Another day, another bout of SPIDER-MAN news. However, instead of definitive news about who will play Spidey, sources reveal who’s in contention to bring the wall-crawler to the screen. Deadline has reported that St Vincent director Ted Melfi and Warm Bodies’ helmer Jonathan Levine are the favorites, but that Vacation directors John Francis Daley & Jonathan M. Goldstein and indie director Jon Watts (known for the Sundance fave Cop Car) are also contenders. It’s unknown currently if the director chosen will also script the web-slinger’s return, unofficially dubbed Spider-Man: The New Avenger. A shortlist was announced a month ago that included Melfi, Levine, and Daley/Goldstein, but also included Jared Hess and Jason Moore.
Remember a few months back when it was reported that Drew Goddard has signed on? Well, unfortunately that wasn’t in the cards. The task to nab the right youngster to play the hero is now as equally as stacked, as it’s now been revealed that Deadline’s announcement that Asa Butterfield was in talks was preemptive at best, though he is still a frontrunner. Tom Holland remains a frontunner, with Judah Lewis (Demolition), Matthew Lintz (Pixels), Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire) and Charlie Rowe (Red Band Society) all making strong impressions.
Sources also revealed that the film’s producers screen-tested the young actors in Atlanta, where Marvel is currently in the midst of production on Civil War. The screen-tests ended the worldwide search where over 1,500 boys from around the world were auditioned for the highly coveted role.
Sources tease that an announcement on both fronts will likely be made this week. But, as with all news on the Sony/Marvel Spider-Man, use your Spidey sense and take it with a grain of salt.
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Clark Allen | Associate Editor
