Here's Giamatti on the character: “I thought Rhino was the greatest thing when I was a little kid,” he told ShowbizSpy in March 2011. “It was a guy who was basically in this rhinoceros outfit, and I always thought, ‘Why don’t they have The Rhino in one of their movies.’ But maybe The Rhino wasn’t that big of a deal for anybody but me. … If they ever go with The Rhino, I would be ready and waiting.”
He also talked about the character on Conan: “The Rhino was fantastic," he said. "He was, like, a Russian guy. He was real fast, and he hit stuff real hard."
So apparently Giamatti has been anxious to play the role for some time now - that is ALWAYS a good sign. At first look I was a little hesitant but after hearing his exuberance to play the part - all the power to him. Shooting is slated to begin in February.
Source: Heat Vision
