Andrew Garfield swings into Spider-Man role

Spider-Man

Spider-Man has finally spun itself a leading man, as confirmation comes that Andrew Garfield will be the new face of the rebooted super-franchise.

Best known for his role in The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus , Garfield beat the likes of Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin and Aaron Johnson for the part.

“Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor’s work understand his extraordinary talents,” said director Marc Webb during a special reveal at an event in Mexico, looking relieved to have found his man.

“He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.”

Garfield’s casting news flies in the face of reports made yesterday that Josh Hutcherson had been offered the chance to play Peter Parker, though it’s possible that Hutcherson eventually turned it down.

“I’m incredibly excited about Andrew Garfield,” said producer Avi Arad.

“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.”

As Garfield begins preparations for the superhero role, we’ll be able to catch him in David Fincher’s The Social Network later this year, as well as in Never Let Me Go .

Spider-Man opens on 3 July, 2012. It will be in 3D.

Happy campers? Or disappointed Garfield got the role? Talk to us...

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.