo in 1973. Just four years later, his Academy Award-nominated lead role in Saturday Night Fever made him one of the biggest stars on the planet.

Earlier this summer, the internet was obsessed with actors who they thought looked like “sexy rats,” and for ages, there’s been a lot of chatter about people falling for celebrities who aren't necessarily considered "conventional" crushes. Now, a thread on Reddit has gone viral about the topic of unconventional crushes, and their choices and reasoning for them are A+.

Considering House of the Dragon just wrapped up its second season on the 2024 TV schedule, let’s start this round-up from this Reddit thread with @mismorningstaarr’s pick. They went for Matt Smith, and when we’re thinking about him specifically as Daemon Targaryen, I can see why they wrote this:

Like Matt Smith, Willem Dafoe’s filmography is filled with quirky characters – I’m thinking about Poor Things, The Lighthouse, and even Spider-Man – and bold choices, which is why @AudreySimmons85 wrote:

I think they’re so right! I adore Willem Dafoe!

The choices continued as @Accomplished_Egg6239’s pick was one of Parks and Recreation’s best guest stars. Best known for her supporting roles and voicing Marcel the Shell, Jenny Slate is a star, and I totally agree with this person:

There was a lot of passion behind this next pick, which tracks considering he’s a beloved actor who won four Emmys for playing Tyrion Lannister in the Game of Thrones cast and has gone on to prove his range and charisma through quite the catalog of roles. @xiahabi wrote:

Staying on the Game of Thrones train, @Level_99_Healer gave some love to Brienne of Tarth, writing:

There was a lot of appreciation for Jack Black after @GGATHELMIL named him. @raccoonlovechild gave their reasoning for this choice in the comments, writing:

From really leaning into the hilarious “Peaches” discourse when the Super Mario Bros. Movie came out, to dancing and singing on the red carpet of the Kung Fu Panda 4 premiere, Black has proven this point in dividends over the last year alone. However, his whole career is a giant highlight reel of this…I mean we all saw The Holiday, it was impossible not to fall for him.

This list was full of incredible comedians, and it showcased that there’s something so attractive about a good sense of humor. @SamsaraBug showed some love for a beloved SNL alum, writing:

Along the same lines, @Take-to-the-highways posted about their favorite actors (especially those who are naturally funny), noting the lead actor of Better Call Saul is their top choice:

Shifting gears, there was also many who posted about crushes they have on actors who have played darker and more sinister roles. For example, @koalasarecute22 chose a legendary actor from the Harry Potter cast as their crush, writing:

We’ll end on an incredibly timely pick considering the hit that is Fallout. Many of us fell in love with The Ghoul on the Amazon Prime show, and in return, Walton Goggins found a whole new group of admirers. While I don’t know if @maverick1ba fell in love with the actor because of one of Prime Video’s best shows, I do agree with their sentiment now that I’ve seen the video game adaptation:

Overall, all these picks are incredible, and in a lot of cases, the reasoning for them is hilarious and relatable.

Attractiveness is more than just looks, and don’t get me wrong, all these people are good-looking, but there’s so much more to them! While they may be considered unconventional choices at first, all these people deserve all the love in the world.

We know Kinds of Kindness is an anthology of three short stories that aren’t connected (technically) but do share a few thematic throughlines. However, there’s also one common thread between all three parts of Yorgos Lanthimos’ film, because the character R.M.F. appears briefly in every story and each section title includes his name. However, his relevance to the greater project is quite ambiguous.

So, with that in mind, I decided to ask the stars of Kinds of Kindness – Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemons – about this character played by Yorgos Stefanakos, and their answers only made me more confused…but, I think that’s the point.

Immediately after I asked about R.M.F.’s role in the critically acclaimed Kinds of Kindness, Willem Dafoe piped up to say he was going to let his co-star take the question. So, to the best of his abilities, Jesse Plemons explained who he thinks R.M.F. is and how his interpretation of him has changed over time to me, saying:

It’s not surprising that The Power of the Dog actor didn’t have a straight answer, Yorgos Lanthimos’ movies tend to leave you with more questions. His movie Poor Things, which won a ton of Oscars in 2024, was like that too. He’s great at making unique, thought-provoking and ambiguous art, and this movie and R.M.F’s role are another example of that.

Willem Dafoe, who decided to hop in and give his perspective too, agreed that Lanthimos wouldn’t have said what he thinks R.M.F.’s greater meaning is. He then went on to explain that that might be the point:

As our review of Kinds of Kindness states, the film is “like a puzzle,” and it takes time to put all the pieces together. For Plemons, his interpretation of the film and R.M.F. specifically has developed over time. He told me his most recent feelings about the recurring character, and they’re pretty wild:

I’ll admit it, when I walked out of my screening for this film, I had a similar thought. What if R.M.F. is some sort of immortal god-like figure? It’s certainly possible.

As you likely discerned if you watched the Kinds of Kindness trailer, this project on the 2024 movie schedule is bonkers, and it’s not trying to give you straight answers. It wants you to really think about the connections and draw your own conclusions.

On that note, the Spider-Man actor followed up his co-star's comments with his own possible greater meaning for R.M.F., saying:

R.M.F. certainly did go through everything, and he was so present in every section of this movie because he was the one character who remained the same. Every other actor in this film played someone wildly different in each part, so when the same guy shows up every time as the same character, it’s something to ponder.

To try and come to a conclusion about R.M.F. yourself, you can catch Kinds of Kindness in theaters now.

Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos wowed audiences in 2023 with the help of Emma Stone in Poor Things, and the duo are back sooner than many expected for their third overall collaboration. Kinds of Kindness premieres June 21, and it sounds like moviegoers are in for a truly unique theatrical experience. Critics have had the opportunity to screen the absurdist comedy, and while the responses are mostly positive, the film promises to be polarizing with its bleak humor and exploration of human perversion.

Kinds of Kindness is a triptych anthology, featuring its stars — who include Emma Stone’s Poor Things co-stars Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley, as well as Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie and others — playing different characters in three separate but loosely connected stories. Let’s see what critics are saying.

Aaron Neuwirth of We Live Entertainment gives it a user rating of 8 out of 10, noting the director’s return to pitch-black humor as he shines a light on the complexities of human relationships and varying forms of perversions through shocking and funny payoffs. The critic writes: 

Clint Worthington of Consequence grades the movie a B-, agreeing with the above opinion that fans craving the dirtier, nastier side of Yorgos Lanthimos will likely be satisfied by Kinds of Kindness, a “celebration of the ways we degrade ourselves/each other and enjoy it.” Worthington concludes: 

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast recommends audiences “See This” one-of-a-kind film that lets Emma Stone’s freak flag fly. The two-time Oscar winner and Jesse Plemons are Kinds of Kindness’ standouts throughout the genuine and consistently surprising triptych that is so thrillingly bizarre, you won’t want to miss it. Schager continues: 

It's already polarizing some critics as not everyone is as game for the experience as those above. Anna Smith of GamesRadar rates the movie 2 out of 5 stars, calling it “hollow” and saying the project feels misanthropic and at times misogynistic. Critics largely seem to be on board with the film, Smith says, but mainstream audiences may be a harder sell. In her words: 

Ryan Coleman of Slant echoes the above thoughts, calling Yorgos Lanthimos “anchored in the shallows,” as Kinds of Kindness contains the seeds for several good movies if Lanthimos had the patience to cultivate them. Coleman rates the movie just 1.5 stars out of 4, writing: 

Despite a nearly three-hour runtime and what sounds like some tough subject matter and bleak humor, more critics are leaving the movie with positive impressions than negative, and Kinds of Kindness so far has a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. How will audiences react? We’ll find out soon, as the film hits theaters on Friday, June 21. Be sure to check out our 2024 movie calendar to see what else is coming soon. 

Some of our best horror movies have been centered around characters who just so happen to be legendary creatures of the night: vampires. And, because of the enduring popularity of these mythological bloodsuckers, not only do we also have a number of TV vamps, but many famous actors who’ve portrayed some version of the famed, usually-human-looking beasts. Here for you now are 32 actors who’ve played a vampire.

Eddie Murphy (Vampire In Brooklyn)

So many vamps have been seen on screen that even a comedy and action movie legend like Eddie Murphy has played one. The 1995 horror comedy, Vampire in Brooklyn, saw the star play the last member of a group of Caribbean vampires, who hits New York to find a mate so that he can continue his family line.

Tom Cruise (Interview With The Vampire)

Who could forget the 1994 film that gave us Tom Cruise as the captivating and cruel (And blond!) bloodthirsty fiend, Lestat de Lioncourt, from author Anne Rice’s legendary novel series, The Vampire Chronicles? Of course, it also gave us Brad Pitt’s tortured vamp, Louis, and made a star out of young Kirsten Dunst.

Dakota Fanning (The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

While there are some obvious stars to add to this list, let us not forget that the cast of famous (and soon-to-be-famous) vampires in The Twilight Saga films was quite stacked. That roster included noted child star Dakota Fanning, who portrayed the villainous Volturi guard member, Jane, who was able to mentally create sensations of pain in those who she deemed worthy of punishment.

Evan Rachel Wood (True Blood)

Several vampire-focused TV shows have hit the airwaves over the past 20 or so years, so we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the HBO hit, True Blood. Many of its stars portrayed members of vamp-kind for most or all of the series’ seven seasons, but Evan Rachel Wood made an equally impressive (bloody) splash as the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq, during her recurring guest appearances in Seasons 2-4.

Robert Pattinson (Twilight)

Back to Twilight! It’s not worth mentioning this franchise without bringing up lead romantic vamp Edward Cullen, as well as the man who brought him to life in five movies, eventuall live action Batman actor Robert Pattinson. Despite the fact that his love interest’s portrayer, Kristen Stewart, would have dumped Edward “immediately”!

Chloë Grace Moretz (Let Me In)

It’s possible that we don’t get creepier than kid vampires in movies and television shows, and that’s what we got with Chloë Grace Moretz’s Abby in the 2010 film, Let Me In. She befriends a young loner after moving into his apartment complex, but is (you guessed it) hiding nefarious purposes he could have never guessed, which end up taking his life in a most unexpected direction.

Salma Hayek (From Dusk Till Dawn)

This might be the shortest movie vampire appearance on the list, as 1996’s From Dusk Til Dawn saw Salma Hayek play the fanged exotic dancer, Santanico Pandemonium, only for about five memorable minutes that simply cannot be forgotten once witnessed.

Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows)

Undead life isn’t always filled with glamorous globe-hopping adventure, gorgeous mates who can’t resist you and other perks, at least according to 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, which concerns the rather mundane day-to-day lives of vampire roommates, of whom Taika Waititi’s uptight and nearly 400-year-old vamp, Viago, is among.

Theo James (Underworld: Awakening, Underworld: Blood Wars)

Another big screen franchise that depended on heaps of stars to populate its supernatural world is that of Underworld. Two sequels saw Theo James play the heroic vampire, David, heir to one of the main vamp covens, and lead Selene’s one steadfast ally during an important time in her journey.

Willem Dafoe (Shadow Of The Vampire)

Not many cinematic vampires are said to be based on a real person, but the one played by Willem Dafoe in 2000’s Shadow of the Vampire is. He portrayed a fictionalized version of the real Nosferatu lead actor, Max Schreck, whom the crew begins to suspect is an actual vampire because of his behavior and the strange goings-on surrounding filming.

Gerard Butler (Dracula 2000)

Speaking of vampires who are based on real people…Author Bram Stoker based his Dracula on Vlad the Impaler, and Gerard Butler played yet another version of the ever-popular character in a film from, yes, 2000. This tale sees the ancient vamp accidentally awoken by a group of thieves who find and steal his highly protected coffin, which had been watched over by generations of the Van Helsing family.

Wesley Snipes (Blade)

A Marvel character that will soon have another portrayer when the upcoming Blade reboot finally begins filming, the original action/horror trilogy famously saw Wesley Snipes take on the vampire/human hybrid titular lead, who’s a nearly unstoppable vamp hunter bent on taking down all members of the species who bit his mother and infected him with their supernatural blood while he was still in utero.

Colin Farrell (Fright Night)

If a scary and suave undead night stalker is your type, look no further than Colin Farrell’s Jerry Dandrige in 2011’s remake of the 1985 cult classic, Fright Night. He may have to eventually do battle with a couple of teenagers, but he sure looks darn good doing it.

Ethan Hawke (Daybreakers)

A movie that takes a more science-fiction approach to a world overrun by vampires is the 2009 film Daybreakers, which sees Ethan Hawke play a vamp hematologist who refuses to drink human blood and is looking for a synthetic option to their usual meal of choice that will stop humanity from being wiped out by his more brutal peers.

Luke Evans (Dracula Untold)

Again with Dracula? Why, yes! This time, Luke Evans plays a Vlad the Impaler who only becomes a vampire to have the strength, speed and ferocity to turn back an invading army in an attempt to save the people of his kingdom. Does it work out for him? Well, yes…and no.

Kate Beckinsale (Underworld)

There’s no mentioning the Underworld franchise without giving respect to the main heroine, Kate Beckinsale’s Selene. In the first film she’s a vampire looking to destroy the werewolves that killed her family, but she ends up uncovering a major secret about the two sets of creatures and falling in love with a human, instead.

Alicia Silverstone (Vamps)

This 2012 horror comedy sees Alicia Silverstone play Goody, an old vampire who tries to stay young and hip while helping her much younger bloodsucking buddy, Stacy (Krysten Ritter), get used to her powers as they try to abstain from the red stuff during their immortal and unholy (sorta) lives.

Pedro Pascal (Bloodsucking Bastards)

Ever wondered what working in an office that was slowly being overrun by vampires who care as much about the bottom line as they do about drinking blood would be like? Just watch Bloodsucking Bastards, where beloved The Last of Us cast member Pedro Pascal begins turning his employees into the titular immortals.

Jim Carrey (Once Bitten)

Jim Carrey’s first leading role came in this 1985 comedy, where he played a teen virgin turned into a vampire by an alluring, 400-year-old creature of the night, who seduced him so she could use his blood to keep her youthful appearance.

Paul Reubens (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

In the 1992 horror comedy that eventually led to the long-running series of the same name, the late Paul Reubens starred as Amilyn, a vamp doing the bidding of a much more powerful bloodsucker who’s ruling his kind in Los Angeles.

Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood)

While HBO’s True Blood was positively filled with the undead, few of them made as much of an impact on audiences (and the lead, Sookie) as Alexander Skarsgård’s cunning and alluring (but sorta evil) 1,000-year-old Eric Northman. This also happens to be the role that really made Skarsgård famous.

David Boreanaz (Buffy, Angel)

When it comes to popular TV vampires, no one can discount the reign of David Boreanaz as evil vamp turned heroic vamp (and then sometimes evil vamp again) Angel, whom he played on Buffy the Vampire Slayer beginning with the first episode in 1997, through wrapping his run on the fifth season series finale of his own show, Angel, in 2004.

Sterling K. Brown (Supernatural)

Sterling K. Brown may best be known now for delivering heartfelt emotions as Randall Pearson on This Is Us, but for four episodes across Seasons 2 and 3 of the CW mega-hit, Supernatural, he played Hunter and dedicated vamp-hater-turned-vampire, Gordon Walker, to astounding, understandably cold-blooded effect.

Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys)

Even though Kiefer Sutherland was certainly a star on the rise by the time he starred in The Lost Boys in 1987, his part as apparent vampire motorcycle gang leader David cemented his leading man qualities and turned him into a household name.

Rami Malek (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II)

Sure, Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the best Rami Malek movies to watch, but let’s not discount his turn as the powerful (and ancient) Egyptian vampire, Benjamin, in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part II, one of the few creatures of the night in the franchise who can directly manipulate things, with his specialty being controlling fire, water, air and earth.

Bryce Dallas Howard (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Yet another actor you may have forgotten was fanged in the expansive Twilight franchise is Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard. She took over the role of evil, vengeful vamp Victoria (who’s looking to kill Bella in retaliation for Edward killing her love, James) from Rachelle Lefevre, for the third movie, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Tilda Swinton (Only Lovers Left Alive)

As one half of the very old vampire couple at the center of the 2013 dramedy, Only Lovers Left Alive, Tilda Swinton is a wife forced to visit the husband (played by Tom Hiddleston) she’s long been separated from once she realizes his lengthy undead existence has begun to bring him down, as she tries to force him to reevaluate the value of living forever.

Bill Nighy (Underworld, Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans)

Every good vampire needs a parental figure to show them the ropes, and for Underworld’s Selene, that role was filled by Viktor, who was portrayed by Love, Actually star Bill Nighy. His Vampire Elder turned out to be more of a threat than the heroine ever expected, though, leading to some tense moments between Selene and her mentor.

