The Wrap is reporting tonight that a shortlist of actors to play the new Spider-Man has emerged and as was reported earlier, it contains five names. The young men said to be in contention for the role are: Nat Wolff, Asa Butterfield, Tom Holland, Timothee Chalamet and Liam James. Neither Sony or Disney were prepared to comment on the list, but The Wrap is confident in their source.
While filming on Captain America: Civil War (which will feature a cameo from the webslinger) is set to get underway shortly, it still may be a while until we find out who exactly will be stepping into the iconic role. Apparently, Spidey’s scene won’t be shot until June, so whichever actor ends up snagging the part won’t be needed for at least a few more months.
However, Sony is getting ready to “make test offers” to the young men listed above as soon as next week and according to The Wrap, they’ll likely have made a decision within 2-3 weeks.
Out of the five names we have here, Wolff and Butterfield are the most well known. The former is quickly making a name for himself in Hollywood thanks to strong roles in Palo Alto and The Fault In Our Stars. He’s also set to lead the upcoming John Greene adaptation Paper Towns, which will no doubt give him even more exposure. Butterfield, meanwhile, first broke out with the excellent Boy in the Striped Pajamas and has since led the Martin Scorsese flick Hugo and the Ender’s Game adaptation, among other things.
As for the rest, Holland has done impressive work in both the little seen How I Live Now as well as The Impossible, while both Chalamet and James are best known for their TV work on Homeland and The Killing, respectively.
Overall, none of these young actors truly stick out as big stars, but I guess that the studios aren’t looking for a face that will be familiar to audiences, and maybe that’s for the best. Regardless, this shortlist gives us a good indication of what type of actor Sony and Disney are going after and hopefully they’ll be able to close a deal with one of them soon.
Tell us, are you a fan of any of these actors for the role of Spider-Man? Sound off below!