Will they ever get the Spider-Man franchise right again? At the current rate, not in my lifetime.
While Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was the breakthrough franchise that gave superheroes the lift they needed into theaters, his three films are already dated as all hell (thanks to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy).
And even though I like Sony’s 2012 reboot The Amazing Spider-Man more than most, it was problematic for a single reason that nobody is understanding – and it bleeds right into the 2014 sequel.
For me, the recipe for the perfect Spider-Man begins in 1963 with the original “The Amazing Spider-Man” (post “Amazing Fantasy” #15). And the key here is PETER PARKER.
When revising these classic comics, I discovered something interesting…I would skim the panels featuring Spider-Man and a nemesis. For me, I enjoyed the “Spider-Man” comics because of Parker’s relationships – from Gwen Stacy to the bullies at school, all the way up to Mary Jane and Cletus Kasady. But more importantly, I enjoyed reading about Parker growing up, and going through the tough years of being Spider-Man and a high school student. It was like “The Wonder Years” meets “Spider-Man”.
The movies have attempted to cherrypick this moment in time, but briefly, and fail to realize that, by the time the actor portraying Parker gets deep into a sequel, he’s already a man. In my opinion, if Sony is to reboot the franchise for a third time, and attempt to capture the youth of Parker, they need to go young – like Daniel Radcliffe 2001 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone young.
With this, I present to you the shortlist of actors the studio is looking to cast as a young Peter Parker. What you’ll notice is that, by the time filming begins, and the movie is released, these actors will be adults with a hairy chest. And by the time the sequel gets underway? Jesus. This is the very problem that’s ruined two attempts at Spider-Man, already. And they’re going to do it again. Sigh.
According to TheWrap, here’s who could play Parker:
Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Ender’s Game), Timothee Chalamet (One and Two, Interstellar), Tom Holland (Locke, The Impossible), Liam James (“Psych,” The Way, Way Back) and Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns).
ALL TOO OLD (Wolff, pictured below, is already 20 years old!). I want to see a young Peter Parker for THREE movies.
And think about this: the new Spider-Man will first appear in Anthony and Joe Russo’s upcoming Captain America: Civil War, which will hit theaters May 6, 2016.
THEN, and only then will this new Peter Parker swing into action solo on July 28, 2017 (Drew Goddard is rumored to direct).
Mark my words… this will be a bust, again.