Gary Oldman (Bram Stoker's Dracula) 

Back to Drac! One of the most popular films about the character is still 1992’s Bram Stoker's Dracula, which saw eventual Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban star Gary Oldman play Vlad Dracula.

Christopher Meloni (True Blood)

Where there is one vampire there are generally enough to have a whole hierarchy among their brethren, and as with the series True Blood, sometimes we get to see what that could look like. In Season 5, Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime star Christopher Meloni portrayed the Guardian, Roman Zimojic, who led the Vampire Authority and (ostensibly) set the rules for all vamps. Many, however, didn’t agree with his desire to have his kind fit in with human society, which caused a lot of problems for the calm, determined and deadly when challenged leader.

Nicolas Cage (Renfield)

If you guessed that this is yet another Dracula story, well, you’re sort of correct. 2023’s horror comedy, Renfield, stars Nicholas Hoult as the count’s titular long-time familiar, who’s tired of helping him kill innocent people and all the abuse he’s taken from the being who gifted him with immortality, as well as super strength and speed (when he eats bugs) 90 years prior. So, he gets help from a support group for people in codependent relationships in order to be able to live his own life again. Nicolas Cage is our Dracula here, and he’s a perfectly winking one, who still manages to be creepy and deadly.

Johnny Depp (Dark Shadows)

Johnny Depp has become known for his outrageous characters, and his Barnabas Collins is no different. The 2012 Dark Shadows film (which was based on the 1966-1971 gothic daytime drama of the same name) follows Barnabas after he’s cursed with vampirism in 1760, buried alive in a coffin, and then accidentally freed in the early 1970s. He rejoins the Collins family at the estate they still hold, while trying to keep his true nature a secret, but hijinks ensue as his past comes back to haunt them. 

This, of course, is just a small sampling of the famous actors who've portrayed vampires over the years, but if you decide to do a vamp movie/TV show marathon, you can start right here and have hours of entertainment.

Willem Dafoe has starred in great movies like Spider-Man, The Florida Project, and Poor Things, but that doesn’t mean he has to dress in fancy duds cruising down the streets of NYC. After all, not all celebrities have to pull off red-carpet looks on their days off. Dafoe was caught in a Man on the Street video confidently showing off his “fit” style, and the internet is loving it.

The People Gallery is a social media account that follows celebrities on the streets of New York and asks them to describe what they're wearing. Willem Dafoe was the fashion account’s latest guest as the account’s creator, Maurice Kamara, stopped the Poor Things actor to discuss his attire. Watch the TikTok video below of the Oscar-nominee getting “a quick fit check” and showing off his casual-looking duds.

As Willem Dafoe described in the feel-good video, he said he was wearing Prada shoes and a Prada leather coat. The rest are just your everyday black undershirt and a green Woolrich sweater. When asked to give a style tip, he hilariously refused. I don’t blame him, as The Lighthouse actor clearly has a style of his own that can’t be replicated. With this viral video getting 4.4 million likes, the internet was losing it seeing the Wisconsin native giving a little show of his wardrobe choices. Read the hilarious comments below:

• Bro casually met green goblin -10
• he in a different dimension -malibu
• god i love willem dafoe -sofi
• I didn’t expect him to be so goofy in real life 😂 -booboothechicken
• HOW DO YOU CASUALLY MEET WILLEM DAFOE -helloenvyy
• I’m somewhat of a fashionista myself-DJWhisper

Of course, TikTok users couldn’t help seeing Willem Dafoe on the streets without comparing him to one of Spider-Man’s main movie villains. Some comments even felt Dafoe was looking a bit like the Green Goblin in this TikTok. I can understand the similarity.

When the Golden Globe nominee joined Spider-Man: No Way Home, we first see Norman Osborn (out of costume) wearing a purple hoodie under a green coat closely resembling the classic Green Goblin comic look. Maybe a part of playing that iconic character still resonates with him. Dafoe has said he loved being in the Spider-Man MCU sequel knowing Spidey fans who first saw him as Green Goblin in the Sam Raimi movies got to take their kids to No Way Home. It must have been a beautiful thing for the veteran actor.

I find it hilarious that a lot of these comments are baffled that they’re seeing Willem Dafoe look like an average Joe. I mean, there’s no reason for a celebrity to always dress like they’re attending a major event. If he’s going about his day walking the streets of New York like a human being, Dafoe has the right to look relaxed. A lot of comments did, however, give the 68-year-old actor credit for being “naturally fly” and having a simple style compared to what you’d expect the average celebrity to wear.

After a Man on the Street video “casually met Green Goblin” in the form of an informally dressed Willem Dafoe, the internet lost it. They clearly weren't used to witnessing an A-list celebrity dress like anybody else on the street. I admit that it’s a nice change of pace to see a film actor have a relaxed fit as people who see him will be able to relate to his style choices more. 

You can see Dafoe portray the Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy with your Disney+ subscription. Make sure to keep an eye out on the 2024 movie releases, as all movies starring your “Friendly Neighborhood” web-slinging hero will be re-released in theaters starting on April 15th.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly releasing new content, both in the movies and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The shared universe has had some box office struggles since Avengers: Endgame, although Spider-Man: No Way Home was a wild success upon its release. This is largely because it was a massive crossover event which included characters form the previous two Spidey franchises. And Willem Dafoe recently revealed the sweet reason he's glad he filmed that blockbuster.

Ahead of its release, Spider-Man: No Way Home was the most anticipated upcoming Marvel movie, thanks to its ambitious multiversal story. Fans were eager to see three Spider-Men uniting, as well as the return of beloved villains like Willem Dafoe's Harry Osborn/ Green Goblin. While speaking with Variety about his career, the acclaimed actor spoke about the reaction he's gotten from fans since appearing in the MCU blockbuster, saying:

I'm not crying, you're crying. It's wild to believe that Sam Raimi's OG Spider-Man movie was over 20 years ago, but that's exactly true. This arguably makes Dafoe's performance in No Way Home even more impressive, as he easily slipped back into his dual characters. Although Dafoe wasn't pleased with the movie's de-aging affects.

Many moviegoers have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order, including projects like Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, which was released long before shared universes became commonplace. Green Goblin was the OG villain, with Dafoe offering a delightfully unhinged performance-- including scenes where he argued with himself. 

CinemaBlend's Spider-Man: No Way Home review praised the movie's ambitious scope, and the killer performance given by its star-studded cast. The movie was so successful that fans have been hoping to see more Spidey crossovers in the future. What's more, some are campaigning for Andrew Garfield to finally get an Amazing Spider-Man 3 movie, since it was unceremoniously scrapped back in the day. As for Dafoe's potential future as Green Goblin, it feels like just about anything is possible thanks to the multiverse being in play.

As previously mentioned, the MCU has faced some struggles in the years since Endgame was released. There have been some disappointing box office numbers, with The Marvels being the biggest failure of the shared universe so far. As such, it wouldn't be surprising if the studio leaned into Spider-verse stories to help get butts in seats.

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool 3 on July 26th. Hopefully we get information about the future of the Spider-Man franchise sooner rather than later. 

Yorgos Lathimos’ Poor Things is a movie that’s getting a lot of critic buzz right now. The performances of Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo are all in the Oscar conversation right now, but it turns out Ruffalo was far from sure about his performance, leading to Dafoe deciding to mess with his co-star by telling him he was going to get replaced by Oscar Isaac.

Speaking with Esquire, Willem Dafoe praises Ruffalo in Poor Things, but explains that Ruffalo himself wasn’t sure he was doing a great job. He looked to, and got, reassurance from his castmates, but Dafoe ultimately decided to play on the insecurities by playing a joke on Ruffalo…

It’s maybe not that surprising that Mark Ruffalo would be less than sure about his performance in Poor Things, as it's a weird movie. Ruffalo's character is unlike anything we’ve seen him play in quite some time, and he goes intentionally over the top with it, which fits perfectly with the tone of the film, but might not feel that way when performing it on set. 

It turns out that another star, Oscar Issac, was in Budapest at the same time filming a movie at the same studio where Poor Things was in production.  When Mark Ruffalo happened to see Isaac, he worried the actor might have been there to replace him. Dafoe, who had been in The Card Counter cast with Isaac, went to his former co-star and got him to play the part in a joke to make Ruffalo think his worst fears had come true. Dafoe continued… 

Mark Ruffalo is great in Poor Things, at least according to many critics and the people who hand out awards. Our own Poor Things review said Ruffalo nearly stole the show. He’s received nominations for Best Supporting Actor by several different critics organizations, and he made the list of 2024 Golden Globes nominees, alongside his co-star who played the joke on him. The film is likely to garner more than a couple of Oscar nominations, and Ruffalo may very well be one of them.

Willem Dafoe has worked with filmmaker Robert Eggers on two critically acclaimed movies. One of Dafoe's best films was Eggers’ The Lighthouse, where he played former sailor Thomas Wake, and he was also part of the cast of The Northman as Heimer the Fool. One of Dafoe’s upcoming movies, the Nosferatu remake, is making headway reuniting him with the American director. A recently-released photo has the Poor Things actor in his “Crazy Vampire Hunter” look, and there's a wild story behind it. 

The Academy Award-nominated actor will be playing the vampire hunter Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz from this new adaptation of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, whick itself was an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula. EW posted a sneak peek photo of Willem Dafoe in his undead-creature-hunting duds seemingly laughing maniacally next to a tomb surrounded in flames. Robert Eggers spoke to the publication about the wild story that went on surrounding that photo. It turns out the Spider-Man actor wasn’t alone in it, with the director saying:

That really does feel like a horror story! I give Willem Dafoe a lot of credit for being able to stand in character like that despite thousands of four-legged rodents. This wouldn’t be the first time that the cast and crew of a Robert Eggers movie were in an uncomfortable situation. A24’s The Lighthouse was apparently “miserable” to make because of the constant, stinking rain. But like Eggers remarked about the Nosferatu remake, he still had a lot of fun making these movies despite the challenges. 

What we know about Willem Dafoe’s character of Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz is that he’s an amped-up version of Professor Bulwer, who had a few scenes in the 1922 version. In many adaptations, this vampire slayer is known for being the arch-nemesis of Count Dracula/Count Orlok readily equipped with crucifixes and stakes. 

But if you know anything about Bram Stoker’s book Dracula, his character actually goes by Abraham Van Helsing, and he's played by a number of talented actors, including Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Jackman and Christopher Plummer. In fact, a Van Helsing reboot is in the works, with The Pope’s Exorcist’s Julius Avery reportedly directing. In Eggers’ version of the famed gothic horror story, it looks like we’ll be seeing Dafoe show off a lot of insanity we've never seen before in the role. 

Other things to know about Robert Eggers’ horror remake Nosferatu is that Bill Skarsgård, known for the horror films IT and Barbarian, will creep us out yet again by taking on the iconic role of Count Orlok. Lily-Rose Depp will be playing Orlock’s object of affection, Ellen Hutter, who is pursued by the undead being. Nicholas Hoult, whose latest project had him under the influence of Count Dracula and his razor-sharp fangs in Renfield, has him playing Depp’s husband in the Eggers adaptation. 

Funnily enough, Willem Dafoe also has a previous connection to the vampire folklore story playing original Orlok actor Max Schreck in the 2000 indie film adaptation Shadow of the Vampire, who in this was an actual vampire. As many of these cast members have experience working with vampires, this upcoming horror film should be a cakewalk for them all.

Robert Eggers’ “Crazy Vampire Hunter” actor for his Nosferatu remake deserves a pat on the back for taking that photo surrounded by real flames and thousands of rats. Willem Dafoe proves to be the right man for the job to be able to handle that. You can watch him portray the legendary vampire hunter with the 2024 movie release slaying in theaters on December 25th. 

December is a great time to plan a trip to the theater, and this year especially seems to have something to satisfy fans of every genre. You don’t have to tell anime fans that, though, because they’re likely all too aware that the next project from famed director Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron, hit theaters on December 8. The animated feature was produced by Studio Ghibli, which is known for some of the most iconic movies in the genre, and from the looks of the reviews, Miyazaki doesn’t disappoint.

The story follows a young boy Mahito (voiced by Luca Padovan in the English dubbing), who crosses into a world between the living and the dead in search of his mother. The Boy and the Heron boasts an A+ dub cast that includes Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Mark Hamill and Willem Dafoe (whose project Poor Things is also debuting to rave reviews this weekend). Katie Smith-Wong of FlickFeast rates The Boy and the Heron 4 out of 5 stars, calling it the most personal story of Miyazaki’s career. She writes: 

Ben Travis of Empire gives The Boy and the Heron 5 stars out of 5, calling it an “astonishing, sumptuous animated fantasy featuring everything you love about one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.” The critic continues: 

Justin Chang of NPR says the movie combines the excitement of a child's grand adventure with the weight of an older man's reflection, eliciting the kind of emotion you'd expect to get from watching every Hayao Miyazaki movie in succession. Chang writes: 

Luke Y. Thompson of AV Club grades the film an A-, saying that if this is the final film for Spirited Away director Hayao Miyazaki, it can be considered a victory lap. Thompson writes:  

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert gives the movie another perfect score, rating it 4 out of 4 stars, noting that the patience required in the first hour is rewarded in the movie’s final scenes, when the emotions really land. The colorful animation is bolstered by a gorgeous score by Joe Hisaishi, which Tallerico calls his favorite this year. The critic continues: 

The Boy and the Heron is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with 95% rating from more than 140 critics and an 88% audience score, as of this writing. Where will The Boy and the Heron fall in the ranking of Hayao Miyazaki films? You can make that judgment for yourself, as the movie is in theaters now, available both in Japanese with English subtitles and in dubbed English. Take a look at our 2023 movie calendar to see what else is hitting the big screen before the end of the year. 

The year may be coming to an end, but the box office is still firing on all cylinders in the final weeks of 2023. After its release was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike in September, Poor Things starring Emma Stone is finally in theaters. And from the critics’ reactions, it sounds like director Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest project was worth the wait. Critics are all praising the performances, particularly Stone’s, and given what we know about Poor Things, we might want to keep our eye out for this title when awards season rolls around.

Adapted from the novel by Alasdair Gray, Poor Things tells the story of Bella, who is brought back to life by a scientist (Willem Dafoe), but as she develops emotionally, intellectually and sexually, she yearns for more and runs away with a debauched lawyer (Mark Ruffalo in a role he was initially scared to take). In CinemaBlend’s review of Poor Things, Mike Reyes calls the film “a frank and funny exploration of self-fulfillment.” He rates it 4.5 stars out of 5, writing: 

Emma Stone was nominated for an Academy Award the last time she worked with Yorgos Lanthimos (on The Favourite), and many think her performance as Bella in Poor Things — her weirdest movie yet — might lead to more accolades. Brian Truitt of USA TODAY is one of those, as he gives the movie 3.5 stars out of 4, writing: 

Dana Stevens of Slate agrees this might be one of Emma Stone’s best movies, and while the storylines are a bit incohesive and Yorgos Lanthimos makes visual decisions the critic can’t get behind, Poor Things is still a “kinky delight,” Stevens says: 

Prabhjot Bains of Our Culture Mag rates Poor Things a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, praising its stellar ensemble. Emma Stone is “utterly engrossing, hilarious, and liberating,” and the critic calls this Mark Ruffalo’s strongest performance in years. Willem Dafoe is great as a mad scientist, never allowing himself to be pigeonholed. Bains continues: 

Lindsey Bahr of the AP, like the other critics, praises the acting in Poor Things but also joins her peers in noting the work behind the camera. The cinematography, costumes and production design also impress in this depraved fairy tale, Bahr says, giving the movie 3.5 stars out of 4: 

In addition to the above opinions, critics overall seem to agree when it comes to Emma Stone’s latest role. Poor Things has accumulated a 93% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from more than 150 assessments. If you want to check out Yorgos Lanthimos latest movie, you can do so now, as it hit theaters on December 8. There are still some great options on the 2023 movie calendar, but you can also get a jump on next year’s offerings by checking out our 2024 movie calendar. 

The next chapter in Arthur Curry’s story is getting closer to reaching shore, as Aquman and the Lost Kingdom is set to hit theaters in just a few months. This water-soaked installment will see Jason Momoa return to play the lead role, and he’ll be joined by a number of other returning stars from the first movie as well. However, director James Wan has officially confirmed that one franchise alum didn’t return for this latest installment – Willem Dafoe, who played the role of Vulko in the first movie. In addition to giving that confirmation, Wan also provided an explanation for why Dafoe didn’t make the trip to Atlantis this time. 

