We have a new friendly neighborhood Spider-Man — and he’s British. Columbia Pictures confirms that Andrew Garfield, 26, has nabbed the highly sought-after role of Peter Parker after a worldwide search. Garfield, while largely unknown in the states, is one of the U.K.’s most highly regarded up-and-comers. He appeared in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus as well as John Crowley’s Boy A, for which he received a best actor BAFTA in 2008. He’s been getting heat in the U.S., too. This year the young Brit will be starring opposite Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake in the Facebook movie Social Network, directed by David Fincher, and will star in the Oscar-bait drama Never Let Me Go opposite Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Keira Knightley.
Garfield didn’t learn that he won the role until late this afternoon. The new webslinger was in Cancun, Mexico as part of Sony’s international media event to promote The Social Network. Sony honcho Amy Pascal called Garfield into her suite where director Marc Webb, Marvel’s Avi Arad, producer Laura Ziskin and Sony exec Matt Tolmach surprised the young actor with the news.
As recently as yesterday, web speculation was high that 17-year-old Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) would land the webslinger role, which was originated on the big screen by Tobey Maguire.
And confirmation is coming from where??
I loved Garfield in Boy A, but he seems a bit old for the part.
Columbia Pictures. It says right there.
Andrew Garfield ain’t got no pancake mix!!
I. Love. You.
I lol’d.
I have no clue what this means, but I’m seeing it on many message boards and I can’t stop wondering about the statement’s origin. Can anyone help a guy out? What is it with the pancake mix and why doesn’t Garfield have it? Is this a line from a movie? Why am I laughing?
Oblivious, go to youtube and search for the video titled “You aint got no pancake mix!”
There is your origin.
Oh I missed that. I guess I was looking for a quote from someone official.
He’s way too old. He’s only 9 years younger than Tobey MaGuire.
They chose a really boring person. Who is he??
He was in Lions for Lambs with Streep, Redford & Cruise and he was very good.
I`m so happy that awful Jamie Bell didn`t get the part that I totally missed that Andrew Garfield is 27 like Tobey was when he was cast. I thought they were skewing younger and this Spiderman will be highschool-oriented. Well, this guy can`t pass for a 16-18 to save his life!
Liked Logan Lerman the best of the candidates. he looked somewhat like Tobey, was young enough to play a highschooler and I thought he carried Percy Jackson well. Oh, well.
he is so stupid they should hire tobey mcguire again cause he is just so stupid and boring
british are so dumb and stuipid
Hey, don’t insult the Brits now.
This casting is a bit of an anti-climax. They’ve been speculating about all these different actors who were in the running and I really don’t remember this guy’s name coming up at all. I had my money on Logan Lerman. I thought it would be Josh Hutcherson for a second there and I was really hoping they would choose someone completely off-the-wall like Frank Dillane. But this guy…yawn.
Why a Brit? Makes no sense but it was going to stink anyway, oh well…
What a second, I thought the black kid who sleeps with Abed was going to be Spider-Man. At least he won’t miss his uniform-fitting.
Is he related to black boobs?
loool i love you
lol. pierce, you are streets ahead.
WOW! Look at the frickin’ length of his neck!!!! You can have an IMAX screening on that thing.
Ha! His hair looks like the bad guy from the Incredibles too.
The question is, do I care?
The answer is, yes..or you wouldn’t have clicked on this article.
hahah I love reading comments like yours SilentRage, they make me laugh.
WOW! Take note people….this is a textbook example of a person being OWNED!!!!
Bubba and Chand, you are douches who are easily amused.
adamn….you are a douche who can’t spell Chad.
haha i love reading these comments
shut up you bald headed granny!
i thought we were going back to high school here? This guy looks good, but 26? Come one. He’ll be thirty by the time they make it to the second movie.
I agree, but what’s funny is that my husband, who doesn’t follow entertainment news at all, told me last night, when we were discussing who might get the part, that the kid from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus should get it, even though he had no idea he was even in the running. And lo and behold, he got it. Haha. He’ll be pleased.
OOOH!! He’s cute but I think he’s to pretty for Peter Parker. Isn’t Peter Park suppose to be an outcast?? If they can make him look average then we got ourself a movie.
thinking the same thing
just shut up you bald headed granny kevin g smidicht should kick your butt and why did you steal my name
Peter Parker is supposed to be a nerdy-looking guy who women ignore, who’s a laughingstock in school. This Andrew Garfield dude could easily be a GQ model or play one of those “hot” TWILIGHT vampires. I guess the studio is planning on using that old movie cliche: just give him a pair of thick glasses and that will “de-hottify” him.
What are people talking about? This guy isn’t hot at all. His head is massive and he has weird hair.
yea, he looks 26. couldn’t pass for a teenager. Tobey maguire looks younger, even though he’s in his 30′s
TOOOOOOO OOOOOLLLLLLDDDDDD!!!
He seems a bit old for the part, especially since I’m under the impression that this will be an origin story, just like the first Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire. But then again, Maguire was probably the same age when he took on the role. In addition, that movie came out only 8 years ago. Why is another one being made so soon? Especially when the first one was so good. This makes no sense.
Anyway, I’m much more excited for Never Let Me Go.
I agree. The original two were good (the third was only alright). And they each broke box office records so I guess it’s kinda obvious why they’re doing this I guess. But still, I thought it was one of the more defining film franchises of the last decade.
His hair takes up approximately 73.4% the area of his head.
Worked for Robert Pattionson.
Did it?
This guy’s head is way too small for all that hair. It makes him look like a q-tip. And you were probably being sarcastic, but the hair works for Robert Pattinson.
All I’ve ever seen this guy do was a TERRIBLE Tennessee accent in two episodes of Doctor Who. I certainly hope his American accent’s improved since then!
Now I’m wondering which episodes of Dr. Who b/c I’m blanking at this guy and I’ve seen all of them from Chris Ecclestein on. (I’m assuming he wasn’t on an earlier one).
He was the pig-man in the Daleks in Manhattan 2 parter
No, he wasn’t. Andrew played Frank, the drifter from Tennessee in Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks. Series 3.
Bad choice, but then the whole plan to reboot the series was a bad choice.
I don’t mind the re-boot, but this guy is too old to start fresh.
I am SO happy right now!!!! I heard that he was in the running and I immediately jumped on that train. I LOVE HIM.
Why? Why are we rebooting this franchise already?? Lame.
Columbia Pictures doesn’t want to lose the rights (to Marvel) for the franchise – which will happen, when they don’t release another movie soon. That’s why the reboot is coming so fast (and because Sam Raimi bailed – fortunately)
Fortunate for Raimi. The last movie would have probably been a lot better if the studio hadn’t interfered as much as it did.
p.s. He pulled off teenagerdom pretty well in Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. I have so much faith in this guy. <333
Hmmmm. I actually thought he was supposed to be a bit older in Imaginarium. I know she was turning 16, but I would have put him around 20 at least. Did they specify his character’s age in that movie?
Hey Sony… Nobody cares!!!*
*Until Marvel gets the rights back.
I don’t think he’ll be able to fit all that hair under the mask.