Asa Butterfield Will Be the New Spider-Man

GK Films

The wait is over, guys. Our new live-action movie versions of Spider-Man and Peter Parker will very likely be played by Asa Butterfield, who you should know for his lead roles in Ender’s Game and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. He’s only 18 years old, he’s a very talented actor and he’s hopefully going to do a great job taking over as the superhero for Sony’s rebooted Spider-Man franchise as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Latino Review got the scoop that he’s technically currently in negotiations, but it looks pretty set.

Butterfield, who was on the shortlist we shared last month, is also English, like the previous guy who had the role, Andrew Garfield. He may seem a tad serious for the part, based on his previous performances. But if he’s as good an actor as I think he is, he’ll find the lighter, more jocular personality needed for the character. With mostly comedic directors reportedly being sought to helm the next Spider-Man movie, due on July 28, 2017, producers do seem intent on making this incarnation of the wallcrawler a funny fella.

As far as everyone knows, Butterfield’s Spidey will make his debut in next year’s Captain America: Civil War, which is currently shooting in Atlanta (today there was a funeral scene – but whose??). That’s out on May 6, 2016. And from then, let’s pray he rides the gig for at least a few installments before we’re forced to see another reboot. Maybe he can even get past the three movie record held by original Spidey Tobey Maguire. Plans are said to be to have this series follow Parker through high school, which could very well see a different movie for each grade.

While we wait for our introduction to the new Spidey on the big screen, I recommend you catch up with Butterfield’s brief filmography, including the underrated Ender’s Game, the little-seen Nanny McPhee Returns, Son of Rambow (never mind how small his role is) and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Also, here’s a collection someone made of his “cute and funny” moments on talk shows and other places:

Related Topics: Spider-Man

Christopher Campbell began writing film criticism and covering film festivals for a zine called Read, back when a zine could actually get you Sundance press credentials. He's now a Senior Editor at FSR and the founding editor of our sister site Nonfics. He also regularly contributes to Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes and is the President of the Critics Choice Association's Documentary Branch.