Yes, Aquaman 2 does already have an impressive cast that – in addition to Jason Momoa – includes the likes of Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman. However, pretty much any film would be blessed to count Wilem Dafoe amongst its ranks. James Wan discussed the actor’s absence from the highly anticipated sequel while chatting with EW and explained that it was simply Dafoe’s schedule that kept him from signing on. As disappointing as that may be for some, the Conjuring director went on to explain that Vulko’s exclusion did allow for one positive development: 

In the original 2018 film, Vulko was a mentor to Arthur Curry, training him for years while also serving as the vizier within the kingdom of Atlantis, By doing so, he helped the half-human/half-Atlantean man get in touch with his undersea roots. Vulko remained loyal to the legacy of Queen Atlanna amid Prince Orm’s takeover of the Atlantean throne and was imprisoned for that. By the end of the movie, Vulko was still alive and, like many of his constituents, he opted to follow newly installed king Arthur.

It’s quite understandable just why Wilem Dafoe (who found Aquaman to be different from his Spider-Man experience) was unable to return, as he’s been quite busy over these past few years. Some of the movies he has on the horizon – including Poor Things and Inside – had production schedules that overlapped with the DC film’s. Though it’s a bit of a bummer that he won’t be popping into the final DCEU movie, it’s at least great that his omission opened up more narrative possibilities for Nicole Kidman’s Atlanna. While she played a solid role in the first movie, the Lost Kingdom trailer seems to tease that she’ll be pivotal to the events of the sequel. It’ll be quite interesting to see how James Wan and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick add layers to the character. The prospect of Kidman being given more to do is also exciting.

And of course, the presence of most of the other original stars is sure to enthuse fans. Just about everyone is returning, including Amber Heard, who’s reprisal of Mera has been subject to speculation as of late. Nevertheless, Heard did appear in the trailer (briefly), and fans had thoughts about that. James Wan fielded a question about Mera’s reduced role being due to the attention surrounding Heard and her legal issues with ex-husband Johnny Depp. However, it would seem that nothing changed with his story plans in that regard, as Mera was apparently always meant to take a backseat this time around. That’s because this story put Arthur and Orm’s relationship at the forefront. 

The future of the Aquaman franchise seems uncertain, with the launch of the DCU franchise on the horizon. This could very well be the final time we see Jason Momoa’s version of Arthur Curry as well as his allies. But if this movie proves to be a hit and studio co-head James Gunn and co. want to keep the series going, I wouldn’t mind seeing Willem Dafoe return as Vulko. That’s on the condition that his schedule matches up, of course. 

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – one of the biggest titles on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases – opens in theaters on December 20. To prepare, you can stream its 2018 predecessor using a Max subscription.

Spider-Man has been a major pop culture figure for most of his existence, but things kicked up a few notches in 2002 with the release of the first Spider-Man movie. Tobey Maguire was selected to play Peter Parker in the character’s cinematic debut, and his origin story saw him battling Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn, a.k.a. The Green Goblin. It’s been more than two decades since Spider-Man’s release, and now there’s a fact that’s emerged concerning those two actors which will ruin your day.

Spider-Man filmed from January to June of 2001; Maguire turned 26 on June 26 of that year, around the time principal photography concluded, while Dafoe turned 46 on the following July 22. Cut to present day, the former just turned 48 years old, and the latter is a month away from turning 68. Now obviously the passage of time by itself isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s been pointed out how w that Maguire is now two years older than Dafoe was when they were working on Spider-Man together.

Still, it’s not like this piece of trivia is coming entirely out of nowhere. Two years ago, a tweet made the rounds pointing out that Tobey Maguire was, at the time, the same age that Willem Dafoe was when Spider-Man was shooting, and it included an appropriate Saving Private Ryan gif, as you’ll see below.

21 years is a long time on paper, but I imagine for many of us, it doesn’t feel like that more than two decades have passed has passed since Spider-Man swung into theaters and was met with critical and commercial success. The movie spawned two sequels, respectively released in 2004 and 2007, and while Norman Osborn died in that first movie, Dafoe cameoed in the sequels as the Norman hallucination James Franco’s Harry Osborn kept seeing after learning Peter Parker was Spider-Man, whom he believed had murdered his father. There had been plans for Sam Raimi to make Spider-Man 4, but the project was ultimately shelved, and the film series was rebooted in 2012 with The Amazing Spider-Man.

Fortunately, Spider-Man 3 wasn’t Maguire and Dafoe’s last web-slinging outing, as they both returned for 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which starred Tom Holland as the MCU’s Peter Parker. Dafoe’s Norman Osborn was pulled into that universe moments before his death during the events of Spider-Man alongside villains like Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx’s Electro, while both Maguire’s Peter and Andrew Garfield’s version of the character were pulled from their realities in the present day. Dafoe has since said he wasn’t pleased with No Way Home’s de-aging effects, but overall, both men appear to have had a positive experience on the latest live-action Spidey movie.

If you’re interested in revisiting 2002’s Spider-Man, it can be streamed with either a Disney+ subscription or a Hulu subscription. The animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is currently playing in theaters, and fans continue to wait for updates on what’s happening with Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man movie.

It isn’t that uncommon for a director to build a troupe of actors and continually call on them for the latest and greatest projects. Greats like Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Christopher Nolan have done it a lot over the years, working time and time again with the likes of Robert De Niro, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Cillian Murphy, respectively; and so too does Wes Anderson.

In addition to each of his movies featuring a unique sense of style and humor, as well as his signature shots, Anderson’s work has largely featured the same group of actors (though some get off the bus while others get on) taking on various roles. Names like Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson quickly come to mind when this discussion is brought up, but who’s appeared in the most movies directed by the quirky and eccentric filmmaker? Well, funny you should ask… 

Bill Murray - 9 Movies 

In a June 2023 interview with Deadline, Anderson said he “can’t imagine not working with” Bill Murray again, and that the only reason the actor wasn’t part of Asteroid City was because he contracted COVID ahead of production. But, even though he didn’t appear in the movie CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg called a “meta, Looney Tunes-esque delight,” he’s still the most prolific of all of Anderson’s collaborators.

In fact, since first working with the filmmaker for his 1998 sophomore effort, Rushmore, Murray has appeared in all of his movies, both live-action and animated, outside of the aforementioned Asteroid City. This comes to a total of nine films. He doesn’t always have the biggest role, but more times than not, he steals the show.

Jason Schwartzman - 8 Movies

Jason Schwartzman, in addition to being on one of the greatest HBO shows that ended too early, has also been one of Anderson’s most called upon stars, including for Asteroid City. Since first landing the starring role in Rushmore (his feature film debut), the former Phantom Planet drummer has appeared in all but two of the director’s movies: The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Schwarzman isn’t always the main attraction, but more times than not, he serves as a nice addition in films like The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom. And, when he’s not around, the actor’s absence can be felt.

Owen Wilson - 7 Movies

The partnership shared by Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson is unlike any other on this list, as the Loki star has not only acted in seven of the director’s movies, but also co-written several of them. They first collaborated on the 1994 short film, Bottle Rocket, which would be turned into their respective feature film debuts two years later. The future “Frat Pack” member would also receive writing credit for Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, though he didn’t act in the former (maybe his spot in the Armageddon cast got in the way).

Since then, the Texas native has been in every Anderson movie save for Moonrise Kingdom, Isle of Dogs, and Asteroid City. His roles have ranged from the lead in The Darjeeling Limited to small parts in the likes of The French Dispatch.

Adrien Brody - 5 Movies

Unlike the first three actors on this list, Adrien Brody didn’t start working with the director until his fifth movie, The Darjeeling Limited. But ever since appearing in the 2007 comedy about three estranged brothers who embark on a “spiritual journey,” the Academy Award-winning actor has appeared in five of Anderson’s movies, missing only two: Moonrise Kingdom and Isle of Dogs.

Some of Anderson’s best movies have featured Brody in roles ranging from minor parts like Mouse in Fantastic Mr. Fox to unforgettable characterizations in the likes of The Grand Budapest Hotel, and everywhere in between. 

Anjelica Huston - 5 Movies

Anjelica Huston, with her Oscar, Golden Globe, and collection of other accolades, is another prolific collaborator of Anderson’s. Since playing Etheline Tenenbaum in 2001’s The Royal Tenenbaums, the actress appeared in four additional movies, the most recent being The French Dispatch, which featured her as the narrator for the movie’s introduction.

It should also be noted that Huston does appear in the Isle of Dogs cast, even though she plays a character listed as “Mute Poodle,” as Anderson couldn’t find a proper speaking role for the talented actress. 

Bob Balaban - 5 Movies

Although he is best known for his appearances in Christohper Guest’s movies, Bob Balaban is also a frequent collaborator with Wes Anderson, appearing in a total of five movies over the years.

Ever since he provided the narration in Moonrise Kingdom, Balaban has had some kind of role in Anderson’s films, including the 2023 release of Asteroid City. He’s not the first actor you probably think of when discussing the filmmaker’s work, but Balaban is prolific nonetheless. 

Edward Norton - 5 Movies

Just like Balaban and the actress who follows just below, Edward Norton has appeared in all five of Wes Anderson’s most recent films dating back to Moonrise Kingdom. These appearances have been all over the place, with the talented actor playing every type of character from a boy scout leader in the 2012 coming-of-age comedy to an inspector from a fictional European country in The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Norton most recently appeared in Asteroid City, in which he played Conrad Earp, the legendary playwright who crafted the stage production at the heart of the movie. 

Tilda Swinton - 5 Movies

Including her portrayal of a tenacious and determined social services worker in Moonrise Kingdom, Tilda Swinton has had a sizable role in five of Anderson’s movies. The talented Academy Award-winning actress has helped bring to life some of the filmmaker’s most unforgettable characters during that stretch, including writer J.K.L. Berensen in the first of three main stories in the 2021 comedy film, The French Dispatch.

Swinton brings a fun and unique energy to each of her performances in his movies, which is probably why the director continues to call up on her as often as he does.

Willem Dafoe - 5 Movies

Willem Dafoe first worked with Wes Anderson in 2004’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which just happens to be one of the actor’s best movies. Since he played Zissou’s deeply devoted first mate, Klaus Daimler, nearly 20 years ago, Dafoe has gone on to appear in four additional Anderson pics, the most recent being Asteroid City.

Though his characters have been all over the spectrum of good and evil, Dafoe has been consistently great in each of his portrayals, creating some hilarious, heartfelt, and unforgettable moments, even when he doesn’t get a lot of screen time.

Jeff Goldblum - 4 Movies

And then there is Jeff Goldblum, who has appeared in a total of four Anderson movies. The partnership started with 2004’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and has continued sporadically over the years. 

The iconic actor most recently appeared in Asteroid City, but we won’t go into the identity of his character so that we don’t spoil anything for those who have yet to see the movie.

These are Wes Anderson’s most prolific collaborators, but there are many other actors who have appeared in his various releases for the past quarter-century or so. Luke WIlson (3), Tony Revolori (3), Liev Schreiber (3), Fisher Stevens (4), Frances McDormand (3), Jeffrey Wright (2), and countless others have worked with the director on more than one occasion. We can expect this list to change in time, especially with The Phoenician Scheme on the way.

Beetlejuice 2 is a name we’ve been hearing in the press more than three times as of late, so it has to be happening. Michael Keaton’s triumphant return to the 1988 Tim Burton role he made famous is currently underway, and its production boasts quite a cast of Hollywood notables. The most recent of which happens to be Willem Dafoe, who is finally teaming up with a director he seems made to play for, and in an appropriately spooky role.

Don’t get your hopes up for any new story notes, babe, as the Beetlejuice sequel’s plot is still sequestered in the realm known as secrecy. That being said, the announcement of Dafoe’s participation does come with some added context in a report from THR. Apparently, the character Willem Dafoe will be playing is “a law enforcement officer in the afterlife.”

That description, at least to me, reads as “ghost cop,” and that’s a role that’s absolutely in the Dafoe wheelhouse. It’s even more exciting to see that dream come true under Tim Burton, who surprisingly has never worked with the Spider-Man: No Way Home actor before this very picture. Out of all the pairings that could happen in the world of movies, a Dafoe/Burton ticket feels like something that should have happened, at the very latest, in the mid-'90s. 

Seeing as Beetlejuice 2 has been on a casting tear as of late, it really has been exciting to discover all the newcomers to the legacy-quel’s cast. Previously, it was announced that Jenna Ortega will be playing Winona Ryder’s daughter, with Ryder also reprising her role as Lydia Deetz. Not to mention, legacy cast member Catherine O'Hara and newcomer Justin Theroux are also on the roster for this next chapter in the ghostly comedy. And just yesterday, Monica Bellucci had been revealed as Beetlejuice’s wife, which is another detail that only makes the mystery surrounding the story that's assembled such a venerated cast that much more intriguing. 

While there are strict rules for how the living and the dead can interact in the Beetlejuice universe, one has to wonder which one is potentially fresh enough, and dangerous enough, to attract the attention of undead law enforcement. Unless, of course, the twist to Beetlejuice 2 is that Michael Keaton’s spirited pot stirrer is actually on the side of good for once. Or at least as good as one could expect from this legendary prankster.

In the absence of any actual story being divulged, this new adventure into the afterlife has already recruited a murderer’s row of talent. As production has just started to make Beetlejuice 2’s planned September 2024 release a reality, there’s no telling what news any follow-up announcements will bring.

All we know is that Willem Dafoe is on the beat to serve and protect the hereafter, and that to prepare for this next adventure, you can currently stream the original Beetlejuice with a Hulu subscription. For those of you Dafoe fans wondering where you can see the legendary actor next, he'll be reuniting with director Wes Anderson for this summer's comedy Asteroid City, set to debut in limited release on June 16th.

Updated with video.

Over the past few years the film industry has embraced a new cutting edge form of visual effects: digital de-aging. This process has allowed for certain actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Hamill to play younger versions of themselves in film. This process was also applied to Spider-Man: No Way Home, specifically on actors Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe. But the latter actor recently explained why he wasn’t happy with how Spider-Man 3 de-aged him as he reprised his super villain role as Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin. 

Willem Dafoe is a truly legendary character actor, who is known for committing 100 percent to his various characters. The Green Goblin was no exception, which is why moviegoers were so thrilled to see him back as the villain in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Dafoe recently spoke to Wired about his experience in the MCU, revealing he wasn’t too fond of the de-aging that was done on his face through visual effects. In his words, 

There you have it. While visual effects artists were tasked with making Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe look like they did during Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy, the Lighthouse actor doesn’t think he really needed it. After all, he moisturizes.

Willem Dafoe’s comments to Wired offer a delightful peek at his experience joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He dove back into the character of Norman Osborn head first, to the delight of moviegoers. He just wasn’t super fond of the de-aging work done on him throughout the movie’s 148-minute runtime. 

While it was fun to see Norman Osborn back on the big screen  and interacting with other villains from the Sam Raimi–verse, it was even more thrilling to see Willem Dafoe truly dig his heels in and become the villainous Green Goblin we know and love. What’s more, he ended up being the main antagonist of the final battle. You can see Willem Dafoe’s full appearance on Wired below:

It should be fascinating to see what comes next with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man franchise. The 26 year-old actor is currently having a much-needed break from the wall crawler, after appearing in a whopping six MCU movies across the last few years. Still, his return to the MCU seems like an inevitability, including more solo movies and crossover projects like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. 

Since Spider-Man: No Way Home embraced the multiverse and featured all three versions of Peter Parker working together, it seems like just about anything could happen from the Marvel/Sony property. Could we get more of these ambitious crossovers? Only time will tell, but those three actors got a ton of love for their appearance together.

The next installment in the MCU is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on May 5th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Warner Bros. has been making some bold swings with its comic book projects, set both within and outside of the main DCEU. Todd Phillips Joker was in the latter category, and ended up being a massive critical and box office success. A sequel is currently in development, and some Joker: Folie à Deux fan art has combines Joaquin Phoenix with Willem Dafoe… and it’s the stuff of nightmares.

While both Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips expressed interest in a Joker sequel after its release, the project sat in development for a few years. But it looks like the project is finally coming together; it’s been given an approximate release date and Phoenix is reportedly getting a big pay raise. There are countless theories about what might happen in Joker 2, with Willem Dafoe himself expressing interest in possibly joining the fun. Now thanks to fan art on Instagram we can see him and Joaquin Phoenix’s likeness combined into one Clown Prince of Crime. Check it out below,

Well, I’m sleeping with the lights on tonight. The first Joker movie was a truly unsettling experience, and smart money says that the upcoming sequel will be as well. While there’s currently no plans for Willem Dafoe to join the burgeoning DC franchise, it would be thrilling to see he and Joaquin Phoenix offer dueling takes on the Batman villain. We’ll just have to see what Todd Phillips and company are actually planning.

