Actor Rhys Ifans has been cast to play the villain in the new Spider-Man film, it has been announced.

Columbia Pictures' Matt Tolmach refused to reveal exactly which character he would play but added "he's the perfect choice to take on this role".

The film, to be shot in 3D, will focus on the formative years of Peter Parker and is set to be released in 2012.

Ifans' breakthrough role came in the 1999 film Notting Hill, where he played Hugh Grant's lazy lodger.

Ifans, currently starring as drug smuggler Howard Marks in Mr Nice, joins a cast that also includes Zombieland's Emma Stone. Stone will play Gwen Stacy, the love interest for Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker. The new film takes Spidey back to his high school days, and does not focus on his usual girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson. It may be that producers plump for an equally leftfield villain. Studio Sony has not revealed which character Ifans will play. The webslinger's most famous enemies include the Green Goblin, the Lizard, Venom, the Vulture and Doc Oc. Of the above, all but the Lizard and the Vulture featured in the previous trilogy of films directed by Sam Raimi.

Sony's Matt Tolmach said: "We have been very fortunate to attract some of the best actors working today to play the villains in the Spider-Man movies, and it is exciting to see that trend continue with Rhys Ifans. After seeing his performance in our upcoming film Anonymous, we're in awe of his talent and think he's the perfect choice to take on this role."

Source: Press Release