As Spider-Man joins the Marvel cinematic universe, the character will once again be re-cast. Allegedly, Sony’s top choices to replace Andrew Garfield are Dylan O’Brien and Logan Lerman.
The internet exploded earlier this week when we learned that Marvel and Sony have reached an agreement about Spider-Man, allowing the character to join the ever-expanding MCU.
Sony still has plans for more Spider-Man sequels and spin-offs, but after Amy Pascal’s recent departure, the studio made a deal with Marvel to bring the web-slinger home.
Related: Spider-Man officially joins the Marvel cinematic universe
While Marvel can now finally incorporate Spider-Man into their movie franchise, Sony Pictures will continue to have “final creative control of the Spider-Man films.”
As part of the Spider-Man brand makeover, Sony is now looking for a younger actor to replace Andrew Garfield, in order to take Peter Parker back to high school and explore his time as an awkward student vigilante.
Obviously the fandom is now abuzz with speculation about who should take over the role, and we got in on the fun, too: a few days ago we published an article outlining some potential candidates for teen Spidey, and it seems like one of our choices was spot on!
According to Variety, two popular young actors are currently “being considered” for the role: Teen Wolf‘s Dylan O’Brien, and Percy Jackson‘s Logan Lerman.
Seeing as both actors are currently 23 years old, Marvel and Sony would be taking a bit of a risk casting either of them as a high school student, especially if they’re planning more than one film set in this era of Peter Parker’s life.
Marvel wants to introduce their new Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), and launch his solo franchise in 2017. That means Lerman/O’Brien would already be 25 by the time the first movie hit cinemas. It’s not exactly uncommon for 20-somethings to play teenagers in Hollywood, but a lot can change for a young man within a few years.
However, both O’Brien and Lerman have proven themselves to be fine actors, and we’re sure either of them would do a great job as the next Spider-Man.
Dylan O’Brien has previously expressed interest in playing Peter Parker, and has a very fitting awkward charm for the role. Logan Lerman has more confidence, but proved in The Perks of Being a Wallflower that he can also pull off the “awkward teenager” role.
Note that Sony has yet to approach either actor for the part. And since both Lerman and O’Brien are a part of other movie franchises (Percy Jackson and The Maze Runner, respectively), it’s possible that neither of them will be able to accept the job even if it’s offered to them.
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