The above image comes to us from the Instagram of Jaxon Derr, who has a whopping 33k followers on the social media platform. This following has been accrued thanks to awesome fan art featuring characters from DC and Marvel mythology. And while fans patiently wait for information about Joker: Folie à Deux, images like this are sure to continue going viral. 

The rumors about Willem Dafoe and Joker 2 were partly due to the beloved actor himself. He personally expressed interest in the possibility of joining the franchise, musing on the ideas of a fake Joker. Dafoe was previously quoted, saying: 

Honestly, sign me up. This quote started a number of rumors about him possibly factoring into Joker 2. Fan art has been rolling in, with Willem Dafoe also joking about why people constantly want him to play the Batman villain.

The actual contents of Joker 2 are a mystery at the time being, although Lady Gaga is reportedly being approached to play Harley Quinn. There was also a report that Todd Phillips’ sophomore DC effort might be a musical, which would be a bold departure from the gritty and grueling tone of the original.

Joker 2 is currently set to hit theaters in October of 2024, with filming beginning this December. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Ever since it was first announced (or at least when it was given a release date), Robert Eggers’ historical thriller, The Northman, has been one of the most anticipated 2022 movies for a number of different reasons. There’s the director’s previous work like The Witch and The Lighthouse, a story inspired by William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, stunning visuals, and one of the most impressive casts put together in recent memory.

If you have been lucky enough to see the new Viking thriller, or are at least planning on experiencing it on the big screen, there’s a good chance you are wondering where you’ve seen members of The Northman cast before. Well, look no further because we’re about to break it down now.

Alexander Skarsgård (Amleth)

Leading The Northman cast is Alexander Skarsgård, who went through a ‘crazy’ transformation in preparation for his portrayal of Amleth, the Viking warrior prince at the center of the film’s narrative.

A member of the expansive and prolific Skarsgård family, the Swedish actor is best remembered for a few of his major roles, with the most notable being on two of HBO’s most popular shows of the past decade-and-a-half. Fans of True Blood will immediately remember Skarsgård’s portrayal of Eric Northman during the show’s seven-season run. And then, Big Little Lies fans will think back to his take on Perry Wright during the show’s run, a role that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and several other accolades.

Oscar Novak (Young Amleth)

Newcomer Oscar Novak appears in The Northman as the younger version of Amleth before he goes into exile.

Novak got his first big break in show business on the historical drama series, Poldark, on which he portrayed Jeremy Poldark in the fifth and final season. Earlier in 2022, Novak played a younger version of Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne in The Batman.

Anya Taylor-Joy (Olga)

Taking on the role of Olga, a sorceress who joins Amleth on his journey in The Northman, is Anya Taylor-Joy, whose busy schedule has kept her in a number of shows and movies as of late, some of which are earning her a great deal of praise.

By 2022, Taylor-Joy had her most successful performance to date on the Netflix limited series, The Queen’s Gambit, on which she portrayed chess prodigy Beth Harmon and took home several awards, including a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. She has also appeared in movies like Last Night in Soho, The New Mutants, and Emma in recent years. Taylor-Joy previously worked with director Robert Eggers for the 2015 psychological thriller, The Witch.

Ethan Hawke (King Aurvandil)

Ethan Hawke shows up in The Northman as King Aurvandil, Amleth’s father whose murder sets the young prince on a path of discovery and revenge against those who brought harm to his family and kingdom.

Over the years, Hawke has received multiple Academy Award nominations for roles in movies like Training Day and Boyhood, as well as his screenwriting work on Before Sunset and Before Sunrise. Hawke has appeared in countless movies throughout his career, which goes back to the mid 1980s, including White Fang, Dead Poets Society, Reality Bites, and The Purge. He was most recently on the Disney+ series Moon Knight, where he portrayed the antagonist, Arthur Harrow.

Nicole Kidman (Queen Gudrún)

Portraying Queen Gudrún, the wife of the slain king and mother of vengeful prince Amleth, is Nicole Kidman, who brings years of experience and brilliant acting talent to the expansive The Northman cast. 

The Academy Award winner and six-time Golden Globe recipient has spent the vast majority of her career appearing in critically acclaimed movies and shows like Moulin Rouge!, The Hours, Being the Ricardos, Big Little Lies, and The Undoing, but that barely scratches the surface. Over the years, Kidman has also appeared in everything from Days of Thunder to The Others and Batman Forever to Cold Mountain, with dozens of other appearances on the silver screen and small screen.

Willem Dafoe (Heimir)

Willem Dafoe teams up with Robert Eggers again for The Northman, in which he portrays Heimir, a character described as an “impish delight” in CinemaBlend’s review of the revenge thriller. Dafoe previously worked with Eggers on the 2019 psychological horror film The Lighthouse.

The list of Dafoe’s best movies includes everything from his appearances in the Spider-Man movies to The Last Temptation of Christ, and so much in between. Whether it be something like American Psycho, Platoon, or The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the veteran actor has consistently proven he’s one of the best around. He’s even managed to play one of the best John Wick characters, which is saying something.

Björk (The Seeress)

In one of her rare film appearances, Icelandic singer and composer Björk shows up in The Northman cast as The Seeress, a mysterious fortune teller who foretells Amleth’s destiny from a young age.

Although she hasn’t appeared in all that many movies, Björk is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable faces in the international music scene thanks to her unique vocals, intricate arrangements, and outstanding music videos. However, Björk did receive a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Lars von Trier’s 2000 musical drama, Dancer in the Dark.

Claes Bang (Fjölnir)

Taking on the role of Fjölnir, Amleth’s uncle and the man who is responsible for the death of his father in order to attempt taking over his kingdom, in The Northman is Claes Bang, who looks absolutely frightening in the film's various trailers.

Although most of his career has been spent taking part in various film and TV projects in his native Denmark, Bang has made a splash with international audiences in recent years with appearances on shows like The Bridge, The Affair, and Dracula, on which he portrayed Count Dracula himself. His more recent film roles include The Square, The Girl in the Spider’s Room, and The Glass Room.

Gustav Lindh (Thórir)

Gustav Lindh shows up in The Northman cast as Thórir, one of Fjölnir’s sons who crosses paths with Amleth on his road of vengeance.

Throughout his career, the Swedish actor has appeared in movies like Riders of Justice and Queen of Hearts, and The Circle, as well as a list of TV shows that includes Jordskott, Älska mig, and multiple others released dating back to 2015.

Ingvar Sigurdsson (The Sorcerer)

Taking on the role of The Sorcerer in The Northman is Ingvar Sigurdsson, who doesn’t have all that many English speaking roles but is a major star in his native Iceland.

Over the years, Sigurdsson has popped up in movies like Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, A White, White Day, Lamb, Everest, and One Night in Istanbul, as well as a couple dozen or more roles in Icelandic-speaking movies and shows including Metalhead, Polite People, Undercurrent, The Oath, and Of Horses and Men, to name only a few.

Elliott Rose (Gunnar)

Elliott Rose appears in The Northman as Gunnar, the son of Fjölnir and Queen Gudrún who gets caught up in the bloodshed brought on by Amleth’s return from exile.

Rose’s performance in Robert Eggers’ The Northman is the young actor’s first and only feature film to date. He previously appeared in the 2021 short film, Milk, as well as multiple stage productions in England’s West End, including a musical based on Doctor Dolittle.

Kate Dickie (Halldora)

Kate Dickie shows up in The Northman as Halldora, the latest in a series of projects that have seen the Scottish actress portray characters in historical dramas and her second appearance in a Robert Eggers movie, the first being The Witch.

Most will recognize Dickie for her portrayal of Lysa Arryn, the older sister of Catelyn Stark, on Game of Thrones, making her one of the members of The Northman cast to appear on the popular HBO fantasy series. Dickie’s other notable TV projects include Tinsel Town, The Pillars of the Earth, Peaky Blinders, and The Nest. Her film credits include Prometheus, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and most recently, The Green Knight, in which she played Queen Guinevere.

Ralph Ineson (Captain Volodymyr)

Ralph Ineson is no stranger when it comes to historical dramas of this scale, with his portrayal of Captain Volodymyr in The Northman being the latest in a long line of great film and TV projects from over the years.

Throughout his career, Ineson has portrayed characters like Amycus Carrow in the final three Harry Potter movies, a Ravager in Guardians of the Galaxy, the titular mysterious figure in The Green Knight, and various other movies like Gunpowder Milkshake, Robin Hood, and Robert Eggers’ The Witch. His TV work includes the original U.K. version of The Office, Salvage Hunters, Chernobyl, and Game of Thrones, to name off just a few of his credits.

This is just a portion of the talented actors who take up a spot on The Northman cast, as Robert Eggers’ new Viking revenge thriller is full of great characters throughout its runtime. And, if you want to know what critics are saying about the movie, as well as its cast, check out a rundown of some the reviews so far. 

Director Robert Eggers’ third feature film The Northman (which follows The Witch and The Lighthouse) is by far his biggest yet. With its $90 million budget and A-list cast — led by Alexander Skarsgård — the film is a combination of historical epic and revenge thriller that left its star “truly a wreck.” All of the above is why this one is so highly anticipated. Critics had the opportunity to screen The Northman, and they had plenty of strong opinions about the movie, and Skarsgård in particular, to help us decide if we’ll be heading to the theaters when this movie premieres April 22. 

Critics’ first reactions were overwhelmingly positive for the film that stars Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang, Björk, and Willem Dafoe alongside Alexander Skarsgård's warrior prince. They said The Northman is Robert Eggers’ most accessible film yet and the critics were captivated by the tale of revenge. Let’s dive a little deeper and see what their reviews say, starting with CinemaBlend’s review. Eric Eisenberg rates The Northman 4.5 stars of ferocious excellence. He says while the cast is full of surprises and treats, this is Alexander Skarsgård’s show, and he is impressive:

David Rooney of THR says the film is respectable if for no other reason than it is a big, noisy, brawling spectacle grounded not in comic-book superhero lore but rather in culturally specific history. This critic applauds the cast and says Alexander Skarsgård has never been fiercer or more physically imposing:

Germain Lussier of Gizmodo says The Northman experiences a few bumps in the road, as it starts off as a gritty, beautifully choreographed action and then turns into a smaller psychological thriller. However, the film is never boring and is beautiful throughout. It works because we believe the characters, and he says the cast has some standouts, including the leads and a show-stealing Nicole Kidman: 

Alonso Duralde of The Wrap says Robert Eggers has made a "rousingly rough, extreme action saga" that's accessible without losing his arthouse credibility. The director knows how to get his actors to a very specific wavelength, and Alexander Skarsgård takes his performance right to the edge:

Not all of the critics were won over by the leading performance, however. Peter Debruge of Variety says despite his impressive physicality, Alexander Skarsgård lacks the charisma needed to carry such a big-budget film. Overall this critic finds the story too simple and ultimately rather dull:

If this sounds like a movie you can’t miss, you can catch it in theaters starting on Friday, April 22. In the meantime, take a look at our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what other films are coming soon.

The Northman starring Alexander Skårsgard is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, and it’s not hard to see why. The historical epic features an A-list cast, including Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang, Björk, and Willem Dafoe, for one thing. Another is that it features an intense tale of revenge, as the thriller has a Viking prince’s quest to avenge his father’s murder. Did we mention the towering, shirtless Alexander Skårsgard? Critics have screened The Northman, so let’s take a look at their early reactions.

The Northman’s director Robert Eggers has built a reputation as a filmmaker of creating films that are as historically accurate as possible, while maintaining an atmospheric and haunting tone. His two previous feature films, The Witch and 2019's The Lighthouse, both received critical praise, but The Northman is his most ambitious project yet. What are the critics saying about his effort? 

CinemaBlend's own Eric Eisenberg really enjoyed it, calling The Northman Robert Eggers' most accessible film. It's probably also a good sign when the critic keeps whispering, "Holy shit!" during the screening:

CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell also go to see the film, and offers similar praise, calling it "primal" and "everything you want a Viking revenge thriller directed by Robert Eggers to be."

Erik Davis of Rotten Tomatoes agrees that The Northman is the most accessible venture from the director, but clarifies that that fact doesn't take away from his filmmaking style. He praises Alexander Skarsgård's performance, so it appears the "crazy transformation" the actor went through to prepare for the role might have paid off. While Skarsgård is a "beast," Nicole Kidman's performance is stunning as well, according to Davis:

Maggie Lovitt of Wealth of Geeks says the stunning cinemetography sets the scene for this epic saga:

Germain Lussier of Gizmodo said The Northman is smaller than the trailers make it seem, but that doesn't take away from it being a satisfying and emotional tale of revenge. Apparently the final scene is pretty epic as well:

High praise also comes from IndieWire's David Ehrlich, as he says Robert Eggers succeeded in making a big-budget movie that still feels like his style:

Kate Erbland of IndieWire says The Northman had her on an emotional roller coaster, and it doesn't sound like a bad ride, if you ask me:

Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture echoes other critics' praise about Alexander Skarsgård's performance. More than one critic has called the revenge story "straightforward," but that doesn't seem to be detracting from the film's overall likeability:

It sounds like the early reactions to The Northman are overwhelmingly positive. We’ll get even more details when the reviews come out April 11, so be sure to check back to CinemaBlend for that. While you wait for the film's April 22 release date, be sure to check out our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what other films are coming soon to streaming services and theaters near you.

Being an actor is a unique job. While it offers amazing opportunities, sometimes one is tasked with going outside of the box while in front of a crew of people. Robert Eggers’ upcoming epic film The Northman looks like it’s going to be a wild one, and actor Ethan Hawke recently talked about the nude scene he has with Willem Dafoe. And yes, there’s howling at the moon involved.

Robert Eggers assembled an outstanding cast to bring The Northman alive. While the movie stars Alexander Skarsgård and the talented Anya Taylor-Joy, the supporting cast includes more names like Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, and Ethan Hawke. In an interview with GQ, the latter actor recently teased a particular scene he shares with Dafoe, where the two legends had to get in the buff. Ashe put it,

I mean, he’s got a point. Willem Dafoe is a universally acclaimed actor, who is known for always giving 100 percent of himself on screen. So if you had to do a nude scene for Robert Eggers with someone, Dafoe is definitely that guy. You just can’t feel self-conscious when he’s so committed.

Ethan Hawke shared this funny tidbit about The Northman in an interview about his starring role in Disney+’s Moon Knight series. Eventually the conversation turned to that upcoming epic blockbuster, which looks like it’s going to have plenty of gnarly violence. But the movie's also going to include some shots of Willem Dafoe and Hawke baring it all.

The first trailer and poster from The Northman understandably puts a ton of focus on Alexander Skarsgård’s protagonist Amleth. The poster showed off the Big Little Lies actor’s hulking physique and washboard abs. But apparently the nudity is being spread around for the cast of the upcoming movie. We’ll just have to wait and see how trippy Ethan Hawke’s sequence ends up being.

Robert Eggers is a filmmaker who is known for having a unique vision, mixing realism and out of this world concepts. His first movie The Witch was a terrifying and trippy tale throughout the 1630’s, while The Lighthouse told a tale of isolation and madness in the 1890’s. Both are wholly unique and disturbing projects in their own right, and Eggers is once again working with collaborators Anya Taylor-Joy and Willem Dafoe on The Northman.

The action of The Northman looks like it’s going to scratch an itch for medieval action that some fans have been feeling since Game of Thrones ended years ago. But with Eggers behind the camera, smart money says he’s going to have plenty of surprises up his sleeve.

The Northman is expected to arrive in theaters on April 22nd. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Willem Dafoe is one of those actors who’s contributed to both the Marvel and DC film landscapes, having starred as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in two Spider-Man movies (plus a couple cameos) and Atlantean advisor Vulko in Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Aquaman. For years though, many fans have wanted him to play The Joker, Batman’s arch-nemesis, in a movie. Now Dafoe has responded to these fan-castings in a delightful way using a special platform at 30 Rock in New York.

Hosting Saturday Night Live this past weekend, with Katy Perry accompanying him as the musical guest. Willem Dafoe talked during his opening monologue about how expressive his face often gets when performing roles. This led to an amusing comment about how he’s often associated with DC Comics’ Clown Prince of Crime: 

One simply needs to look at Willem Dafoe’s maniacal grin from 2002’s Spider-Man to know he’d be a solid fit to bring The Joker to life. Whether that day ever comes, who’s to say, but it’s good to hear Dafoe has a sense of humor about so many people associating him with one of fiction’s most famous mass murderers. Actors who have brought The Joker in live action include Caesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix.

