The internet exploded last night when Marvel and Sony announced a deal that would finally allow Spider-Man to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The news sent fanboys into a frenzy, and when it was revealed that the studios would reboot the character and go with a younger version, thus shoving Andrew Garfield out the door, speculation on who they would choose to play Spidey ran rampant.
While we still don’t know which actor will take on the iconic role, Variety is reporting that there are already several contenders. According to them, both Logan Lerman and Dylan O’Brien are currently in the running. However, nothing has been made official just yet and it’s very likely that at this stage, Marvel and Sony are simply just putting together a wishlist of possible candidates before they actually begin testing people. After all, Variety does note that neither actor has even been approached yet.
The fact that Lerman and O’Brien are in the mix suggests that Marvel and Sony, as predicted, will be taking the character back to high school and focusing more on the character’s web-slinging adventures in between classes. Midtown High in Manhattan was a prominent location in the comics, and if this new Spider-Man is Peter Parker, we’d likely see him spend a fair amount of time there.
The other thing to consider here is that the version of Spider-Man that we get may not be Parker. There are a few rumors pointing to Marvel wanting to go with a Miles Morales Spidey, which would put both Lerman and O’Brien out of the running as Morales comes from an African American father and a Puerto Rican mother.
Clearly, it’s early days on the Spider-Man front and we likely won’t know for a while who will take up the mantle next. Although, given that the webslinger is said to be making his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War, we may find out some more on the casting front sooner rather than later. For now, though, everything is up in the air.
Personally, I was always a fan of Garfield and while it’s a shame to see him go, there are definitely a lot of very good candidates out there who could do a killer job in the role.
Tell us, who would you like to see suit up as Spider-Man next? Sound off below!