Well, here we go. Doing yet another one of these fan-casts. This time I'm gonna tackle Spider-Man. I wanted to see if I could do a Spider-Man fan-cast using actors who are somewhat closer to their character's age than what is normally cast. So read on to find out who I chose to play Spider-Man and all of his amazing friends...and foes...and whatever his Aunt and Uncle are.
Writer: Chris Galletta - Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings Of Summer)
I chose these two because they recently wrote and directed a film called 'The Kings Of Summer' that was released in 2013. The film was basically a coming-of-age comedy about three teenage boys and I felt that, tonally, they had exactly what was needed to handle a Spider-Man film. I also wanted to avoid the ever common Lord and Miller casting because I feel Lord and Miller are a little too far on the comedy side of things. I think Galletta and Vogt-Roberts would be able to pull off a much better comedy-to-drama ratio.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man - Tye Sheridan (Mud, Joe)
I chose Tye Sheridan because he's an up-and-coming young actor who has some serious ability. He's recently starred alongside Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey and Nic Cage and has been able to hold his ground alongside each and everyone, sometimes delievering an even better performance than the experienced actors around him.
Gwen Stacy - Erin Moriarty (The Kings Of Summer, True Detective)
I first noticed Erin Moriarty in the 2013 film ' The Kings Of Summer', then noticed her again in the first season of the HBO series ' True Detective'. She excelled in both roles, turning in some great performances. I think she has the right look and she's around the same age as Sheridan.
Mary-Jane Watson - Bella Thorne (Shake It Up, Blended)
I noticed Bella Thorne in the trailers for the film 'Blended' (which I did not actually see because...well, I think it's obvious). She clearly has the look down and I think acting-wise she could pull off the role rather well.
Harry Osborn - Ansel Elgort (Carrie, The Fault In Our Stars)
I saw the terrible 'Carrie' remake earlier this year and I noticed this guy in it. He didn't have a lot to do in the movie but he was still able to make it work. I think he could pull off the "cool" parts of Harry's character and still be able to pull off the tougher father-son drama stuff that would eventually become important.
Flash Thompson - Connor Jessup (Falling Skies)
I chose Connor Jessup because he looks the part to me. I mean, sure, he's a little smaller than the typical Flash casting, but I think when compared to Sheridan, he could be a rather imposing force. He's also properly aged which helps. I always felt that whenever the large, hulking guys come on screen in High School films it's always REALLY obvious that the guy is in his 30's, so I wanted to go with a more believable high schooler.
Uncle Ben - Colin Firth (Kingsman: The Secret Service, The King's Speech)
But he's English!!...Yeah, I know. But he's a really great actor and he's done work with American accents before in the film 'Arthur Newman'. I specifically chose Colin because I wanted a younger Uncle Ben. In my mind, it never made sense that Peter would be a teenager and have such an old Aunt and Uncle. They shouldn't be much older than Peter's normal parents (maybe 7 years older) and Peter's original parents should be young enough to justify having a teenage son. So, in my mind, it always made more sense to have Ben be in his late 50's or very early 60's.
Aunt May - Brooke Sheilds (Nip/Tuck, Hannah Montanna: The Movie)
I figured if I was going to cast a younger-than-normal Uncle Ben, I'd have to do the same with Aunt May. I decided on Brooke Sheilds because she's a rather well-known actress and she seemed like a good pair-up with Colin Firth. It seemed believable to me that they might be married. I also think that with a shorter hairstyle, she might be able to really look the part.
Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin - Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise, Gattaca, The Purge)
Ethan Hawke is a really good actor. He's been in a couple less-than-amazing films as of late, but he's still an awesome actor. He's done amazing work in the 'Before' trilogy and he was terrific way back when he did 'Gattaca'. He's also shown an ability to play the calm rich-type in films like 'Daybreakers' and 'The Purge'.
The Vulture - Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, The Green Hornet)
I took a little longer on this one than the rest of the villains, mostly because I couldn't think of anyone old enough that I also thought could bring something different to the role. Then I thought about Waltz. I basically imagined his 'Inglorious Basterds' charcter in a green Vulture costume and it seemed so right.
The Rhino - Woody Harrelson (True Detective, The Hunger Games)
I wanted to go with someone who could play "dumb" well and I thought that Harrleson was a good fit. He's proven to have a great ability to play characters who aren't the sharpest tools. Everyman-type characters. I'm also a big fan of his and I'm always open to an excuse to stick him into a CBM.
Kraven The Hunter - Oscar Isaac (Drive, Inside Llewyn Davis)
I really liked Isaac in the film 'Drive' and then I liked him even more in the film 'Inside Llewyn Davis'. He's also gonna be in the new Star Wars film which is cool. I chose him because I really want to see him do a more athletic action-movie type role and see what he can do with it. He's a fantastic actor and I think he'd kill it as Kraven.
Doctor Octopus - Forest Whitaker (Species, The Butler)
I'll probably catch some flack for this one since I went and changed a character's race, but I've always thought it'd be cool to see Whitaker as Doc Ock. I think Whitaker would do a really amazing job as a mad-scientist slowly decending into insanity. He's a great actor and I think he'd be a great Ock.
Eddie Brock/Venom - Alex Russell (Carrie, Chronicle)
I wanted to avoid chosing a generic blonde actor because I've seen that done so many times and I'm kinda over it. I went with Alex Russell because he did a great job of playing the likable friend in 'Chronicle' and he also did a great job of playing a bad-boy character in 'Carrie' and I think if you were to combine those roles, you'd end up with a really amazing Venom/Brock.
Curt Connors/The Lizard - Matthew Rhys (The Americans)
Matthew Rhys is pretty awesome in 'The Americans'. I chose him because I wanted to go with someone who I hadn't seen cast before and who I thought could bring something new to the character.
Shocker - Troy Baker (The Last Of Us)
I know he's typically a voice-actor, but I thought he'd be a great choice for Shocker. I've always read Shocker's voice in a southern/Texas accent, similar to Baker's character Joel in the video game 'The Last Of Us'. Unlike most voice-actors, this guy has a face that would be easy to transition to the screen. I thin he'd be a really awesome Shocker.
Mysterio - Jerry O'Connell (Sliders, Stand By Me, Joe's Apartment)
Jerry O'Connell isn't the best actor ever. He's kinda over the top and sorta goofy and he hasn't really done much in the last few years. All of those things are reason why I chose him to be Mysterio. I've always thought the best person to play Mysterio would be a B-list or even C-list actor who is kinda sleazy and goofy and that's O'Connell.
Well, there you have it. My Marvel Studio's Spider-Man fancast. I hope you enjoyed the read and I'm curious to hear what you thought so drop a comment down below, hit that thumb button and lemme know what you liked and didn't like. Thanks.