Fans of Sony's Spider-Man franchise haven't seen the last of Uncle Ben.

Veteran actor Martin Sheen, who played the pivotal role in director Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man, revealed during a weekend appearance on Ireland's The Late Late Show that he'll be returning for the 2014 sequel.

"Well, they called me back," he said while promoting Voices From the Front Line. "I don't know what the part's going to be but I'm going to be Uncle Ben once again in Spider-Man next year. We shoot in February."

Presumably, Ben will be seen in a flashback or in a dream sequence, as opposed to, I don't know, some unseemly twist on "The Clone Saga" (though wouldn't that be a surprise). In Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, Uncle Ben (played by Cliff Robertson) was shown after his death both in flashbacks and a dream sequence.

Sheen joins returning stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, as well as new additions Jamie Foxx as Electro, Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson and Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn. Presumably Sally Field will also reprise her role as Aunt May. The sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man opens in 3D on May 2, 2014.

(via ComingSoon)