Speaking of Joaquin Phoenix, Willem Dafoe’s comments follows days after he expressed interested in appearing in Joker 2 with the man who brought Arthur Fleck to life in 2019. However, with Phoenix officially holding the Joker mantle in this corner of the DC movies multiverse, Dafoe is interested in playing a “Joker impostor” who would clash with the real deal. That would certainly be a unique story to tell, especially if this film series is still wanting to keep Batman out of the narrative equation.

Although Joker was originally envisioned as a standalone story, talk of making a sequel emerged soon after the movie was released to the public. Considering Joker went on to make over $1 billion worldwide and earned numerous accolades (including Joaquin Phoenix winning the Academy Award for Best Actor), it’s hardly surprising Warner Bros. is reportedly at least considering making Joker 2. That said, there haven’t been any major update on the project’s progress in a while, although it has been rumored it could start shooting in 2023.

Obviously if Willem Dafoe does get the opportunity to play either Joker or the Joker impostor role he suggested, we’ll let you know. For now, you can still catch him reprising Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and his upcoming movies include The Northman, Dead for a Dollar and Poor Things.

The comic book genre has been dominating the film industry for years now, with studios showing no signs of slowing down. Warner Bros. has been producing projects set both within and outside of the main DCEU, including Todd Phillips’ Oscar winning film Joker. It turns out that Willem Dafoe has an idea for Joker 2 with Joaquin Phoenix, and sign me up.

Joker was a massive hit when it arrived in theaters in 2019, with Joaquin Phoenix winning an Academy Award for his performance as Arthur Fleck. Since then fans have been hoping for a sequel, especially if it is more intimately connected with traditional Batman lore. It turns out that Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Willem Dafoe would like to see that sequel happen, with himself starring alongside Phoenix. Dafoe described his pitch for the project as:

Well, that sounds like a pretty awesome idea. It would no doubt be thrilling to see Joaquin Phoenix and Willem Dafoe on the big screen together, especially if they end up being dueling versions of the Batman villain in Joker 2. Of course, it’s unclear if Warner Bros. currently has any plans to move forward with this type of sequel.

Willem Dafoe's comments to GQ are sure to turn a few heads. Given the pedigree of both Dafoe and Jaoquin Phoenix as performers, they seem like a dream combination to bring Joker 2 to life. Phoenix gave an outstanding performance as Arthur Fleck, and there are few actors who could match his energy. But Dafoe is just that type of performer, as he’s known for always going 100 percent, as seen in his return as Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

Todd Phillips and company crafted an original story with the first Joker movie, providing a new origin story for Joaquin Phoenix’s title character. While most of the runtime followed as Arthur Fleck slowly lost his sanity and became disenfranchised by Gotham City, the third act featured a few connections to Batman, incorporating Bruce Wayne’s dark backstory. It sounds like Willem Dafoe wants to get in on the action, and tell another story that’s unique from the comic source material.

While both Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips originally expressed some interest in continuing their collaboration with a Joker sequel, there hasn’t been any updates from them or Warner Bros. As such, it’s more than possible that we’ll never see Joker 2 come to life. That is, unless Willem Dafoe’s elevator pitch was able to convince execs at the studio.

The next DC movie hitting theaters is The Batman on March 4th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home lie ahead. 

There was a lot of anticipation surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home, so fans were likely delighted when the action-packed and heartfelt film lived up to the hype. There’s plenty to love about it, and one of the coolest aspects of the movie is that it brought back a number of familiar faces (via the multiverse). This included Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, who proved to be just as maniacal as viewers remembered. However, his famed antagonist looked a bit different this time around, as one key element of the character was tossed aside. Dafoe has now shed some light on this particular creative decision. 

Norman Osborn enters No Way Home after Peter Parker and Doctor Strange inadvertently open the multiversal floodgates while casting a spell. When he first appears on screen, Osborn is seen sporting his signature jade suit. But shortly after, Norman (who’s still wrestling with his evil alter ego) not only discards his famous mask but smashes it as well. Willem Dafoe recently explained that this development stemmed from criticism surrounding this piece of the outfit:

The Oscar nominee’s take on the iconic comic book villain in Sam Raimi’s 2002 film has been celebrated by fans and still stands as an impressive performance. However, as his recent comments to The New York Times indicate, the mask wasn’t exactly well received. Many found it to be quite stiff, instead preferring something that was expressed as the face covering from the comics. Marvel Studios isn’t one to completely ignore fans and, given how early Norman ditches the mask, it seems that the creatives definitely took the feedback to heart. 

To me, the elimination of the green headgear turned out to be a smart move. First of all, it quickly distinguished this take on the villain from the original (even though it’s the exact same character). The other obvious upside is that this move allowed audiences to actually see Willem Dafoe’s facial expressions while delivering dialogue. The man is an acting legend for a reason, and I think most would agree that he doesn’t need a mask to be terrifying. My mind immediately goes to the scene in which he deviously cackles while Peter Parker rapidly punches him. 

The actor gave a skillful performance and, after seeing it all play out, it’s funny to think that, at one point, having any kind of Green Goblin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed like a pipe dream. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts once seemed cagey about adding characters like Goblin and Doctor Octopus. Instead, they were eyeing faces that hadn’t been seen on the big screen. Even lead actor Tom Holland initially thought it would be “so hard” to bring the glider-riding bad guy into the MCU and even thought the franchise should avoid him altogether.

I think I speak for most fans when I say that we’re glad that the studio was not only able to find a way to bring back the character but also the OG actor who played him. Willem Dafoe previously explained that he loved playing the character in the original film, citing the duality of the role as something that appealed to him. That aspect of Osborn definitely shone through even more this time around and, as mentioned, this is partly due to the maskless approach. On top of that, there were also some other changes made to the costume, which created a more comfortable experience for the actor. 

Considering how things wrapped up for him, I'd say this is the last time viewers will see this version of the Spider-Man rogue. It’s comforting, however, to know that the Murder on the Orient Express alum was able to reprise his role and go out with a bang. So if you haven’t already, you can swing over to your local theater (if you’re comfortable with doing so) and check out Spider-Man: No Way Home now.

The comic book genre continues to be a powerful force in the entertainment industry, with projects like Spider-Man: No Way Home able to break box office records in the midst of the pandemic. DC fans can’t wait to see Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which offers a new take on Robert Pattinson’s title character. Some epic fan art has cast Willem Dafoe as the Joker, and sign me up.

Willem Dafoe is a massively acclaimed actor, who has proven his ability to work in both blockbusters and prestige films like The Lighthouse. Matt Reeves is creating a Gotham City disconnected from the main DCEU for The Batman, featuring an all-star cast of actors. Fans have been theorizing about who might show up in a possible sequel, leading to epic fan art of Dafoe as the Clown Prince of Crime. Check it out below,

I mean, how cool is that? You can’t deny that Willem Dafoe looks awesome as Joker. And given his previous experience in comic book projects like Spider-Man and Aquaman, he seems like the perfect actor to take on the mantle of the iconic villain. We’ll just have to see if Matt Reeves has plans to bring Mr. J to The Batman’s sequel or developing spinoffs.

The above image comes to us from the Instagram of a digital artist named César. They’ve amassed an impressive 154k followers on the social media outlet thanks to the stunning fan art featuring comic book characters. This rendering of The Joker is no exception, and is sure to inspire a few fan theories about Willem Dafoe joining the burgeoning franchise.

Given the pedigree of actors in The Batman, it doesn’t seem out of the question that Willem Dafoe might join in on the fun in a potential sequel. Matt Reeves’ highly anticipated movie features the talents of Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis, and Jeffrey Wright among others. We’ll just have to see which members of this stellar ensemble get to reprise their roles in a future project.

Taking on the role of The Joker is a big undertaking, one that’s been done to varying levels of success throughout the years. Both Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix received Oscars for playing the iconic Batman villain, while Jared Leto’s performance in Suicide Squad ended up largely on the cutting room floor. But Willem Dafoe seems like a genius choice for the role, as the acclaimed actor always gives 100 percent of his commitment on camera.

Of course, it’s currently unclear if The Batman will even get a sequel, let alone what characters Matt Reeves might be bringing to his version of Gotham City. We’ll just have to wait and see how the first movie performs at the box office, as well as the reception for its HBO Max spinoff.

The Batman will hit theaters on March 4th, and you can see Willem Dafoe in Spider-Man: No Way Home now. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Whether he’s playing the hero, the villain, or somewhere in between, more times than not, Willem Dafoe is the most interesting actor in any movie that features his name. Despite being one of the best living actors without an Academy Award, Dafoe instantly makes a movie better whenever he steps on the screen. Throughout his career, he’s appeared in superhero movies like Spider-Man, dramas like Platoon, and several of the best Wes Anderson movies.

The list of Willem Dafoe’s best movies is one that features biographical dramas, groundbreaking psychological thrillers, and a handful of controversial films that we are still talking about decades later. Let’s take a look at just a sampling of the legendary actor’s great works.

Spider-Man (2002)

Still one of the best superhero movies nearly 20 years after its initial release, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man tells not only the story of Peter Parker’s (Tobey Maguire) transformation into the iconic webslinger, but also that of Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). 

It is hard to imagine anyone but Dafoe pulling off the role of Norman Osborn, as he descends into madness and gives Spider-Man his first true test. The way Dafoe is able to bounce between a charismatic scientist running his own corporation, to a crazed villain hellbent on revenge, only makes the instant-classic even more of a treat to revisit time and time again.

Stream Spider-Man on Peacock.
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Buy Spider-Man on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Florida Project (2017)

In the shadow of Walt Disney World lies a world of unlicensed shopping centers, low-budget extended stay motels, and people just trying to make it in life. In that dark, desperate, and uncertain world live the characters that make up Sean Baker’s 2017 drama, The Florida Project, including Moonee (Brooklyn Prince) and Bobby (Willem Dafoe), the caring manager of the Magic Castle motel where the young girl lives.

The Florida Project, despite its somewhat depressing setting, has a ton of heart. This is especially true for Willem Dafoe's Bobby, who provides a great deal of emotional depth to the story.

Stream The Florida Project on Netflix.
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Buy The Florida Project on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

At Eternity’s Gate (2018)

When it was announced that Julian Schnabel (Before Night Falls, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) would be directing a biographical drama about the final years of Vincent van Gogh, you could feel the excitement in the air. The anticipation grew even stronger when everyone got their first glance of Willem Dafoe as the tortured artist responsible for some of art’s greatest and most inventive works. 

The film changes the way you look at van Gogh as a person and artist, and a lot of that has to do with Willem Dafoe's enchanting depiction of the iconic artist. The wonder and pain in Dafoe's eyes throughout the unique biopic is a testament of his acting and emotional range.

Rent/Buy At Eternity’s Gate on Amazon.
Buy At Eternity’s Gate on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Platoon (1986)

Oliver Stone’s epic Vietnam drama, Platoon, mainly focuses three characters and how they deal with the trauma of war in their own unique ways. There’s the fresh-faced and naïve volunteer Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), the hardened and morally bankrupt Staff Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), and experienced yet caring Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe). 

Willem Dafoe is responsible for some of Platoon's most powerful moments, which is one of the reasons why he received so much recognition, including an Oscar nomination. In fact, it's hard to imagine Sergeant Elias' biggest scene with someone else playing the role.

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Rent/Buy Platoon on Amazon.
Buy Platoon on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

American Psycho (2000)

Released in 2000, Mary Harron’s adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ disturbing novel, American Psycho, follows investment banker Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) as he balances his busy life on Wall Street with that of a sadistic serial killer obsessed with power, blood, and materialism. 

When one of Bateman’s colleagues, Paul Allen (Jared Leto), goes missing, Detective Donald Kimball (Willem Dafoe) begins investigating the strange circumstances surrounding his mysterious disappearance. What’s great about Dafoe’s performance here is the fact that two he shot two different sets of reactions for each of his scenes with Bateman — one in which he knew Bateman was a killer and a second in which he didn’t — which were later spliced together, per Far Out Magazine.

Stream American Psycho on Showtime.
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Buy American Psycho on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

John Wick (2014)

The John Wick franchise has become one of the most popular film properties in recent years, with multiple sequels having been released and more on the way. Sometimes you just have to go back to where it all started in 2014, when John Wick (Keanu Reeves) first came out of retirement to get a little payback after his pet dog (a gift from his dead wife) was viciously killed.

Wick encounters multiple characters along the way, but Marcus (Willem Dafoe) is one of the most interesting. Dafoe is able to portray the character in a manner that leaves the audience questioning his allegiances throughout, which makes Marcus all the more interesting to watch.

Rent/Buy John Wick on Amazon.
Buy John Wick on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Lighthouse (2019)

Directed by Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse tells the tale of two lighthouse keepers on an isolated island off the New England coast. The younger of the two, Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) slowly begins to lose his mind (and spill his beans) as his month-long contract drags on. The older and more experienced, Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) bounces between being cordial and overly demanding with his subordinate, further escalating his deteriorating mental state.

Willem Dafoe is absolutely perfect throughout The Lighthouse and his emotional range helps turn Thomas Wake into a character more fascinating than he has any right being.

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Buy The Lighthouse on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)

E. Elias Merhige’s 2000 offbeat horror film, Shadow of the Vampire, provides a fictionalized recount of the making of Nosferatu, the 1921 unauthorized version of Dracula. In this cult classic, Willem Dafoe takes on the role of Max Schreck, the man hired by F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) to play Count Orlok. Shadow of the Vampire depicts Schreck as an actual vampire, whose insistence on staying in character and working only at night begins to not only impress the cast and crew but frighten them.

Willem Dafoe is embodiment of madness throughout Shadow of the Vampire and really makes the movie a must-watch, even if it's sometimes hard to find. And though a lot of the cast is great here, Dafoe's Max Schreck is an undeniable force of nature.

Buy Shadow of the Vampire on DVD on Amazon.

The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988)

One of the most controversial on-screen depictions of Jesus, Martin Scorsese’s 1988 drama, The Last Temptation of Christ, depicts the religious figure in a more human light. Portrayed by Willem Dafoe, Jesus spends the majority of the movie burdened by his role in humanity’s salvation, and conflicted about his life choices, even as he is forced to carry the cross to his own crucifixion. 

Willem Dafoe was an odd pick to take on the role of Jesus Christ, but after watching the movie it's hard to imagine anyone else in his place, especially in this manner. Dafoe's performance humanizes the religious figure in more ways than one.

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Mississippi Burning (1988)

Set in the American South in the early 1960s, Mississippi Burning follows FBI agents Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) and Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) as they travel the “Magnolia State” to investigate the disappearances of three civil rights activists who were last seen in a small town ruled by members of the Ku Klux Klan. 

The late Alan Parker’s emotionally tense and thrilling drama largely focuses on diverging personalities and tactics of the two FBI agents, a partnership that feels both tight and strained thanks the powerhouse performances of Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman.

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The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)

Willem Dafoe has been in a few Wes Anderson movies over the years including The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which was their first collaboration. Released in 2004, the quirky comedy tells the story of oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) as he prepares his next documentary about the elusive jaguar shark. 

Steve Zissou's first mate, Klaus Daimler (Dafoe), is at the center of some of the movie's best moments, including during the climatic rescue operation when he opens up to his idol about always being on the "B Squad." Although a funny moment, Dafoe adds a level of sincerity and pain to his lines that add a real emotional punch to the gut.

Stream The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou on Amazon.
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Buy The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)

And then there is Born of the Fourth of July, Oliver Stone’s 1989 emotionally and politically-charged biographical drama about Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise), an idealistic and patriotic Vietnam War veteran who was left paralyzed from the waist down following a firefight. 

Near the end of Ron Kovic's post-war soul-searching journey, he finds himself in some strange places with even stranger people. This is when we meet Charlie (Willem Dafoe), another paraplegic Vietnam vet living in Mexico. No surprise here, but Dafoe brilliantly captures the fear, pain, anger, and madness of a man abandoned by his country.

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Buy Born On The Fourth Of July on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

This is just a small portion of all the great performances Willem Dafoe has given over the years, but this is a great place to start for anyone wanting to see some of his best movies. 

We’re just a few weeks away from the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. It looks like Jon Watts’ upcoming threequel will be a massive crossover event, with the multiverse being ripped open thanks to Doctor Strange’s spell. And Willem Dafoe recently explained how the Green Goblin suit has changed within the MCU.

