It breaks the heart to see Andrew Garfield trash the red-and-black suit for good, but we all knew that one of the caveats of having Spider-Man enter the Marvel-verse was that it would be with yet another actor (the third in 14 years) as our favorite webslinger. Today, The Wrap has a shortlist of a few names Sony and Marvel are looking at to potentially serve as their Peter Parker 3.0. And they’re all…YOUNG (said in the fashion of Shatner at the end of WRATH OF KHAN).
The best known of the five names they reveal is Asa Butterfield, who played the titular characters in HUGO and ENDER’S GAME. Asa just turned 18, but he’s been acting for almost a decade, and proved as Ender that he can convey intelligence and maturity while blasting away in zero-g with a laser pistol in each hand. Not the world’s biggest step from a laser pistol to two homegrown web shooters, is it?
Nat Wolff is, at 20, the oldest of their current prospects, and he made an impression with his turn as the blind Isaac in the surprise hit THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. He was also Tina Fey’s “is-he-or-isn’t-he” son in ADMISSION, and had a major part in last year’s PALO ALTO.
Then we got THE WAY WAY BACK’s Liam James (18), who also was a star of PSYCH and AMC’s THE KILLING. I thought he was fairly strong and subtle in the former film, but I’m sure fans of those two shows are more aware of his talents/range than i am.
You may remember that Timothee Chalamat (19/20) was one of the contenders for young Cyclops in X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, and the INTERSTELLAR/HOMELAND actor is again up to don a rubber suit as the Daily Bugle’s luckiest photographer.
And last but not least, we have Tom Holland, an 18-year-old British actor who played the eldest of the three sons in THE IMPOSSIBLE.
There are more actors being looked at that haven’t been revealed, and it’s quite possible none of these choices will shake out. They’ll have to lock down their Spidey before it comes time to film his *SPOILER* cameo appearance in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR *END SPOILER* this June, leading into his own feature film set for July 2017. Drew Goddard, recently of TV’s well-received DAREDEVIL, is expected to direct the reboot, which will undoubtedly be set in high school. I can only presume he’s not playing a major part in choosing who will be swinging around NYC as this re-teenaged Peter Parker.
Butterfield has probably had the most opportunity to show off his skills of these five names, so perhaps it’s a little unfair that I’m pulling for him, but I am. He can totally play the shy geek, but can flip into a more steadfast, authoritative mood when the scene calls for it. I don’t know how realistic his signing is, or whether he feels like committing to however long of a commitment Marvel/Sony is asking of him, but I’d be totally stoked if he ended up landing the gig.
Is there anyone on this list you’d pick for your dream Peter Parker? If not, then who do you think should be the one to help bridge Sony and Marvel’s comic book universe?
