Sony’s reboot of Spider-Man in 3D may not have a definitive name yet, but it has its new webslinger in relatively unknown actor Andrew Garfield.
The young actor who co-stars in the upcoming David Fincher film The Social Network was ushered onto a stage at the Summer of Sony press event in Cancun yesterday by Spider-Man director Marc Webb and Columbia executive producers Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin. He’s clearly nervous as flashbulbs go off in rapid succession to signal the end of his privacy going forward.
Here’s what the filmmakers had to say about selecting Garfield for the role. “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,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, President of Columbia Pictures. “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.”
Avi Arad offered this short statement. “I’m incredibly excited about Andrew Garfield. In the Spider-Man tradition, we were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer. We believe we have found the perfect choice to take on this role and lead us into the future.”
“We are thrilled to have Andrew Garfield for this new incarnation of Spider-Man under Marc Webb’s direction,” added Laura Ziskin. “We were fortunate enough to meet with a group of fantastically talented young men. In the end, we all agreed that in addition to being an extraordinary actor, Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth, and pathos, along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen.”
And lastly, Marc Webb supplied this glowing endorsement for his main guy. “Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor’s work understand his extraordinary talents. He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.”
Spider-Man begins production this December and will swing in theaters on July 3, 2012.