Moviegoers were thrilled when the first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home confirmed the return of Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin. With the movie nearly upon us, fans are eager for any information about what he’ll be up to throughout the course of the mysterious blockbuster. The Lighthouse actor recently opened up about the differences to his suit this time around, saying:

Well, that’s exciting. It looks like Willem Dafoe had an easier time getting suited up as the Green Goblin for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Namely because technology has moved forward and made the process far less time time consuming for the iconic actor. We’ll just have to see how this ultimately affects his performance in Jon Watts’ sequel.

Willem Dafoe’s comments from a recent panel he did at CCXP alongside fellow Spider-Man: No Way Home villains Alfred Molina (Dock Ock) and Jamie Foxx (Electro). The conversation eventually pivoted to his suit in the blockbuster, which will seemingly be going through some major changes. This includes both how its made on set, and how it’ll function when battling the likes of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.

The footage and trailers for Spider-Man: No Way Home have been fairly limited, as the cast and crew attempt to keep the secrets of the movie. But the inclusion of villains from the previous two franchises has broken the internet multiple times as we gear up for the movie’s release. Later in his same interview, Willem Dafoe went on to cryptically tease how the new suit will factor into the action, saying:

Well, I’m certainly intrigued. It’s been a number of years since we saw Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin on the big screen, after appearing in all three installments of Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy. But it looks like the various villains are getting upgrades in their MCU debut, which should make the action sequences thrilling and surprising.

Luckily for the generations of Spider-Man fans out there, the wait for No Way Home is nearly over. And as such, the countless questions fans have about the multiverse will finally be answered. What’s more, we will finally get answers about the various rumors still circulating about the project-- including the possible return of previous Peter Parker actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Spider-Man: No Way Home will arrive in theaters on December 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen Tom Holland’s Peter Parker take on some truly awesome Spider-Man villains, but not the web-slinger’s arch enemy, Green Goblin. The most likely reason for his absence from the franchise, as even Holland himself once said, is that the character is a challenge to adapt for live-action, especially given that Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin has been so hard to top in further installments.

Well, it seems that Marvel Studios’ philosophy is, “If you can’t beat ‘em, bring ‘em back.” Along with a few other familiar baddies, the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy’s own iteration of the Marvel villain will appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home with Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe reprising the role, as well. Before we witness this triumphant return in one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies of 2021, I believe a quick recap is in order.

Norman Osborn Helped Develop The Goblin Formula 

Green Goblin is really the alter ego of Norman Osborn - the founder of Oscorp Technology, which was developing a super soldier serum when we first met the character in Spider-Man in 2002. However, after Dr. Mendel Stromm (Ron Perkins) claimed that the formula was unstable, U.S. General Slocum (Stanley Anderson) threatened to stop the project’s military funding.

Osborn decided to test the performance-enhancing drug on himself, which worked as hoped, but with one particularly concerning side effect: insanity. The industrialist exhibited nearly animalistic behavior before fatally attacking his friend and colleague, Dr. Stromm. However, the next morning, he could not remember anything that he did the night before because, technically, it was not actually “him.”

Green Goblin Is Norman Osborn’s Split Personality 

Green Goblin’s supervillain origin story is not the kind in which a person consciously creates a new persona when turning to a life of crime. The character is a separate entity of its own that manifested within Norman Osborn, perpetuated by his own vengeful tendencies and a little help from Oscorp’s formula, which turned out to be just as unstable as Stromm warned.

The split personality would initially take complete control over Osborn, unbeknownst to him - such as during a violent attack on Oscorp’s rival company, Quest Aerospace, that worked greatly in Osborn’s favor before eventually causing him to lose his job. By then, Green Goblin fully revealed itself to Osborn, having full-on conversations with his host to manipulate him into a becoming a powerful criminal to rival Spider-Man. It is a duality quite similar to DC Comics villain Harvey “Two-Face” Dent, unlike how the live-action Batman movies have portrayed him thus far.

Green Goblin Terrorizes New York With Stolen, Advanced Weaponry 

The night that Green Goblin first emerged and possessed Norman Osborn, it also took possession of a variety of inventions Oscorp was developing in tandem with the super soldier serum, including a jet-propelled glider as his main mode of transportation. His signature weapon was a small, but powerful, spherical explosive which would also serve as the first hint of his return in the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer. The supervillain’s costume was a green, armored exoskeleton (with which he also controlled the glider), and a homemade mask completes his eponymous look.

In the Spider-Man comics, pioneered by late comic book legends Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the Green Goblin would keep his equipment in a “bag of tricks.” Of course, in the Spider-Man movie, much of his arsenal is either compartmentalized by or built into his glider or his suit, such as knockout gas that emitted from his wrists. Also, Goblin’s “pumpkin bombs” were shaped like real jack-o-lanterns instead of the smoother, more grounded design chosen for the movie.

Green Goblin Also Exhibits Some Superhuman Abilities 

Norman Osborn was living proof that Oscorp’s performance enhancing formula was defective, due to the destructive behavioral side effects. However, he also exhibited exactly the kind of results that the company was hoping for.

As Green Goblin, Osborn was strong enough to punch through brick without injuring his hand or tear right through Spider-Man’s webbing, which is essentially as strong as metal. He also displayed a nearly impossible range of agility and durability.

Norman Osborn Is Harry Osborn’s Father 

For all of the strengths that the serum blessed Norman Osborn with, it could not help cure him of one of his greatest weaknesses: being a shitty father. He did not have the best relationship with his son, Harry Osborn (James Franco), who would constantly seek his approval, only to get the cold shoulder from him. For instance, instead of giving Harry a warm congratulations at his high school commencement, he says it is “not the first [he has] been proven wrong” about something.

Norman only worsens this strain by being a more honorable father figure to Harry’s best friend, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), whom he does not realize is actually his arch enemy. Harry’s longing to not be a disappointment in his father’s eyes eventually forces him to become a supervillain himself, known as the New Goblin, in 2007’s Spider-Man 3, in which he promises to exact revenge on Spidey, whom he believes killed Norman.

Trying To Kill Spider-Man, Green Goblin Accidentally Killed Himself 

What Harry does not know is that Norman Osborn’s death is nobody’s fault but his own...or, perhaps, Green Goblin’s fault, really. During their final confrontation and after their true identities have been revealed to each other, Osborn attempts to stealthily use his glider to kill Peter, who anticipates it with his Spider-Sense. In a flip, Spider-Man successfully dodges the attack and allows the glider to fatally impale Goblin to a brick wall.

Knowing Norman Osborn’s fate in the Sam Raimi universe, it appears that the Green Goblin is being pulled into the continuity of the new Marvel movies from a point in his own timeline occurring prior to his death. However, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus barely look the same as they did in their respective Spider-Man movies, meaning that we could be seeing iterations of these villains that originate from slightly different realities in the Marvel Multiverse. 

I trust that everything will make more sense when Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on Friday, December 17, 2021.

Most fans probably know by now that when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s plenty of secrecy involved, especially with its biggest productions. As a result, in some rare cases, even the actual stars of said projects aren’t even privy to every detail. This was the case for Spider-Man: No Way Home lead Tom Holland, who recently revealed that he was unaware Green Goblin actor Willem Dafoe had signed on for the film. And that lack of knowledge ultimately led to an encounter between the two stars, which left Holland a bit “scared.”

To mark the release of the latest No Way Home trailer this past week, the British actor appeared at a fan event and spoke about his experience making the movie. During the chat (via IndieWire), he explained the secrecy regarding the film’s plethora of comic book antagonists. From there, he described his perfect reaction to meeting Willem Dafoe on set for the first time:

Imagine being on a Hollywood production so massive that you just casually run into Oscar-nominated performers on the set. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d run into Willem Dafoe in that way. But if I really think about it, I probably would’ve just geeked out a bit before asking him a bunch of questions. Sure, it’s definitely how you’d expect a fan to react in such a situation, but I don’t feel too bad about that given the Peter Parker actor was also a bit overwhelmed.

And there was certainly quite a bit of star power on the set of the highly anticipated MCU installment to get one hyped. In addition to the Norman Osborn star, the third installment welcomed Doctor Octopus himself, Alfred Molina and Electro actor Jamie Foxx. As Tom Holland mentioned, the stars seem more than happy to be back in the Marvel fold. Foxx, who previously teased his involvement, has now been having more fun dropping hints about his return. As for Molina, he was so excited that he actually confirmed his role shortly after it was first reported. You can see all of the comic book baddies in action in the new trailer down below:

While the various villains no longer seem to be a mystery to audiences, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the production. The biggest obviously relates to the rumored inclusions of former Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Neither actor has confirmed themselves for the movie, though many believe they will indeed be swinging by to lend the latest wall-crawler some help in his multiversal battle.

Regardless of whether they appear though, fans should still be very pleased to see so many other familiar faces. The trailers haven’t shown too much of Willem Dafoe’s crafty bad guy but, based on what’s been revealed, the actor is going to bring his A-game. I’m personally looking forward to being creeped out by that goblin laugh again after so many years. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home opens in theaters on December 17th. And if you want to revisit Willem Dafoe's greatest moments as the iconic villain, you can stream Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy on Hulu.

Legendary filmmaker, and one of Martin Scorsese’s longest-running collaborators, Paul Schrader has created some of cinema’s all-time great characters in Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver and Julian Kay in American Gigolo, and the decorated screenwriter and director looks to have done it once again with The Card Counter cast and its quartet of top-billed stars. With names like Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe, Tiffany Haddish, and Tye Sheridan sitting atop the list of names in Schrader’s moody crime drama about a former United States soldier and the son of one of his dead colleagues getting revenge, it’s easy to see why it’s one of the most anticipated 2021 movies.

You can probably name a few movies with each of those stars, but it might be a different story for other actors who show up in The Card Counter. Fear not, as we have put together a quick yet comprehensive list to help ease your mind.

Oscar Isaac (William Tell)

Leading the bunch in The Card Counter is Oscar Isaac, who portrays soldier-turned-drifter William Tell at the center of Paul Schrader’s intricate noir throwback. One of the biggest stars in today’s Hollywood with everything from the Star Wars “Sequel Trilogy” to Ex Machina under his belt, Isaac has built quite a name for himself for the better part of the past two decades, delivering commanding performances in film, television, theater, and even podcasts, collecting multiple awards (including a Golden Globe for Show Me a Hero) along the way.

And the future looks to be just as bright for Oscar Isaac, as he has one of the leading roles in Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated Dune adaptation as well as the Marvel Disney+ series Moon Knight. Oh, and there’s also the HBO limited series, Scenes from a Marriage, where Isaac will share the screen with his A Most Violent Year co-star, Jessica Chastain, once more.

Tiffany Haddish (La Linda)

Tiffany Haddish comes into the picture in The Card Counter as La Linda, a high-profile poker matchmaker who offers William Tell a way to enter the world of high-takes gambling. One of the hardest working names in not only Hollywood but the entertainment industry in general, Haddish has been on a role that never seems to lose momentum since the early 2000s, and even more so in recent years since becoming a household name with her turn in Girls Trip. With an Emmy Award-winning guest appearance on Saturday Night Live and a Grammy Award-winning comedy album (Black Mitzvah), Haddish has become a force to reckon with in today’s pop culture.

More recently, Tiffany Haddish showed her more dramatic side in The Kitchen, and extremely over-the-top side in Bad Trip, with much more to come in the very near future. The actress/comedian/writer will even star alongside Nicolas Cage in 2022’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

Willem Dafoe (Major John Gordo)

Willem Dafoe shows up as the main antagonist in The Card Counter, portraying Major John Gordo, William Tell’s commanding officer who led a torture program at Abu Ghraib and allowed others to take the blame. Dafoe, a four-time Oscar nominee, has had one of those careers that has allowed him to portray everyone from Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Spider-Man to Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ, and appear in everything from the John Wick franchise to multiple Oliver Stone films. To say his filmography is diverse would be understatement of epic proportions.

Over the years, Willem Dafoe has also showed up on The Simpsons, voiced an original villain in the 2004 video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, and provided voice work for a number of animated movies like Finding Nemo and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Oh, and he’s also been a part of the xXx franchise on top of that.

Tye Sheridan (Cirk)

Tye Sheridan appears in The Card Counter as Cirk, the son of another soldier under Major John Gordo’s command whose suicide leads the young man down a dark path with thoughts of revenge and murder. Sheridan, who has since gone on to portray Scott Summers/Cyclops in X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix, got his start in Terrence Mallick’s 2011 art house film Tree of Life before breaking out in the 2012 coming-of-age crime drama Mud.

In 2018, Tye Sheridan had perhaps his biggest performance to date with his portrayal of Wade Watts in Steven Spielberg’s eye-catching and pop-culture-riddled adaptation of Ready Player One. Sheridan will next appear in George Clooney’s upcoming directorial effort The Tender Bar.

Bobby C. King (Slippery Joe)

Bobby C. King, a prolific stuntman and actor, shows up in The Card Counter as Slippery Joe. Over the years, King has appeared on TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Hollywood, as well as movies like Easy A, Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, and The Horde. With more than 100 credits for his stunt work, there’s a chance you’ve seen King put his life on the line in everything from Year One to X-Men: First Class and everything else in between.

Kat Baker (Sara)

Kat Baker, who appears as Sara in The Card Counter, has only been acting for a couple of years now, but that stretch of time has been extremely busy for the actress. Prior to landing a role in Paul Schrader’s crime noir, Baker appeared in The Protégé, Chick Fight, and Fatman. Baker is also set to appear in The Comeback Trail alongside Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Morgan Freeman, and Zach Braff.

Dylan Flashner (Sergeant Hoskins)

Dylan Flashner portrays Sergeant Hoskins in The Card Counter, perhaps the biggest movie in the fledgling actor’s filmography to date. Prior to appearing in the 2021 crime drama, Flashner appeared briefly in movies like Lanksy, Asking for It, Vanquish, and Farewell Amor, all of which were released since 2020. Like Kat Baker, the Flashner will be in The Comeback Trail, though the film’s new release date has not yet been announced. Flashner also has a music career in addition to his acting work, including the 2021 single “Bad Habits.”

Billy Slaughter (Fiddle)

Taking on the role of Fiddle in The Card Counter is Billy Slaughter, who has shown up in dozens of movies and several other high-profile TV series for the better part of the past two decades. If you are a fan of the Netflix crime drama Mindhunter, then you will surely recognize Slaughter as Charles Sanders in the show’s second and possibly final season. With other credits on shows like Treme, Nashville, American Horror Story, and The Purge, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Slaughter on the small screen over the years, but if not there, then you’ve probably seen him in movies like The Magnificent Seven, Midnight Special, Happy Death Day, and The Big Short.

Alexander Barbara (Mr. USA)

Alexander Barbara shows up as Mr. USA in The Card Counter, continuing a decent run of movies and TV shows that is pretty impressive, to say the least. Even though his name is not as immediately recognizable as the bigger stars at the top of this list, Babara has appeared on shows like Stranger Things, For All Mankind, and Queen of the South, as well as movies like The Hunt, Triple 9, and The Fate of the Furious.

Amye Gousset (Judy Baufort)

Amye Gousset shows up in The Card Counter as Judy Baufort. Prior to taking on the role in Paul Schrader’s latest in a long line of crime dramas, Gousset appeared on TV shows like Army Wives, Dark Corners, Nashville, and, most recently, The Purge. Her film credits include titles like Battlecreek, Assimilate, and multiple shorts dating back to 2010. Gousset will next appear in the upcoming documentary The Past Is Never Dead: The Story of William Faulkner, and Mysterious Circumstances: The Death of Meriwether Lewis.

Adrienne Lau (Crystal)

Adrienne Lau appears as Crystal in The Card Counter, a rare acting gig for the popular music artist who became the first Chinese-American singer in the top 10 of the U.S. Pop Billboard Singles Chart with her hit song, “Wanna Be Happy,” in July 2006. Other songs released by Lau include “You’re the One” with Petey Pablo, “Hypnotic Love,” and “Olympics Beijing” from the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.

Joel Michaely (Ronnie)

Joel Michaely shows up in The Card Counter as Ronnie. Ever since making his on-screen debut in the 1998 teen comedy Can’t Hardly Wait, Michaely has appeared in movies like Ghost World, The Rules of Attraction, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, to name just a few. His TV credits include Unhappily Ever After, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Ryan Murphy’s Popular, which ran on The WB from 1999 to 2001.

With a seemingly endless list of talented actors — both rising and well-established — in the Card Counter, it’s quite easy to see why Paul Schrader’s crime drama has gone from one of the most anticipated movies of the year to one of the most talked about. And, the best part, most of the names on the list, including Oscar Isaac, will be in some of the long-awaited 2022 movies as well.

