Last we heard, Marvel was locking in Ender’s Game star Asa Butterfield for the highly coveted role of Spider-Man, who is expected to appear in Captain America: Civil War before toplining his own solo pic. According to Badass Digest’s Devin Faraci, though, the gig’s not his just yet – The Impossible actor Tom Holland is still in the mix.
If Faraci, who is often on the money as far as superhero scoopage goes, knows what he’s talking about here, that means that Marvel has thinned out a shortlist that also included Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar), Nat Woolf (The Fault in Our Stars) and Liam James (The Way Way Back).
Here’s his tweet:
The final two contenders for Spider-Man are Asa Butterfield and Tom Holland, I am hearing. It was down to 2 last week.
— Devin Faraci (@devincf) May 1, 2015
Both Butterfield and Holland are right within the age bracket that Marvel is looking for and one of the 18-year-old actors will portray a younger Peter Parker/Spider-Man than we’ve seen on the big screen before. Early talk about the studio’s vision for the character suggests he’ll be the same wisecracking webslinger we know and love, but that, unlike the Sony Spideys, he’ll stay in high school for a considerable amount of time (at least through his first solo movie). Marvel wants to ensure that Spider-Man adds a new dimension to the Avengers lineup, and aging him down will certainly bring a new element into a Marvel Cinematic Universe currently dominated by extremely macho, masculine figures.
Drew Goddard is currently in line to write and direct the solo Spidey film, which may be titled Spider-Man: The New Avenger (clunky but possible, especially when you consider how Marvel pulled the iconic character back from Sony and is now reimagining him as a member of the post-Age of Ultron Avengers).
We’ll keep you posted as Marvel locks down either Butterfield or Holland for the role, but we’re certain you already know who you want to take on the part. Tell us, which actor would do it best? Sound off below!