Actor Matthew McConaughey made headlines late last week when he confirmed that he had been approached by both Marvel and Warner Bros about his interest in their superhero properties. In fact, talks had gone far enough that he had read scripts from both studios. This is what he had to say to Variety recently:

I’ve read some Marvel and DC scripts and I’ve talked about working with them on some scripts, none of which I’ll share with with you what they are — or were. Yeah, I’ve circled some of those. Nothing has been right for me yet. But I’m sure open to it…It’s very simple for me. I look at the script. Is the opportunity exciting? Is the money that comes with it exciting? Sure. Is it the possibility of going, “Hey you can get on a train and it can be a franchise and you could do 3, 4, 5, and have a great time as some kind of superhero or anti-hero.” But I would also look at something like that and say, “Hey, in success that means you are on the train for a while.” Contractually, you’re going to return to the character over and over. It’s something I asked myself is it something I’d want to return to. Would I be excited to go back and put the shoes on the character again? Going and doing the press tour with that group of people again? I always ask myself those questions again. It starts with the story and character.

McConaughey is in a unique position of power in Hollywood after his Academy Award winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club and the box-office success of Interstellar. He clearly is looking for a good script first and earned the right to be discerning with whatever franchise that he chooses to join. It is probable that any scripts that he has seen are still early drafts, so it is makes sense why he would either turn down, or take his time in accepting any offered role. However, the fact that he is reading and talking about developing scripts with both of the industry’s titans, has peaked the curiosity of fans. The speculation has now turned to what characters specifically both studios have in mind for McConaughey. We now have part of that answer.

Unfortunately it is unclear what role that WB/DC has in mind for McConaughey, but we did uncover the character that Marvel has pitched to the Academy Award winning actor. Our sources have let us know that Marvel has targeted McConaughey for Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, in the upcoming rebooted Spider-Man franchise.

It makes sense for the studio to target such a high caliber actor, especially since the role has a tradition of being played by acclaimed actors such as, William Dafoe and Chris Cooper. Getting McConaughey on board would instantly rejuvenate the role of Osborn, whose overall prominence in the comics has risen over the past decade or so. It is unclear to what extent Sony and Marvel intend to include Osborn in the Marvel cinematic universe in the future. However, it should be noted that in recent years Osborn has been crucial as an “anti-hero” in the comics as the director of the Thunderbolts and in the Dark Avengers.

Despite Osborn appearing in both the Spider-Man and Amazing Spider-Man franchises, it is clear why Marvel Studios would want to pursue McConaughey for the role. The character’s true cinematic potential has only been glimpsed, visually and thematically, in the past. It makes even more sense why the actor would take his time and see how things unfold as well. The ball truly is in his court. It should also be reiterated that these were basic talks and as McConaughey said himself, “Nothing has been right for me yet.” We will make sure to bring you the latest scoops on this and other projects as they develop.

Do you like McConaughey in the role of Norman Osborne? What storylines do you think they should adapt for the character in the future? Let us know on , , !