To say the first Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer has been highly anticipated would be an understatement, as social media’s been chomping at the bit for this preview for a long time. But today the wait finally ended, as one day after the trailer was leaked, Sony Pictures officially released it to the public. There’s a lot to take in from this first collection of footage, including the reveal that Green Goblin will indeed be appearing in No Way Home.

Anyone who’s been following along with this Spider-Man movie’s development has known for a while that the story would involve Tom Holland’s Peter Parker bombarded by multiversal craziness, and this trailer confirmed it. Due to something going wrong with the spell Doctor Strange casts to make people forget that Peter and Spider-Man are one and the same, the stability of spacetime has been tampered with, resulting in other realities leaking into the main MCU reality. We see Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus at the end of the trailer, and some lightning strikes earlier on tease the arrival of Jamie Foxx’s Electro. But it’s a familiar-looking pumpkin bomb landing on the bridge where all that destruction is unfolding that finally confirms that Willem Dafoe’s version of Green Goblin will appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home. See for yourself:

Willem Dafoe debuted as Norman Osborn in 2002’s Spider-Man, and while the character met his demise when he was impaled by his own goblin glider in an effort to kill Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, Dafoe cameoed in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 as the hallucination James Franco’s Harry Osborn saw of his late supervillain father. Nearly 20 years later though, we’re finally reuniting with the real deal, with it being rumored back in February that Dafoe was sighted on the Spider-Man: No Way Home set.

Now that we know for sure Willem Dafoe is appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the question is how his Green Goblin can even be involved in this story. It bears repeating, he was dead at the end of Spider-Man, so what’s the deal? Well, while the specifics are obviously being saved for the movie itself, let’s not forget that Alfred Molina’s Otto Octavius and Jamie Foxx’s Max Dillon also appeared to meet their demises in Spider-Man 2 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, respectively, and yet they’re appearing in the threequel too.

Well, thanks to Alfred Molina, we know that with Doctor Octopus, resurrection isn’t at work, but something timey-wimey, to borrow a line from Doctor Who. Back in April, Molina said Ock story in Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up from the “moment” we saw him sinking to a watery grave after stopping his fusion reactor from destroying New York City, and as such, he would be digitally de-aged to look like he did in 2004. Presumably this is the same case with both Electro and Green Goblin, meaning that both would be snatched from their deaths and dumped into the MCU. And while Ock at least redeemed himself before Spider-Man 2 ended (though that then begs the question of why he’s seemingly returned to being a villain in No Way Home), Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn was still very consumed by his evil Goblin persona in Spider-Man, and now he’s able to wreak havoc in a different universe.

All will be revealed when Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters on December 17. That said, much like how Electro won’t be blue this time around, my fingers are crossed that Green Goblin will wear a different costume in the new movie. That Power Rangers-like suit wasn’t popular in the early 2000s and still isn’t, so Willem Dafoe’s sinister character is in dire need of an upgrade.

While we wait for more Spider-Man: No Way Home updates, find out what else is on the MCU film slate with our upcoming Marvel movies guide.

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Spider-Man villains are some of the most formidable in the Marvel canon. Of course, one of the most revered and feared foes has been the psychotic Green Goblin. For most Spider-Man fans, Willem Dafoe’s performance in the original Spider-Man film captured every ounce of the character’s spirit and essence. With Spider-Man: No Way Home surrounded in multiverse rumors, moviegoers have been clamoring to see if Dafoe’s Green Goblin will pop up. This idea has grown even more with Alfred Molina’s Dr. Octopus and Jamie Foxx’s Electro be involved. After months of rumors, the Togo star finally responded to his alleged involvement in the Spider-Man sequel.

For fans of the original Spider-Man trilogy, having Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin return for the sequel would be a huge moment. His interpretation of the iconic Marvel villain set the tone for every Spidey villain after him. But whether he’s included in Spider-Man: No Way Home is still up in the air. Like most MCU properties, Dafoe may be sworn to secrecy. When asked by The Wrap if he had "no comment" about these rumors, the actor played coy saying:

Like any Hollywood veteran, Willem Dafoe was able to maneuver the question expertly. While he didn’t say “no,” he didn’t say “yes” either. He still gave some OG Spider-Man fans for his return to the Spidey-verse. Dafoe left things open for his return if the rumors are true. Hopefully, Dafoe’s coyness was a hint at something surprising.

If the rumors do prove true, it would be nice to see Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin once more. Seeing Dafoe terrorize Tom Holland the same way he did Tobey Maguire in the original Spider-Man film. If the actor was to return, the real cherry on top would be the Green Goblin teaming up with Doc Ock, Electro and possibly the Hobgoblin to take on Spider-Man in the sequel. Just imagine all the chaos Dafoe’s presence could bring to Spider-Man: No Way Home would take things up a notch. Despite his response, fans should still keep their fingers crossed for some news.

So, hopefully, the Green Goblin/Willem Dafoe rumors will be proven true. But until Marvel or Dafoe reveal the truth, fans will just have to keep speculating about the Marvel villain’s involvement. But the Green Goblin’s return could’ve been complicated. The actor has multiple projects being released so he may not have had the time to pop up in the film. Fortunately, moviegoers won’t have to wait much longer as Spider-Man: No Way Home arrives in theaters on Dec. 17.

Whether you know the man best for his work in Platoon, The Boondock Saints, Finding Nemo, The Last Temptation of Christ, Mississippi Burning, The Florida Project, or the Spider-Man movies, to name only a handful of his noteworthy projects, it's safe to say that Willem Dafoe is a hard-working actor with commendable range and depth, and one who's capable of portraying a wealth of different characters — whether they're the scum of the earth or the Lord himself. Certainly, it's easy to see why Dafoe has been such a consistently in-demand star for the past three-plus decades. And that's a trend that's not set to die anytime soon, hopefully. The Oscar-nominated star has several projects lined up, including the latest feature films from Wes Anderson, Yorgos Lanthimos, Paul Schrader, Guillermo Del Toro, Walter Hill, and Robert Eggers. Additionally, the prominent performer is attached to intriguing and director-driven projects from a few newcomers.

If you love Willem Dafoe, here are the upcoming movies that you can look forward to.

The Card Counter - September 10th, 2021 (Post-Production)

Suffice it to say, Willem Dafoe is quite chummy with writer-director Paul Schrader. The revered filmmaker and accomplished actor collaborated several times over the years, most recently with 2016's Dog Eat Dog. Now, they'll join forces yet again for The Card Counter, a crime drama that also stars Tye Sheridan, Oscar Isaac, and Tiffany Haddish.

Centered around a degenerate gambler who attempts to provide guidance to ayounger man in the pursuit of revenge against a mutual enemy, The Card Counter faced its fair share of difficulties during production, notably as filming was paused during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it's officially in the can now, and this surrealistic movie is expected to be one of the trippier, darker films to come from the cerebral filmmaker — which is saying something. Particularly as Schrader's follow-up to his tremendous First Reformed, here's hoping this latest reunion with Dafoe is another outstanding hit. We don't have long to wait, as it's on the 2021 movie release schedule. The Card Counter will arrive on September 10th, 2021.

The French Dispatch - October 22nd, 2021 (Completed)

Wes Anderson is known for reuniting with his frequent collaborators on a regular basis, and his working relationship with Willem Dafoe is far from an exception. With The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson and Dafoe have formed a reliable companionship, particularly with the actor providing a trio of strong supporting turns. Now, the singular auteur and the award-nominated performer will reunite again for The French Dispatch, Anderson's newest feature film.

In another excellent ensemble filled with top-tier talent, including Jason Schwartzman, Liev Schreiber, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Adrien Brody, Lea Seydoux, Anjelica Huston, Benicio Del Toro, Timothee Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, and Elisabeth Moss, Willem Dafoe will play another supporting part as Albert the Abacus in this broad-reaching, multi-narrative period dramedy. Nevertheless, Anderson typically knows how to bring out exquisitely dry performances from his accomplished actors, which should hopefully be the case here as well. We'll find out soon enough when the new film premieres on October 22nd.

Nightmare Alley - December 3rd, 2021 (Post-Production)

Over the course of his ever-impressive career, Willem Dafoe has joined forces with some of our best living filmmakers, including (but not limited to) David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Abel Ferrara, Sam Raimi, Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, John Waters, and Paul Schrader. But, for reasons unknown, the Oscar-nominated actor hasn't collaborated with one of our greatest genre filmmakers, Guillermo del Toro... until now.

Indeed, Willem Dafoe is part of the accomplished cast behind Nightmare Alley, the latest film from the Oscar-winning moviemaker. Along with Dafoe, who's set to play Clem Hoately, the top-notch ensemble includes Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Richard Jenkins, Tim Blake Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Toni Collette, Ron Perlman, and Clifton Collins Jr. That's quite a cast, but that's to be expected after the triumphant success of 2017's Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Certainly, with his capability to play up menace and scorn, Dafoe seems like a natural fit for a snarly bad guy, though he's also an actor capable of tremendous wit and emotional depth. No matter what Dafoe brings to the table here, this is a pairing that was long meant to be.

The Northman - April 8th, 2022 (Post-Production)

Even in a career that's chock-full of highlights, Willem Dafoe's mesmerizing co-lead performance in Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse was among his greatest achievements. His nautical nuisance was a deprived delight, so it was tremendously exciting to know that the actor behind the salacious scallywag would soon reunite with Eggers for The Northman, the writer-director's third film set at the turn of the 10th century in Iceland.

Starring Alexander Skarsgard, along with Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Bjork, and Ralph Ineson, this Viking saga (which remains semi-secretive) sounds like the filmmaker's most audacious and challenging project to date, though he has only proven himself to be more confident and commanding with each successive film. With an all-star cast and an enticing premise, we should (hopefully) be looking at another triumph from the accomplished and distinctive up-and-coming filmmaker, along with yet another memorable supporting performance from the one-and-only Willem Dafoe.

Inside - TBA (Post-Production)

Throughout this uncertain year (and change), filmmakers were forced to find inventive ways to shoot in confined locations, notably with minimal actors and truncated crews on set. Especially in retrospect, it'll be interesting to see what art is produced from this tumultuous period, including Inside, the narrative feature film debut of director Vasilis Katsoupis (My Friend Larry Gus).

Not to be mistaken with Bo Burnham's recent Netflix special, Inside follows a high-end thief, played by Willem Dafoe, who's trapped in a high-tech penthouse in Times Square after an important heist goes wrong. Where this actor showcase ultimately goes from there remains to be seen. Certainly, Dafoe is a top-notch performer who is more than capable of acting off himself; rewatch the Spider-Man films if you happen to disagree. Nevertheless, it'll be intriguing to see how the seasoned star holds the dramatic stakes by himself, in one centralized location. Production wrapped on this under-the-radar movie last June. It was expected to come out this spring, though its current release date is undetermined. Most likely, Inside will premiere during the fall festival circuits.

Poor Things - TBA 2022 (Pre-Production)

With his elastic face and rubbery features, Willem Dafoe is an immensely talented actor with tremendous range — especially when you consider how refrained and restrained he can be in equal measure. Certainly, Dafoe is capable of a wide array of emotions and off-beat affectations, which bodes well for the actor's collaboration with director Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth) in Poor Things, based on the 1992 satiric novel by Alasdair Gray.

A flip on the traditional Frankenstein template by having a young woman brought back to life by her deranged husband, only to have the brain of an infant, it's easy to see how the dark and wryly funny filmmaker could have a ball with such a bizarre premise. From a screenplay written by The Favourite's Tony McNamara, this Victorian tale of love and off-kilter discovery will star Emma Stone as our reborn beauty, with Dafoe expected to play the mad scientist husband. Currently in pre-production, Poor Things will shoot in Hungary later in 2021. Expect more details to come in the weeks and months ahead.

Dead For A Dollar - TBA (Pre-Production)

Along with his forthcoming reunions with regular collaborators like Wes Anderson and Paul Schrader, Willem Dafoe is signed on to reconnect with director Walter Hill for his upcoming western, Dead for a Dollar. Also set to star Christoph Waltz, this period piece from the filmmaker behind The Warriors follows a famed bounty hunter (Waltz) in 1897 who is hired to find and return a politically progressive wife to her successful Santa Fe businessman husband. Told to search for her in Mexico, our lead travels to the border, only to cross paths with his sworn enemy, professional gambler and occasional outlaw, Joe Cribbens (Dafoe).

Previously, Willem Dafoe and Walter Hill joined forces to make 1987's Streets of Fire, but they haven't worked together since. Hopefully, this newly-announced movie (per Deadline) comes together to allow this veteran director and accomplished actor to collaborate once more — particularly in an old-fashioned genre without too many new additions to the silver screen. Details remain slim, but this is a project worth following.

Tropico - TBA (Pre-Production)

As a veteran operative hired to spy on an American businessman (Pedro Pascal) in a coastal town in Brazil, Willem Dafoe is signed on to lead Tropico, the latest film from director Giada Colagrande (Padre). Also starring Morena Baccarin, this upcoming thriller will admittedly follow a familiar template, notably as Dafoe's character falls for this businessman's wife (Baccarin) in the middle of his mission, who also has a twin (Baccarin as well). But the script is considered atmospheric and exotic (per Deadline), which promises some steamy work for its talented stars. That said, this project, which was announced nearly two years ago, hasn't seen much development, particularly with the pandemic. Therefore, this announced movie might not be moving forward. But if it does, Tropico provides Dafoe with an intriguing star vehicle — in a sunny locale to boot.

Twelve Minutes (Video Game) - August 19th, 2021 (Completed)

An ambitious, interactive time-loop thriller, Twelve Minutes promises to be much more than a time-passer when it comes to modern video games. With an all-star voice cast, including Daisy Ridley, James McAvoy, and Willem Dafoe, along with some expansive, grandiose ideas for what it can achieve in a developing medium, it has the potential to be a game-changer (if you can pardon the pun) — that is, if it's as good as the creators hope. Ultimately, we'll have to wait until August 19, 2021 to see how this new product fares, though it sounds like the game-makers are quite confident in their vision. You can get a glimpse at this intriguing video game, as well as the voice performances, in this clip.

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Willem Dafoe’s collaborations with filmmaker Abel Ferrara date back to 1998, when the two first met on New Rose Hotel. But these storytellers realized that they spoke similar cinematic languages, and it has led to multiple film collaborations over the years. Dafoe, in fact, has appeared in Ferrara’s last three pictures, and four of his last five, including Siberia, which is making its way to theaters. But when the Spider-Man and The Lighthouse star sat down with CinemaBlend to open up about the duo’s process, we learned that their chemistry allows them to move quick, which is friendly on the budget.

In Siberia, Willem Dafoe plays a bartender manning a tavern on the edge of existence. He counters his loneliness and isolation by communicating with his scarce patrons. But as the movie moves along, these interactions grow more surreal, and eventually Dafoe’s character is on a spiritual vision quest that has him traipsing through a dreamscape that only Ferrara could conjure. When I asked Dafoe how much of this surreal imagery they captured through experimentation, he laughed and explained:

The way that Willem Dafoe describes it, though, this is par for the course in the working relationship that he has established with Abel Ferrara over the course of his career. Dafoe plunged into Siberia after working on both Tommaso and Pasolini with Ferrara, and when we elaborated on their approach to this loose narrative, the actor explained:

When it came time to sitting down and planning out these dreams, Abel Ferrara apparently kept a lot of the details close to the vest. Understandably, as many of the locations and situations that Dafoe’s character finds himself in are defined by symbolism than narrative. He might be fending off a vicious bear attack in one scene, then praying to the enlarged belly of a pregnant woman in the next. Dafoe says that Ferrara lured him in with a specific pitch, telling CinemaBlend:

Siberia had its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival back in 2020, and is now making its way to wider theatrical distribution. Lionsgate recently released the film in limited theaters and for digital rental beginning on June 18. But if you happen to be in New York City, Siberia will begin screening at Cinema Village, which finally is reopening after COVID, on June 30.

Abel Ferrara’s latest psychological thriller, Siberia, will have you on the edge of your seat begging for answers. Starring Willem Dafoe, the film follows Clint, a bartender at a snowbound roadhouse where things aren’t what they seem. He might be losing his mind, but he might not, a sentiment held in an equally entertaining and creepy dance number.

When the bar patrons speak a language Clint doesn’t understand, he drives a sled team to a nearby cave in search of answers. Instead of solutions, Clint is left with more questions. The spirits that confront him could be figments of his imagination, but they could be real. Check out the clip below, where a hooded man commands Clint (Willem Dafoe) to dance:

The clip starts with Willem Dafoe’s Clint having a conversation with a hooded man about knowing right from wrong. The hooded man tells Clint to be human and dance, and then Clint takes a few steps, music starts playing, and he dances. It’s unclear if Clint is being forced to dance or making the choice on his own. He’s certainly enjoying himself (and Dafoe’s got some moves!) but it feels pretty creepy like he doesn’t have full autonomy.

