If this didn't come from The Hollywood Reporter, I would assume it was a joke.  Paul Giamatti is reportedly in talks to play the Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  For those unfamiliar with comics or the English language, Rhino is a hulking character who rams into stuff.  I'm dubious about the quality of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but if Giamatti has to bulk up to play the role, the sequel will be worth it.  I can't even wrap my mind around a muscular Giamatti.  Of course, just because Rhino is a physically imposing character in the comics, it doesn't mean the movie will go the same way.  Rhino is the second villain on board following Electro, who will be played by Jamie Foxx.

Hit the jump for more including Giamatti talking with Conan O'Brien (who referenced our interview with the actor from 2011) about wanting to play Rhino plus news about Felicity Jones joining the cast.  The film also stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan, and Shailene Woodley.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is due out on May 2, 2014.  Filming is set to begin in February.

Per THR:

The Rhino first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #41 in 1966 as a thug from a Soviet Block country who wore a superhuman suit that made him invulnerable while giving him super-strength and super-speed. It also had a deadly horn on top.

In more recent comics, he became a sympathetic figure who found himself allying with Spider-Man.

Please, please, please stay true to the early comics, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  A buff Paul Giamatti with a Russian accent would be more entertaining than half of the first movie.  Sadly, that doesn't fit with the "realistic" world the new Spider-Man movies are going for (because Lizard Gas is deadly serious), so maybe Giamatti will just be playing some guy named John Rhino.

However, this is where it gets really strange.  Hollywood.com's Matt Patches found an interview on Conan from March 2011 where Giamatti talked about wanting to play Rhino:

In other Spidey news, Felicity Jones (who recently starred in Breathe In, which premiered at Sundance, and you can read Adam's positive review here) is in talks to join the film in an unspecified role.  The first person to say, "Black Cat!" gets smacked in the face.

Click here for all of our coverage of The Amazing Spider-Man 2.