As The Web Turns

It must be hard being the new kid. I mean, honestly, you have to get used to new things, new ideas, and new people. Some will pick on you, some will help you, but most will ignore you. Welcome, Josh Hutcherson, to the court of comic book public opinion.

Who the hell is Josh Hutcherson, you ask? Well, as of today he is the new Spider-Man. No, not a voiceover on some obscure DVD of an animated Spider-Man, but THE actual flesh and blood actor cast to play the next Peter Parker. This all raises questions in my mind and I will address them all one by one.

What does his casting tell us?

For starters, it does hint at the story. There have been rumors swirling for a couple of years that the next installment was going to be a younger Spider-Man. Like in high school type younger. Apparently this is the case. Casting Hutcherson gives us an insight into the script. They are definitely going younger with the story or they plan on giving him hormone treatments to speed up puberty.

Does Hutcherson know anything about Spider-Man?

That is a big no. He admitted himself he doesn’t read comic books and has never read a comic book, but does “like superheroes a lot.” So his only knowledge of Spidey is likely anything he saw Tobey Maguire play on screen.

This raises concern, obviously, about his credibility and understanding of the character. However, I do admire his honesty. I think many actors have simply lied about reading the comic books and didn’t actually bring anything to the table based on the comics themselves. Besides, he does have time to get cracking. I’m sure there are a million comic book stores in Los Angeles.

What happened to Zac Efron?

This story has been more mysterious than Deep Throat. There are conflicting reports all over the web that says Efron walked away from the role for the same reason he walked away from the Footloose role, he didn’t want to be cast as a high school student anymore. Also, there are other stories/rumors suggesting there was an overwhelming backlash from Spidey fans who were gravely concerned about Efron being cast in the first place. Personally, the truth is probably in the middle somewhere. And who says Efron won’t be cast? This thing could change again next week!

Hutcherson does lack credibility as a big name. His experience, however, has been vast. All of it, of course, has been as a child actor. His biggest role to date was opposite Brendan Fraser in Journey to the Center of the Earth. Yes, the movie sucked, but he was also cast in the upcoming remake of Red Dawn as well as a sequel to Journey. So, he’s got some acting chops.

I’m willing to give this kid a chance. Even though Journey wasn’t a very good movie, I didn’t have a problem with Hutcherson’s acting ability. One thing is definite about his casting, he WILL be known now. I hope he can handle being the new kid. It only gets harder from here.