Report: Sony Looking For “Much Younger” Next Spider-Man
By Nick Tylwalk
With all the names that are sure to be bandied about to play Spider-Man now that Marvel and Sony have agreed to what amounts to a time-share agreement over the web-slinger, here’s something to keep in mind: Andrew Garfield, the last man to play that role, is now considered too old for it at 31.
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Age probably isn’t the main reason that Garfield won’t be suiting up again; it’s likely that the two companies just feel a clean break with the disappointing Amazing Spider-Man film series (if two movies counts as a series) is needed to really move forward. Still, a recent piece in The Hollywood Reporter suggests that Sony is going to look for an actor well shy of his 30th birthday this time around:
"And though Spider-Man will first appear in an unnamed Marvel movie, Sony and Pascal will have more influence over the actor cast in the iconic role because Sony retains final approval. The studio is currently looking for an actor much younger than 31-year-old Andrew Garfield, who most recently portrayed the superhero, as well as a writer for its reboot."
As Mr. Spock might say, flawlessly logical. And yet, one wonders what “much younger” means in a context where the incumbent is that young? Are we talking teenager here?
That could narrow the field of potential Spider-Man candidates dramatically. For instance, actor/rapper Donald Glover has made no bones about the fact that he’d like a chance to play Spidey, and major outlets are already endorsing him. The thing is, Glover is only a month younger than Garfield, and essentially too old to portray a hero early in his career.
Maybe Sony is willing to be a little more open-minded than THR is suggesting, but unless someone feels like coming up with an explanation for where the wall-crawler has been hiding for the last 10 years or he only gets bitten by that radioactive spider as an adult, the actors with a realistic chance to be the next Spider-Man belong not to the current generation, but the next one behind it.
Anyone have any suggestions from the current crop of teen actors?
Next: How merchandising rights were key to the Spider-Man deal
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