Which of These 5 Finalists Should Play Spider-Man?

Now that the wild and woolly Captain America casting process has concluded, fanboys need another comic book hero to tout rising actors for. Fortunately, Marc Webb is still working hard on his Spider-Man reboot, and according to THR, he's narrowed his shortlist down to five young men. Among them are three Brits and two Verge alums, and each of these rising young actors has his pros and cons. Let's take a closer look.

Alden Ehrenreich

Age: 20

Why It Could Work: This Verge alum was a standout in Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro, and he followed that up with a small role in daughter Sofia's Somewhere. We hear he was also in the running for a while to play the male lead in Gus Van Sant's Restless. If Sony wants its Spidey to have indie cachet, Ehrenreich so far has nothing but.

Why it Might Not: There aren't a lot of famous names on Marc Webb's shortlist, but even among these five finalists, Ehrenreich has the lowest profile.

Jamie Bell

Age: 24

Why It Could Work: Bell is still best known for his kid work in Billy Elliott, but he's worked steadily since then in supporting parts, biding his time for the big leagues. Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin and Eagle of the Ninth are next on his docket.

Why it Might Not: Tintin is voice and motion capture, so it's not as though it'll make Bell more recognizable (especially to a Tintin-averse America). Bell also gained a bad reputation when he bailed on Tom Ford's A Single Man on the first day of filming.

Andrew Garfield

Age: 27

Why It Could Work: To me, Garfield is by far the most exciting choice. He was a knockout in the British import Boy A, and his work in the Red Riding Trilogy and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus immediately announced him as one of the most promising young actors around...

Why it Might Not: ...although he's not that young. By the time a second Spidey installment came out, Garfield would almost certainly be 30. Sony wants to keep these films set in high school for as long as they can.

Frank Dillane

Age: 19

Why It Could Work: The son of actor Stephen Dillane, Frank certainly looks like a geeky high school student.

Why it Might Not: By far the least-experienced actor on Webb's shortlist, Dillane has had exactly two film roles: one taken on when he was about six years old in Michael Winterbottom's Welcome to Sarajevo, and Tom Riddle in last year's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Still, as THR notes, playing a small, crucial role in Harry Potter worked wonders for Robert Pattinson.

Josh Hutcherson

Age: 17

Why It Could Work: Hutcherson is young but he's been in this business for years, and he's got momentum: he'll get noticed this summer as the son in The Kids Are All Right, and studio suits were fine with junking Brendan Fraser and placing the next Journey to the Center of the Earth installment on Hutcherson's slim shoulders.

Why it Might Not: This Verge alum has a lot going for him, and he'll crucially turn 18 by the time Webb starts shooting. He has to be considered the frontrunner, unless Webb is more charmed by the British up-and-comers on his shortlist.

Meet the men who could play Spider-Man (exclusive) [THR]