WELL IT’S ABOUT BLOODY TIME! Ever since Sony first announced their reboot I have been stuck in a black whirlpool of despair. Why oh why couldn’t Marvel be doing a Spider-Man film (Leaving aside the fact that it was still WAY too early to be doing a reboot)? But now, we’ve got a second chance! Well… third chance.
And sure, Sony retains final creative control (Grumble grumble), but Spidey is still where he belongs. In the safe, cosy arms of Marvel studios. And whilst Andrew Garfield did an admirable job as the web slinger, it’s time to move on and look forward. So, in the spirit of pretending the last two Spider-Man films never ever happened, here’s my pick for the new Peter Parker!
DISCLAIMER! This list is my own personal opinion. If you don’t like it then you might want to consider reading my new book: “Stop Being Stubborn And Admit That I’m Always Right!”. Available at all good bookshops. And by “bookshops”, I mean “the back of my car”.
6. Billy Unger
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Bit of an unknown this one. Well, I say unknown. Chances are you’ve seen him in something, as he’s got a fairly big filmography. He’s starred in the films National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Crank: High Voltage and You Again, been in a variety of television shows such as Scrubs, Medium, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Family Guy and currently plays the lead in the show Lab Rats.
That not enough? Okay, how about this? He played a young Nathan Drake in the video game Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception! He was lil’ Dude Raider! It’s safe to say this guy’s a “one to watch” actor.
5. Logan Lerman
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Logan Lerman seems to be a popular choice to play the wall crawler, according to the Internet. However, I decided to place him this far down the list because… Three Musketeers sucked. I swear, when I find Paul W. S. Anderson, there is going to be a RECKONING!
Despite that, it’s obvious that he’s a good actor. He’s been in some great films from 3:10 to Yuma, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and… What Women Want? Playing a young Mel Gibson? Sheesh. Suddenly, The Three Musketeers is looking a lot better.
4. Thomas Dekker
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Why isn’t this guy more successful? He was in Heroes! But he sort of disappeared after he went to play John Conner in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles! But that was cancelled. So he went on to star in The Secret Circle! Which was also cancelled. Geez. Talk about bad luck.
Still, he’s done some consistently good stuff. He’s been on shows like House and Shark, and is currently starring in Backstrom, along with Rainn Wilson, as well as films such as My Sister’s Keeper, Kaboom and… a bunch of American Tail and Land Before Time movies? Voicing Littlefoot and Fievel. Huh. I’m learning so much today.
3. Grant Gustin
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Anyone else think that Grant Gustin looks more like Peter Parker than Barry Allen? He’s not even blonde! Still, he’s great as the scarlet speedster and would be just as good as the webbed wonder. Their characters are pretty similar. Both are scientifically inclined… okay, that’s kinda it. Geez, there’s got to be something else. Uhhhh… they both have red in their costumes? Never mind.
Aside from The Flash and Arrow, Grant been in shows like Glee, 90210 and CSI: Miami, the 2014 movie Affluenza as well as the 2010 Broadway revival of West Side Story. At the very least, he could be in Turn Off the Dark.
2. Charlie Rowe
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It’s another up and comer kind of actor. But unlike Billy Unger, Charlie Rowe hasn’t done as much stuff. But what he has done… is pretty damn excellent! His film roles include The Boat That Rocked, The Golden Compass and Never Let Me Go, in which he played a younger version of fellow Englishman Andrew Garfield.
And then there’s his television credits, which include the under-appreciated Red Band Society and the Syfy Miniseries Neverland, in which he played Peter Pan, alongside Rhys Ifans, who as we all know played Curt Conners in Amazing Spider-Man. Talk about 6 Degrees of Peter Parker!
1. Dylan O’Brien
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I love this guy. I can’t help it! He’s just so damn likeable! Look at him! Look at his likeable little face! I just wanna smush it! And he’s a great actor on top of that. Most people know him as Stiles on the TV show Teen Wolf (Which is based on the 1985 film Teen Wolf despite not sharing any similarities beyond the character’s names and the idea of Werewolves), and Thomas in The Maze Runner, as well as the film The First Time and a very funny cameo in New Girl. Yes, I watch New Girl. What? WHAT? Don’t give me that look!
I guess the reason I gave Dylan O’Brien the top spot on this list is… when I think of a live action Peter Parker, he’s the kind of person I think of. He kind of embodies a lot of his attributes, both physical and otherwise. He’s just got this presence that I find matches the spirit of Spider-Man. Still, out of all the casting articles I’ve done for this site, not one candidate has ever been cast in the roles I selected for them. So what do I know?
But what do YOU think of this list? Was it a Spectacular Squad of Super Spidey’s or a Dull Demonstration of Depressing Duds? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter! Meantime, I’m going to find the CEO of Sony and laugh in his face while chanting “You were wrong! You were wrong! You were wrong!”.