Alfred Molina is back as Doc Ock for Spider-Man 3

Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark) will join the cast of the third Sony/Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man film, to reprise the role he played in 2004’s Spider-Man 2, reports the Hollywood Reporter.

Rumors of Molina’s involvement have percolated for a few weeks, since reports surfaced in late November that the actor was spotted on set. THR reports that he will once again play Otto Octavius — or Doctor Octopus, the scientist-turned-criminal with a set of four extra, super-strong mechanical arms who battled Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man.

With Molina aboard, the untitled sequel to 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home will bridge three different Spider-Man film franchises, with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Zendaya’s Mary Jane confronting Jamie Foxx as Electro, first seen in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opposite Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man. And then there’s the potential return of J.K. Simmons, who already reprised his definitive take on J. Jonah Jameson for a cameo in Far From Home.

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At the moment, the next Spider-Man movie is set to be released on Dec. 17, 2021, though that could change, with the Walt Disney Co. expected to reveal major news about its upcoming film slate during an investor day on Thursday. Earlier this year, Sony pushed back the film’s release date in response to Disney’s shuffling of MCU release dates.