Spider-Man of the Hour

I’m pretty sure this is official…at least for now. But, beware, it may change any hour. Apparently the powers-powers-that-be at Disney decided now was the time to reveal the real actor playing Peter Parker. And the winner is….Andrew Garfield. Who? Andrew Garfield.

If you’re disappointed about this selection, don’t worry, this may not stick either. Disney seemed to be pinned in a corner last week when several websites (including this one courtesy of yours truly) posted the hiring of Josh Hutcherson as the next Spider-Man. To stop all the rumors and the enormous requests the young actor had for interviews, they finally had to show their hand. So, in a way, this is a lesson when gossip and rumors was a good thing.

I don’t understand why Disney held onto this for so long. Apparently they knew who they were going to cast a few weeks ago. Perhaps they were waiting to come to terms with Garfield, or perhaps they couldn’t get a hold of him. Either way, they certainly left the door open for speculation.

In any event, Garfield is our new Spider-Man. I absolutely love this choice and I don’t say that often. Garfield is a terrific actor. He’s young, he has the chops to hang with top actors, and he looks incredibly geeky yet charming. This is PERFECT for Peter Parker.

In case you are unfamiliar with his work, he was cast in both Lions For Lambs and The Imaginarium of Dr. Pernassus. Now, honestly, Lions For Lambs wasn’t a great film, but I did remember his performance opposite of Robert Redford. He held his own with one of the best heavyweights of our time.

If that’s not convincing enough, Terry Gilliam cast him in Pernassus. Believe me, Gilliam doesn’t cast people who aren’t artistic in this day and age. He doesn’t waste his time with whiny actors who aren’t serious about their craft. I recently saw Pernassus and Garfield worked opposite of Heath Ledger and Christopher Plummer; two more heavy hitters. Simply put, this kid has star power written all over him.

I think die hard Spidey fans should be excited about this choice. Now all you have to worry about is the latest script. The last one wasn’t so hot and all the change has put Spider-Man fans on edge. It’s understandable, but they appear to have righted the ship…at least for now.

It’s a good start to fix the relationship of what was one of the greatest movie superheroes to ever grace the screen and fans who still are waiting to see a rendition of Venom on film that is worthy to stand the test of time. Somewhere along the way, the Hollywood elites lost track of what was great about Spider-Man on film. I believe fully Tobey Maguire did a fantastic job of giving Spidey depth, charm, and intelligence, along with vulnerability. Garfield can do the same. Let’s just hope he is the final choice. He appears to be…at least for now.