Luke Owen looks at actors who could play Spider-Man…
What amazing news to wake up to on a Tuesday morning – Spider-Man has come home to Marvel to be part of their cinematic universe. The world famous wall-crawler will start swinging through New York in 2017 for our third Spider-Man series in the last fifteen years.
According to a report from The Wrap, it looks as those Andrew Garfield has been ousted as Peter Parker, which was to be expected based on some of the emails from last December’s “Sony Hack”. Garfield was not keen on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and spoke about it negativity in public – not the wisest of moves there, sir.
So, with Garfield out and a new movie on the way – who could take on the role of the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man?
1. Donald Glover
There’s no official word on whether we’re going to be getting the Peter Parker version of Spider-Man, so there is every chance Marvel could go down the Miles Morales route. And if that is the case, then who better to cast than the man who was rumoured to play the role a few years back?
And even if they do Peter Parker, why not Donald Glover?
Back in 2010, during the casting phase of The Amazing Spider-Man, fans started a #Donald4spiderman campaign which was even backed by comics legend Stan Lee. Since then, Glover has gone on to voice the character in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series, so he has experience with the role.
He also certainly has the look as well as the charisma to play the role. The only question surrounding Glover as a viable option is his age. Glover is 31 at the moment, which means he’ll be 32 by the time they get round to shooting the movie. With the character traditionally being a teenager, and Miles Morales being even younger, he could be too old to play the part. With that said, Andrew Garfield is the same age as Glover – so that wonderful movie magic could play into his favour.
2. Matthew Lewis
The first Brit on our list, but a good solid underdog choice. Lewis made his name from his turn as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter franchise, but then shot to fame after the series was done and the Internet suddenly realised he was really “hot”. All of a sudden, Lewis became a heartthrob for people everywhere.
But sadly, we’ve not seen much of him since.
He has done a few TV shows and is set to feature in The Bronties, but nothing as high profile (or as good) as the Harry Potter series. But Lewis is a great talent and could really nail the “nerdy” side of Parker’s character. Plus, he has big movie experience, even if it’s not in a leading role. He’s also only 25, which means he’ll have longevity in the role.
3. Dev Patel
Perhaps another outside choice here, but there is little argument to be made that Dev Patel would not make an excellent Spider-Man. British born Patel first made his name in Slumdog Millionaire but has also featured in the bloody dreadful The Last Airbender and is set to star as the lead role in Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie. Directors want to work with him.
And it’s easy to see why. He’s a tremendous talent and has has a wealth of experience in leading roles, especially in big budget movies. There is a question on whether he could really capture the cockier side of Spider-Man, but he is certainly age and build appropriate.
An outside chance, for sure.
4. John Boyega
Sticking with the Brits for the moment, let’s look at Attack the Block and upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens storm trooper John Boyega.
Even without the Star Wars: The Force Awakens boost, this list would have contained John Boyega because he is a star in the making. One watch of Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block shows that Boyega can encapsulate the shy and nervous side of Spider-Man’s character, while turning confident and strong once the mask goes on.
In essence, he has everything this character needs.
Boyega, 22, is an exceptional talent and would be a perfect choice for Spider-Man. Plus, he already has that Disney connection – so they won’t have to go far to track him down. Perhaps the only thing that could hold him back is the possibility of future Star Wars movies. So maybe his schedule will be too full?
Click the next button below to see our next choices for the role…
Originally published February 10, 2015. Updated July 3, 2023.