It’s an interesting conversation the two characters have. The hooded man asks Clint if he thinks being sincere and well-meaning makes him a saint, in a tone that seems to expect Clint to say yes. Instead, Clint responds that he is no saint, although he knows right from wrong, and the hooded man seems to switch from chastising Clint to consoling him, saying it’s okay that he’s not a saint, he’s human. This could be a mentor/mentee relationship of sorts, but it could also be pure manipulation and confusion.

There are multiple ways to interpret the cinematography in the clip above. It seems that the location where the two men speak and the location where Willem Dafoe’s Clint begins to dance are different places, which suggests the conversation itself is either a memory or taking place in the mind of Dafoe’s character. If it’s a memory, the scene could be as simple as Clint being down on himself again for some behavior he doesn’t approve of and reminding himself that it’s okay to be human and he should enjoy life and dance.

On the other hand, however, it’s possible that the conversation is not a memory. It could be a false memory of something that never happened, it could be a spirit that lives in Clint’s mind, or it could be happening in real-time with the dance scene. The latter could suggest that Clint does not have full control over his body and is being forced to dance as whoever is controlling him tests out their abilities.

Does the hooded man even exist? We know from Siberia's trailer that in Clint’s search for peace and explanations, the world around him only grows more chaotic. But he could just be going insane. He is confronted by various spirits throughout the film that may be no more than figments of his imagination.

We’ll get answers to all these questions and more when Siberia arrives in select theaters and everywhere you rent movies on June 18. Until then, I want to know what you think is going on in the clip above. Is he merely enjoying some solo dance time, or being controlled?

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We love to hate movie villains and as it turns out there's a number of actors who do not mind playing the bad guy either... even if it's again and again. There’s a number of actors that come to mind who we go into a movie thinking they will be revealing their evil plot or betraying another character’s trust. Most recently this happened with the casting of Mads Mikkelsen in the Indiana Jones franchise. Although we have no idea who he'll play, fans jumped right to the question as whether he'd be the film's mysterious antagonist.

You know how we always expect Tom Hanks to play an inspiring or lovable character? This list is the opposite of that. Let's talk about the actors who are almost always cast as the villain:

Mads Mikkelsen

Since Mads Mikkelsen was cast in Indiana Jones 5 last week, I assure you, most of our brains lit up with the assumption that the actor is about to become the next adversary to Harrison Ford’s Dr. Henry Jones Jr. Now, that may not be the case. Perhaps Mikkelsen is a new friendly archeologist in the game eager to assist the legendary hero on his next adventure. After all, he was a good guy in Rogue One. Still, as Mikkelsen explained to Esquire, he loves playing these juicy, antagonistic roles and has no problem with taking one after another:

Mads Mikkelsen made a lasting impression as a villain for Casino Royale, and has gone on to star in Hannibal, Doctor Strange and Chaos Walking. He'll soon star in Fantastic Beasts 3 as Gellert Grindelwald. Now that we've heard the current king of movie villainy, let’s get into the other actors that we hesitate to trust in movies:

Javier Bardem

Not unlike Mads Mikkelsen, Spanish actor Javier Bardem has had more than his share of villainous roles, and he’s also earned the status of Bond villain as Skyfall’s Silva. He most famously earned the role of main Hollywood antagonist for playing Anton Chigurh in 2007’s No Country For Old Men. He won an Oscar for the role and has often gone for more malicious characters, such as Captain Salazar in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. That said, he will play a key ally to Dune’s protagonist Paul Atreides as Stilgar in the upcoming Denis Villenueve blockbuster.

Willem Dafoe

How incredible is it that Willem Dafoe’s actual given name sounds like “da foe,” or “the villain,” and that’s summed up how many of us perceive his career. Sometimes it’s all in the name. Dafoe was unforgettably the Green Goblin to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man in the very first big screen take on the superhero. He was also a pesky assassin in The Grand Budapest Hotel and an angry lighthouse keeper with Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse. Although the actor is a well-known movie villain, he’s an eclectic character actor who has explored a lot of different kinds of characters throughout the years.

Hugo Weaving

Another frequenter of the dark side is Hugo Weaving, who has played the masked V in V For Vendetta, Agent Smith in The Matrix, Megatron in the Transformers and Red Skull in the first Captain America movie. The English actor has shown a subtle terror to his villainy, which his fellow actors on this list don’t always show. When you feel a cold chill around a character without the big theatrics involved, that’s a seriously sinister role. Weaving has pulled off more than a few of those.

Jared Leto

He's played The Joker, DC's most infamous villain, in Suicide Squad and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but Jared Leto’s bad guy roles do not stop there. This is a funny one because Leto got his start as teen heartthrob Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life. But then he was a home invader in Panic Room, John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman in Chapter 27, starred as Blade Runner 2049’s villain and appeared The Little Things to once again play a criminal. He’ll flip the script next year as Morbius, who seems to be a misunderstood vampire rather than full-on Dracula.

Vincent D’Onofrio

One does wonder if actors such as Vincent D’Onofrio are actively looking and auditioning for villain roles or seeking them out. The 61-year-old has also played a lot of deliciously bad guys on the big screen and television. More recently, he’s found acclaim from Marvel fans for his version of Kingpin in the Netflix series Daredevil. Aside from that, D’Onofrio was totally the gross bug alien in Men in Black and the antagonist in 2015’s Jurassic World. Law & Order fans may feel off set from this thanks to his role as Detective Robert Goren in Criminal Intent.

Edward Norton

Then there’s Edward Norton, who fooled us once with his character’s backstabbing in The Italian Job and went there by playing a neo-Nazi in American History X. In between some smarmy roles over the years, he did switch things up by playing Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk, before he was replaced by nice-guy actor Mark Ruffalo. Norton has the ability to play the sneaky villain or the unassuming baddie, and props to him for playing at his strengths over the years. But sometimes when he goes for earnest roles, I question it for a moment. He keeps us guessing.

Christoph Waltz

Our last stop on the villain train is Mr. Christoph Waltz, who seems to be a lovely man in real life, but can’t stop and won’t stop playing the most despicable humans Hollywood can think of. The Austrian-German actor can honestly thank Quentin Tarantino for this perception thanks to his memorable roles in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained. The Oscar-winner has also been the Bond villain Blofeld in Spectre, a cruel circus handler in Water for Elephants and Big Eyes’ Walter Keane. You know, the guy who stole credit for his wife’s work.

Lots of iconic actors here who love to play bad and do it very well. It's really a compliment to their ability to remain in our heads as these characters more than anything. Which one is your favorite to see as the villain? Vote in our poll below!

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever-growing place, and there are a number of highly anticipated projects currently in production. Chief among them is Jon Watts' Spider-Man 3, which will be Tom Holland's third solo flick in the shared universe. There are a ton of rumors about the movie, including reports of various actors from the previous two Spidey franchises returning. And now we can imagine what Spider-Man villain Willem Defoe might look like as Green Goblin in the MCU.

Willem Dafoe was the first live-action Spider-Man villain, starring as Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's original movie before eventually reprising that role in the sequels. Dafoe is one of many actors rumored to have a role in Jon Watts' Spider-Man 3, and fans are patiently awaiting news either way. If he does appear as Harry Osborn he'll presumably get a new look, and now we can imagine what that appearance might be like. Check it out below.

Honestly, sign me up. While the MCU is known for pulling back comic book appearances to make them more realistic, the above image is a very accurate version of the Green Goblin. And while Willem Dafoe's signature jaw is very much visible, it would be a bold look for the big screen.

The above image comes to us from the Instagram of digital artist Jaxson Derr. They've got a clear interest in comic book movies, and have made some stunning fan art that brings theories and fan castings to life. The rendering of Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin is no exception, and it's a bold departure from his appearance as the villain in 2002's Spider-Man.

There are currently a variety of MCU and Spider-Man content on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Seeing Green Goblin in a comic book accurate look might stand out among other MCU looks, but it makes a great deal of sense in this instance. After all, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man saw Willem Dafoe utilize a high-tech suit and a mask that obscured his face. But Harry Osborn in the comics has a full physical transformation, complete with his long green ears and giant yellow eyes.

Of course, there's currently no confirmation that Willem Dafoe is going to have a role in Spider-Man 3. As previously mentioned, there are countless rumors about actors reprising their roles in the upcoming threequel. Tom Holland recently shut down reports of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning as Peter Parker, so only time will tell exactly what's true.

The myriad Spider-Man 3 rumors were kickstarted when it was revealed that Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina would be reprising their roles as Electro and Doctor Octopus respectively. This blew our minds, and started theories about the multiverse coming into play. Could that also include the return of Green Goblin? We'll have to wait and see.

The next installment in the MCU is Black Widow on May 7th, while Spider-Man 3 will hit theaters December 17th. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

The Snyder Cut only continues to keep DC fans brimming with anticipation as new gripping revelations have come to light. In addition to the expected sight of Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash, other characters who were previously excluded from the 2017 theatrical release of Justice League will be involved in director Zack Snyder’s new official cut.

This is not just counting the baddies whose roles in the film are expanding from one brief fight scene (such as the God of War Ares, originally played by David Thewlis) or a post-credits sequence (Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor and Joe Manganiello as Slade “Deathstroke” Wilson). Several fan favorite DC characters, mostly through reshoots, will be added into the new four-hour cut, which will be presented in four separate chapters when it drops exclusively on HBO Max in 2021. Some of these characters will be a reprise from a previous DCEU installment, while others will be making their live action debut - or, at least, their official debut into the franchise.

I have the utmost respect for the kind of fan who would rather go into this new edition of Justice League with a freshly clean slate and discover the newly added characters as they appear on screen at the first viewing. However, not only is that sort of feat nearly impossible these days, but such a comic book movie rarely exists. So, for those who cannot keep a lid on their anticipation (and understandably so), the following is a comprehensive list of the characters you should expect to show up in the Snyder Cut - starting with one I never would have expected to get the last laugh after all.

The Joker (Jared Leto)

In 2016, Jared Leto performed a new take on Batman’s clownish arch nemesis in Suicide Squad that was polarizing, to say the least, with some (including Leto himself) arguing the portrayal was was not given enough screen time to judge properly. Well, it appears the Academy Award-winner (who has also joined the Sony Marvel family as the titular living vampire in Morbius) will be given a fair shot in when he reprises The Joker for Zack Snyder’s Justice League - a completely new idea for the upcoming recut that could mean we will finally see Batfleck interact with his universe’s Clown Prince of Crime.

Darkseid (Ray Porter)

While Jared Leto’s Joker is getting a second chance in the Snyder Cut, getting his first chance is Darkseid - a New God and Apokolips’ tyrannical leader, created by Jack Kirby in 1970, hellbent on conquering the universe by suppressing all hope and free will. Actor Ray Porter (who recently played multiple roles in an audio play adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman) will star as the iconic DC villain in a motion capture performance for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, technically marking the character’s live action feature film debut.

Desaad (Peter Guinness)

Even the most power-hungry, ego-centric tyrants need a right-hand man, and that is what Desaad has been to Darkseid since he manipulated him to his level as a child, turning him into the deceptive, sadistic torture specialist he is known as today. Veteran English actor Peter Guinness will also be using motion capture to portray the villain, who looks a lot more more monstrous from his brief glimpse in the Snyder Cut trailer than the comics had depicted him.

Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe)

Looking comparatively more human (or just skinnier, really) than his illustrated counterpart is Arthur Curry’s (Jason Momoa) mentor Nuidis Vulko brought to life by Willem Dafoe in the 2018 blockbuster hit Aquaman. The Academy Award nominee - no stranger to comic book movies from playing Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy - shot scenes that were deleted from the theatrical release of Justice League, but will be reworked into the Snyder Cut, which is the extent of all we currently know about Vulko’s role in the film.

The Atom (Ryan Zheng)

There was also footage of Chinese actor and The Great Wall star Ryan Zheng as Ryan Choi (Ray Palmer’s successor of the Atom moniker) that ended up on the cutting room, rendering his involvement in Justice League to a blink-and-miss-it Easter Egg. Fortunately, Zheng’s scenes will be revived in the Snyder Cut, giving this lesser-known iteration of shrinking DC hero his live action feature debut after Osric Chau appeared as him in the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event.

Elinore Stone (Karen Bryson)

Perhaps one of the more frustrating character removals from the theatrical release is Elinore, the mother of Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) - who was intended to play a brief, yet pivotal, role in her son’s arc, having passed in the car accident that led his father, Silas (Joe Morton), to rebuild him as Cyborg. Yet, the sight of English actress Karen Bryson as Elinore Stone cheering for her son at a high school football game in the trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League assured us that she will be worked into the new cut, hinting at a proper portrayal of Victor’s story this time.

Iris West (Kiersey Clemons)

The 2017 theatrical release also did not provide the full extent of Barry Allen’s (Ezra Miller) intended story, leaving out any mention of Iris West - his love interest whom Kiersey Clemons was cast to play in 2016 for The Flash solo movie. It was revealed soon after that she filmed a cameo for Justice League, which also never saw the light of day until it resurfaced in the Snyder Cut promo footage, meaning audiences will bear witness to the Antebellum star’s long-awaited DC moment come 2021.

Martian Manhunter (Harry Lennix)

Speaking of long-awaited moments, fans have anticipated the live action motion picture debut of J'onn J'onzz (better known as Martian Manhunter) hotly enough to suggest a theory that Calvin Swanwick (played by Harry Lennix in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) is really the shapeshifting alien cop in disguise. Well, apparently, that was the original plan all along and will officially come to fruition in Zack Snyder’s Justice League when the former Matrix sequels actor reprises the DCEU role for the ultimate reveal.

What do you think? Are you excited by the upcoming sight of Calvin Stanwick as the real Martian Manhunter, or is there another character whom you would be more intrigued see in Zack Snyder’s Justice League? To find out if that dream may eventually come true, be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the Snyder Cut, as well as even more insight into what is going on in the world of comic book adaptations, here on CinemaBlend.

Between performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson and Mark Hamill, DC fans have had luck with some incredible iterations of The Joker thus far. But it's always fun to play around with the idea of what could have been. There are a lot of incredible talents out there who bring something new to the Clown Prince of Crime. One favorite is Spider-Man’s Green Goblin, Willem Dafoe.

One artist imagined the actor as the terrifying villain here:

Welp, that’s perfect. Anarchy Graphics convinced us of Willem Dafoe being a great choice for Batman’s greatest adversary with a single image. The fan account edited Dafoe with such precision that we can imagine there’s a movie with the actor out there right now for us to look forward to. He seriously looks like the comic book character. He has the kind of stature that reminds me of Joker in the Arkham games too. Plus, the guy has “foe” in his name already.

The actor was actually in the running for Joker back when Tim Burton was casting the role for his 1989 film starring Michael Keaton. Willem Dafoe has previously said he had conversations with Batman’s screenwriter Sam Hamm about the role. Hamm told him he would be “physically” “perfect” for the role, but it was never offered to him. Instead Jack Nicholson became the first Joker to lead a feature film (Cesar Romero's Joker from the 1960s Batman TV series was part of a villainous ensemble in the 1966 Batman movie).

Willem Dafoe did get to play a great villain in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man of course, which perhaps was ambitiously comic book-y, but iconic nonetheless. The actor has even moved over to DC to play Vulko in James Wan’s Aquaman. So he’s kind of already run the gambit. Plus, if Arthur Curry ever came face-to-face with Willem Dafoe’s version of Joker, he might be a little confused as to why he looks so much like his friendly mentor.

Hollywood has a number of Joker’s to work with right now. Joaquin Phoenix just won an Oscar for his role in Todd Phillips’ gritty dramatic take on the character, sans Batman antics.

Jared Leto’s version is either in limbo or never coming back since he broke up with Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey. Wouldn’t it be cool if Willem Dafoe was the Joker to Robert Pattinson’s Batman though? The pair’s chaotic chemistry really shined brightly in Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, where the two played lightkeepers stuck together on an island. Watch them play off each other in all The Lighthouse’s glory here:

It would be great, wouldn’t it? The Batman doesn’t feature The Joker, but maybe in a future sequel it will. We could see more of Willem Dafoe in a DC property for Zack Snyder’s Justice League coming out next year. The filmmaker has shared the existence of a deleted scene featuring Vulko with fans before. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more DC news.