The Future of Spider-Man is Younger, More Shia-esque
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 28, 2008

Our good friends over at Latino Review have once again uncovered some information that the average Hollywood executive would want to keep hidden in some closet next to all of the hookers. This time around, they have raided the file cabinets over at Sony Pictures to find out the Spider-Man producers Laura Ziskin and Grant Curtis are currently in the process of looking over photos of young boys to fill the tight suit of the arachnid-like hero in the upcoming fourth and fifth installments. Who are there top candidates?

The name on the top of their list is Wristcutters and Almost Famous star Patrick Fugit. The 25-year old actor is said to have the closest resemblance to Tobey Maguire. As well, he does sort of have that whole Peter Parker vibe about him. And if Fugit doesn’t take the sure-fire big payday, the prods also have a second choice…

That second choice is Snow Angels and The Forbidden Kingdom star Michael Angarano. He also has the Peter Parker vibe going to a certain extent, but would be at best a distant cousin to Tobey Maguire’s Parker. Then again, after the infamous “Jazz Club” scene, I think we can all agree that a distant relative might be the best solution for the next Spidey tale.
Overall, I am looking at these two candidates and thinking, “Man, these two guys are both Shia LaBeouf-lite.” It leads me to think that Shia might be a good fit for Spider-Man, but then I am instantly snapped back to reality by the fact that LaBeouf has his own big franchises (both Transformers and Indiana Jones) to worry about. So while Shia may work, he is going to be busy, therefore why not let his clones do the Spidey movies instead. In fact, why not have them both play Parker/Spider-Man. As our Latino friends point out, they did play the same exact character in Almost Famous, with Angarano playing the younger version of Fugit’s William.
In the end, I have realized that I am completely disinterested in this whole Spider-Man 4 and 5 situation. After the debacle that was the third movie, I don’t know if I can really get excited about a continuation of the series. If they bring back Bryce Dallas-Howard as Gwen Stacy, maybe. But otherwise I am about as interested in this as I am in whether David Archuleta’s father wears boxers or briefs. That said, I leave the debate to all of you…
Sound Off: Who do you think will make the best Spider-Man for the 4th and 5th installments?
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