The "Spider-Man" reboot will be out in theaters by 2017 but the web-slinging superhero will be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in "Captain America 3: Civil War." Now that filming for Cap's third film will start "in a few days," the actor for the Spider-Man role needs to be cast as well.
According to Steven Weintraub, the editor-in-chief of Collider, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures already have a shortlist of actors - one that they already narrowed down to only five young men. Due to Marvel's secretive strategy, no names have been provided.
Rumor has it that Dylan O'Brien and Ansel Elgort are among the names included in the shortlist. The "Maze Runner" actor already denied that he was approached about the role, while the "Fault in Our Stars" star was relatively neutral about the notion of being selected or the web-slinger's role, according to Screen Rant.
"I am hearing Marvel/Sony has it down to the final five actors in contention for 'Spider-Man,'" Weintraub wrote on Twitter. "Some are in very early 20's. I could not get any names."
However, TheWrap learned that the contenders for the upcoming Spider-Man reboot are some of today's young, up-and-coming actors, namely, Timothee Chalamet, Asa Butterfield, Nat Wolff, Tom Holland, and Liam James.
According to the report, Sony is about to make test offers to a list of young actors by next week. Moreover, a decision will have been made in the next two to three weeks. However, it might need a longer period for the deal to be straightened out.
The aforementioned actors have not yet received any test offer but sources, who claim to be close to the production team, confirmed that the five stars are some of the strongest contenders for the role. Now that a shortlist was leaked to the public, both Sony and Marvel refused to give comments regarding the slate.
Since Peter Parker will be in his high school years when the "Spider-Man" movie hits theaters, all five actors who are reportedly part of the shortlist fit the criteria. Wolff, who first rose to fame in "TFIOS," might be in his 20's but his looks can still pass off as a high school student.
It is a known fact that rumors are never the same as concrete information based on fact but the idea that Marvel and Sony were looking for a much younger actor for "Spider-Man" first started out as a rumor as well. It later turned out to be true when Marvel head Kevin Feige confirmed the rumor.
