It was about a week ago that the internet was hit with a report saying that Marvel Studios had narrowed down its list of Spider-Man candidates to five: Asa Butterfield, Nat Wolff, Tom Holland, Liam James, and Timothee Chalamet. The official choice still hasn't been made - and you'll very likely know when it is - but for now we are hearing new rumors saying that Butterfield is the frontrunner in the group.
This story - which should probably be taken with a grain of salt - comes from Latino-Review, which says that it has reached out to its sources and learned that the star of Ender's Game is the top choice to play the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Spider-Man. Representatives for the actor apparently responded with a no comment, but one source went as far as to claim that the part of the new Peter Parker is already Butterfield's.
It's not entirely difficult to understand why Marvel Studios would be interested in Asa Butterfield as the new version of Spider-Man. After all, at only 18 years old he definitely fits the bill to play a teenage Peter Parker, and he could even pass for younger than his real age (which is key if the franchise wants to keep him young for a number of years). He also has already created a solid resume during his career as a professional actor, not only starring in the aforementioned Ender's Game, but also playing the lead and earning acclaim in a Martin Scorsese film - namely 2011's Hugo.
It's very likely that it won't be long before we're aware of the veracity of this story, as the character is scheduled to make his MCU debut in Joe and Anthony Russo's Captain America: Civil War - which is on the verge of starting production down in Atlanta, Georgia. Also, previous reports have said that Marvel was looking to attach a director for the 2017 Spider-Man solo film before making an actor selection, so those two pieces of news may be paired together in an upcoming announcement (reports have said that Cabin in the Woods filmmaker Drew Goddard is the frontrunner for that gig).
