Well, that seems to be the hot rumor (though there's a competing rumor that it's Josh Hutcherson with the inside track to the gig), according to Cinematical:There's been a lot of heated discussion lately as to who should don the webby red and blue. Not surprisingly, Sony wasn't really paying attention to any of it, and stuck with their final five candidates. While Drew McWeeny at HitFix heard Josh Hutcherson was very, very close to becoming the new Peter Parker, Bleeding Cool reports that Sony and Marc Webb have settled on Jamie Bell. We're trying to get an official confirmation from Sony, so stay tuned.
I think Bell is a surprising choice. He's certainly the biggest name of the bunch, and a very good actor, but his performances tend to lean towards the intense and angry. Even when he's playing a quiet secondary character, Bell is just burning up with something. It's his gift as an actor. Perhaps that's the right attitude for great power and responsibility, but Parker is supposed to be awkward, nerdy, and an unlikely hero.
It's also strange to see Sony go for one of their older picks. Remember, this Spider-Man is supposed to be set entirely in high school, and Bell is 24. He certainly looks young for his age now, but so did Tobey Maguire (who still doesn't look his age.) If Sony is aiming for another trilogy, won't they run into the same problem they did with Maguire, and have an actor who is far too mature to be believable as a teenager? He's likely to be 30 by the end of the story, or close to it.
As I said, without official confirmation all protests feel a bit too much. But what do you think of Bell as Spider-Man? Are you up in arms he's not even American? (That's sarcasm.)
UPDATE: Sony has told us that they are officially not commenting on this, which means they did not deny it, so ...
-Between Hutcherson and Bell, who would you choose?
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I lean towards Hutcherson, but neither is a bad choice.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just me being a fan of the original films (minus Spidey 3) but to me these guys dont really "look" the part. Hutcherson maybe. I dunno. I'm still trying to warm up to the project.
ReplyDeleteI dont know that anyone will be able to play Peter Parker as well as Tobey Maguire...
Well, I'd argue that Tobey was said to have not looked the part when he was first cast too, so we'll see...but fair point.
ReplyDeleteReally? Had no idea...that's interesting considering how well he pulled it off. I guess only time will tell.
ReplyDeleteI did love (500) Days of Summer quite a bit--so that gives me a glimmer of hope, but I still cant say that I wouldn't rather see Raimi get another go--especially with Malkovich as the Vulture. To me that would have been really neat to see. But I guess there is nothing we can do about it now...
Indeed.
ReplyDeleteI'm more interested in Webb's new take, but that's just me...
I really can't comment on this too much, just because I'm really not familiar enough with Hutcherson. I do agree that Bell would be an interesting choice, however...
ReplyDeleteHutcherson has been doing decent work, but I hear he's excellent in The Kids Are All Right.
ReplyDeleteI lean towards Bell, but his age could become an issue depending on how quickly they move along with the series. They're saying the new films will all take place in high school which could become an issue when Bell begins to push 30 towards the end. Either way I'm not enamored with either of the choices.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Both would be fine, but honestly Anton Yelchin would be my choice...
ReplyDeleteAnton Yelchin definitely. He is heads above the rest. Great call.
ReplyDeleteMuch obliged.
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