Sony Pictures Entertainment has chosen its new Spider-Man. It’s Brit Andrew Garfield, perhaps the most mature of the crop of boyish actors the studio was reportedly considering. He’ll be 27 in August. And he’s a strong actor.
Garfield broke out in Toronto fest hit Boy A, for which he won a best actor BAFTA in 2008. He played American in Robert Redford’s forgettable Lions for Lambs, and also starred in the Spike Jonze Sundance short I’m Here, the Red Riding Trilogy – 1974 and Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. He also has key roles in two high-profile fall films, Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go and David Fincher’s The Social Network.
The studio put on a global search; Garfield won out over the likes of Jamie Bell, Aaron Johnson and Logan Lerman, who placed first in our TOH poll–Garfield placed sixth. Sony announced Garfield at an international press conference in Cancun, Mexico promoing their upcoming slate.
Marvel and Columbia’s Spider-Man 4 starts filming in 3-D in early December under the direction of Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer). The film is set to open July 3, 2012. “Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor’s work understand his extraordinary talents,” states Webb. “He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.”
In a joint statement, Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, President of Columbia Pictures said:
“Spider-Man is a classic superhero — a young man who balances his responsibility to serve humanity and crush evil with the shyness and normalcy of someone struggling to find himself. The role demands an extraordinary actor. You need someone who can magically transform himself from Peter Parker into Spider-Man. An actor who will depict the vulnerability of youth and the strength and confidence of a legendary figure at the same moment. We have found that actor in Andrew Garfield. From the first time we saw him in the upcoming film The Social Network, to his glorious screen test, which floored all of us, we knew that we had found our new Peter Parker.”
The three Spider-Mans have grossed more than $2.5 billion worldwide.
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