The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going strong for a decade, and is showing no signs of slowing down. As Phase Three began with Captain America: Civil War, a few new characters were introduced that would quickly become fan favorites: Black Panther and Spider-Man. The latter is played by Tom Holland, but the role was up for grabs once Sony gave Marvel Studios rights to the character.
One of the many actors who went in for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man was The Walking Dead alumnus Chandler Riggs. Riggs recently retired his role as Carl Grimes, and has been open about going out for the role of the web slinger. Riggs recently revealed he's still disappointed about the casting, saying:
I auditioned for Spider-Man, I thought that would have been cool. But it's okay, it's okay.
The kid's got a point. What is cooler than becoming a Marvel Cinematic Universe right after graduating high school? Alas, Tom Holland got the role, and has already become one of the most beloved figures in the massive cinematic universe.
Chandler Riggs' comments come from his recent appearance at San Jose Fan Fest (via Comic Book), and show how the young actor would have loved to play Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney cast a wide net to find the perfect actor, and Tom Holland's casting has widely been seen as a massive victory for the overall franchise. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of other actors' dreams.
When Disney was searching for the newest version of Peter Parker, the pressure was on. Two other Spider-Man franchises have already hit theaters, with Andrew Garfield's tenure ending only a few years ago. Ultimately, Disney decided to break new ground with a younger actor, allowing Peter to read like a realistic high school student. Chandler Riggs was one of those actors, but Tom Holland ultimately won the role-- with a little help from Chris Hemsworth himself.
In his same appearance, Chandler Riggs praised Tom Holland's performance as Spider-Man, saying:
But Tom Holland, he does such an amazing job as Spider-Man, he's seriously amazing. It's awesome. I watched Homecoming a few weeks ago and he's so funny, and like so perfect for the role, it's really well done.
What a class act. Chandler Riggs might be bummed about not playing Peter Parker, but he can see how great Tom Holland's characterization of the role was. Then again, the 19 year-old actor also revealed that he waited a while to actually sit down and watch Spider-Man: Homecoming. But given how life-changing landing the role would have been, who can blame him?
Tom Holland's Spider-Man will return to the MCU when Avengers: Endgame arrives in theaters on April 26th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
