In the past several months, rumors and reports have suggested many, many young actors as potentially being up for the role of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has not yet been confirmed who will wind up actually getting the job, as it doesn't seen that Marvel and Sony have made their choice just yet - but it appears that a new report has confirmed the six young actors who have actually screen-tested for the webslinging part.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Marvel has been doing some big-time Spider-Man work this weekend, and apparently had a group of young stars audition for their chance to play the next big screen version of Peter Parker (who will make his MCU debut in Joe and Anthony Russo's in-production Captain America: Civil War). So who are these guys? Let's take a look:
Those who have been following the story of Marvel's new Spider-Man will certainly recognize Asa Butterfield. We've been hearing his named linked to the part for months now, and there were even what ended up being false reports saying that he had secured the part. It's been said that he is the frontrunner - perhaps thanks to his leading role experience in both Hugo and Ender's Game - but he definitely has some competition.
Like Asa Butterfield, Tom Holland is another name we've been hearing linked to the Spider-Man role for some time. Not to be confused with the director of the 1985 horror comedy Fright Night, Holland is probably best known for his role opposite Naomi Watts in the survival drama The Impossible. He'll next be seen starring in Ron Howard's In The Heart of the Sea.
The third candidate on this list is one that has evidently been going under the radar, given that this is the first time that we've heard his name connected to Marvel's Spider-Man. Judah Lewis is more of a newcomer compared to Asa Butterfield and Tom Holland, but has been collecting a few interesting credits in the last couple of years. He made his television debut in the drama Deliverance Creek in 2014, and followed that up with an episode of CSI: Cyber earlier this year - but soon he will be seen in the remake of Point Break, and the Jean Marc-Vallee-directed drama Demolition.
Matthew Lintz is yet another new name mentioned in connection to Spider-Man, and while his resume goes back to 2009, he has mostly played smaller roles to this point in his career (playing parts like "Distraught Son #2" in The Crazies and "Disruptive Kid" in What To Expect When You're Expecting). Most recently he played Jeremy Renner's son in the dark drama Kill The Messenger, but will soon be seen with the likes of Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Peter Dinklage in the comedy Pixels.
The fifth young actor on this Spider-Man screen test list is Charlie Plummer, who you may know if you're a fan of the recently-ended HBO series Boardwalk Empire. Though he only played in eight episodes, Plummer still had a recurring role on the show as Michael Thompson - the eldest son of Sea Whigham's Eli Thompson. He can currently be seen playing Timmy Sanders on the television series Granite Flats, which just launched its third season on Netflix earlier this month.
Last but not least is Charlie Rowe - who is new to the Spider-Man game, but is a name that should be familiar to those who religiously follow comic book movie news. A few months back there was a rumor going around saying that he would potentially be the actor to play young Cyclops in Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse - though that role eventually went to Tye Sheridan. Rowe is another British actor, and is perhaps best known to American audiences for his turn as one of the leads on the short-lived Fox television series Red Band Society.
Of these screen-tested actors, who do you think would be the right choice to play the new version of Spider-Man/Peter Parker? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
