May 27, 2010

Has the list of actors in line to play Spider-Man thinned?

Indeed it has, and The Hollywood Reporter has the list of the finalists Marc Webb is choosing from:

Even as Alvin Sargent rewrites the script for Columbia’s rebooted “Spider-Man,” director Marc Webb has been ensnaring actors in his web(b) in his search for the new Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man.

Webb has been meeting and reading actors quietly for several months, but the list has narrowed in the past week or two. No screen tests have been conducted at this early stage (though it will be a requirement), and insiders point out that the director and studio are still on the lookout.

The candidates for the web-slinger include:

-- Jamie Bell: The 24-year-old English actor, repped by WME and Artists Independent Management, who made his film debut playing the title character in “Billy Elliot,” has been doing the proper British actor thing in period movies such as “Nicholas Nickleby” and “Jane Eyre” (he’s also appeared in Hollywood movies such as Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” and Ed Zwick’s “Defiance”). More important, he’s already stepped into the comics world by portraying Tintin in Jackson and Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin” movie, which won’t hit screens until December 2011.

-- Alden Ehrenreich: The Los Angeles-born 20-year-old has a juicy backstory, having been “discovered” by Spielberg, who saw a comedy video starring Ehrenreich at a bat mitzvah of his daughter’s friend. A couple of TV appearances followed, but the actor’s next big leap came when he was cast by Francis Ford Coppola in 2009’s “Tetro.” He is repped by WME.

-- Frank Dillane: The 19-year-old Brit’s main credit is last year’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” where he played a young Tom Riddle. Is a minor role in a “Potter” film a good springboard for a mega-franchise? It worked for Robert Pattinson.

-- Andrew Garfield: The L.A.-born actor had a short stint on a BBC TV series called “Sugar Rush” but gained notices for playing a young reporter in a gritty British TV movie trilogy titled “Red Riding.” The 27-year-old appeared in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and will be seen in David Fincher’s movie about Facebook, “The Social Network.” He is repped by CAA and the Collective.

-- Josh Hutcherson: The youngest actor of the bunch -- he turns 18 this year -- is also the one with the most experience. The past six years alone have seen the Kentucky-born kid rack up credits with key roles in Jon Favreau’s “Zathura,” drama “Bridge to Terabithia” and the upcoming “Red Dawn” remake. He appears in the Sundance hit “The Kids Are All Right,” which insider buzz suggests could be an Oscar contender, and starred with Brendan Fraser in “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

Hutcherson, repped by ICM and Beddingfield, just signed on to star in the “Journey” sequel, and that movie could prove a fly in the ointment if the actor’s schedule collides with “Spider-Man.” (Though you can bet every effort would be made to make it work.)

The group of actors seems to fall in line with what Webb has been looking to do with his take on Spider-Man, which is to cast relative unknowns in a story that roots Parker back in high school. The movie will be an angst-ridden tale of a teen dealing with the knowledge that his uncle died even though he had the power to stop it.

Columbia wants to begin production by year’s end, but Webb and the studio are taking their time choosing the actor while Sargent gets the script in spider-shape.

A Columbia spokesperson did not comment on the casting process, saying “There have been a number of names floated online and almost every week, someone calls with a new rumor. We are not commenting on the casting process or rumors such as these.”

-I lean towards Hutcherson or Garfield...who do you prefer?

10 comments:

  1. I don't think any of these kids would be bad choices, but the two I selected just are the best actors of the bunch...we'll see who gets the nod in the end.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like Hutcherson of the candidates listed. Garfield is good, but he's 27 and if they want a high school reboot, I don't see that working.

    What happened to Logan Lerman? I thought he would have been great.

    I was not a fan of the recent trilogy at all, so I'm interested to see if they can do better.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Agreed about the 3 names you mentioned...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with Katelyn, Garfield would be a good pick...if they weren't focusing on his high school life. I can't see Jamie Bell or Josh Hutcherson either. Hmm this has me stymied!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well, we shall see what happens...I actually like the direction they're going in, but who knows what the end result will be?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hutcherson works for the high school angle, but there's something about his build and his attitude that seems opposed to the Spider-Man mold. I like Garfield the best: I think he's a very interesting actor and looks the part, could likely play it well. Sadly, he is 27. Blast.

    Ehrenreich I could maaaaaybe see, and Jamie Bell I suppose I would put up with, though he's a touch too pretty-boy for Peter Parker, IMO.

    I still think Logan Lerman is probably the best we were gonna get. So now I dunno.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would have preferred Lerman, but Hutcherson is my #2, followed by a potentially ill suited (age related) Garfield.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree about Hutcherson's build... Although I do like him as an actor, he just doesn't scream Spider-Man to me. Lerman would be great, and I wouldn't mind Bell or Garfield despite their age.

    My personal pick would be Anton Yelchin, though. His name was thrown around briefly with Lerman a while back. I think he would be perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm actually the most curious about Alvin Sargent re-writing the script, since he's been re-writing Spidey flicks for the entire time there's been Spidey movies, so is this a good thing or a bad thing? Hmm...

    ReplyDelete