The moment Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire left Spider-man 4 and Marc Webb stepped in to helm a reboot, speculation immediately started as to who would play the new incarnation of Peter Parker. The likes of Percy Jackson star Logan Lerman were mooted before being dismissed, but now THR has gotten hold of the shortlist of actors Webb is currently looking at. While it should be noted that a shortlist doesn’t automatically mean one of these young actors will get the role (just look at Captain America, where Chris Evans wasn’t on the shortlist but got the part anyway), but here are the five who are currently the hottest candidates.
JAMIE BELL: Although he’s been in the public eye since Billy Elliot a full deacde ago, Jamie Bell is still only 24 and therefore just about young enough to play a teenage Peter Parker. Undoubtedly the best known name on the shortlist, the British actor has appeared in Nicholas Nickleby, King Kong, Defiance and next year he’s getting the mo-cap treatment in Spielberg’s Tintin movie.
ALDEN EHRENICH: Although not a well known name, Ehrenich does have the distinction of being ‘discovered’ by Steven Spielberg, after he saw him in a comedy video. Since then he’s made a couple of TV appearances and starred in Francis Ford Copolla’s Tetro.
JOSH HUTCHERSON: He may be the youngest name on the list at only 17, but Hutcherson has already had an impressive career as a child star, appearing in movies such as Zathura, Bridge To Terabithia, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, and will next be seen in the remake of Red Dawn. While the Spider-man producers seem to want someone a bit older to play the teen Peter Parker, probably because of the physical demands of the role, Hutcherson has already proven himself in action roles, and may be a very good choice.
ANDREW GARFIELD: Although born in LA, the 26-year-old actor was brought up in England, first getting noticed in the Channel 4 TV series Sugar Rush in 2005. After making a couple of Doctor Whos, he’s received kudos for roles in the likes of Boy A, Lions For Lambs, the Red Riding trilogy and The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus. His career should get a big boost this year from major parts in Never Let Me Go and David Fincher’s The Social Network.
FRANK DILLANE: The third British raised name on the list, 21-year-old Frank is the son of actor Stephen Dillane, and had his first brush with stardom playing a young Tom Riddle (Voldemort) in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Although he doesn’t have an awful lot more of CV at the moment, he was very good in Harry Potter, so may make a good Spider-man as well.
Any of these immedately stand out to you as a possible Spider-man? Do they need to look elsewhere? Apparently it might be a few weeks until we know who’s got the role as they still haven’t done any screen-tests, and as mentioned another actor may swoop in and bag the part. However it seems that with Sony wanting to keep the budget down, Webb is going for actors with talent but who aren’t star names, and so won’t cost too much.