Nicolas Cage Reveals He Said No to Green Goblin — Then Took a Surprising Turn Back to Spider-Lore

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News (1 / 1) 17.05.2026 15:08 / Silia

Nicolas Cage has admitted he walked away from the chance to play the Green Goblin in 2002’s Spider-Man, choosing a different path in his career that led to another acclaimed film. Read on to discover the full story!

Cage Says No to the Goblin

The actor spoke with director Sam Raimi about the Norman Osborn role but ultimately declined and joined the cast of Adaptation instead. Cage judged stepping away was the correct move for him at that point in his career; Adaptation was released in 2002 and was directed by Spike Jonze, with Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper and Tilda Swinton among its stars.

Willem Dafoe Stepped In

After Cage passed, the Green Goblin role went to Willem Dafoe, whose turn as the villain became one of the most memorable in superhero cinema.