How Old Will Andrew Garfield Be When the Next Spider-Man 3 Comes Out?

andrew_garfield_old_225.jpgBy now you've no doubt heard that Andrew Garfield has been cast as Peter Parker in Sony's blockbuster reboot of Spider-Man. And sure, huzzah. Despite only appearing in a handful of movies -- many of which you've never seen nor heard of -- the buzz surrounding Garfield is that he's a legitimate actor with impressive chops that recall whatever '70s icon you're in the mood for recalling. Never mind that he's playing Spider-Man and not Hamlet or that Tobey Maguire was a legitimate actor too. This is a new day for comic book characters everywhere! It's just -- excuse me for being contrarian to the rest of the Internet, but: Isn't Garfield entirely too old for this?

The American-born Brit will turn 27 this August. That means by the time Spider-Man hits theaters on July 3rd, 2012, he'll be on the cusp of 29 -- this despite the fact that Peter Parker is a high school student. Yes, he looks young -- and yes, 20-somethings play high school students on television all the time -- but consider: By the time Spider-Man 2 gets released -- conservatively, let's say the summer of 2014 -- Garfield will be 30-going-on-31. Baby face or not, that's Gabrielle Carteris territory. And that's to say nothing of Spider-Man 3, a point when he'll likely require Just For Men.

Maybe he's a better actor than the other names on the final reported short list, but look at their ages: Anton Yelchin (21), Aaron Johnson (20), Jamie Bell (24), Logan Lerman (18) and Alden Ehrenreich (20). Don't all of them feel more Peter Parker-y simply because of the birth certificate? Something about this casting stinks of Sony just wanting to lock up their golden boy in the short term (Garfield reportedly kills in The Social Network) without giving a second thought to the long term.

EARLIER: BREAKING: Andrew Garfield Cast as Peter Parker in Marc Webb's 'Spider-Man' Reboot



Comments

  • Andrew says:

    I don't care if he's 45 when his Spider-Man comes out, he'll still be better than Mopey Maguire.

  • pinkyt says:

    For me, he is the least interesting of all the names that were floated, age notwithstanding (I sort of favored Aaron Johnson, as "Kickass" was basically a 2-hour audition). But, I thought Tobey Maguire was an awful choice for the last series, so what do I know?

  • Mr Black says:

    This article pretty much sums up everything I felt when I heard about this. Sony gets one installment in high school out of him then they HAVE to let Peter graduate. At that point the studio is back where they started, rehashing the Raimi films.
    Sony miss the boat not casting Logan Lerman. He's the perfect age and the same audience paying to see the "Twilight Saga" would come to see him in this.

  • bradley Paul Valentine says:

    Unless something different has been said since last night, I read the development for this film has gone away from high school and made Parker a college student. So it seems the filmmakers are addressing Garfield's age to an extent. But, yeah, Christopher, I suspect this might be a contrarian impulse you're feeling. Garfield is a wonderful actor and we could do MUCH worse. I admit I wish an American were cast. All the same, I'm relieved I don't have to make peace with a flavor of the month overreaching his abilities.

  • bradley Paul Valentine says:

    Also, judging from the Gilliam film, Garfield has a natural quirkiness that may finally nail Spider-Man's jokiness. I was ready to be happy if Jaime Bell got the role. But he is really much too dark. Garfield can be dark. But he can also be a clown. This is a side of Parker we have never seen on screen.

  • blah says:

    Who expects these films to be any good anyway? It's just Sony cashing out the brand with cheaper "talent".
    The reboot will be lucky to go 2 films. This will probably just end up like the Fantastic Four movies or later X-Men films. Following Raimi will only raise the bar that this reboot will indefinitely fail to hit.

  • Brad says:

    I read he can stick to the walls in real life and that's why he is in the movie because they can save money on wall sticking effects?

  • casting couch says:

    Doesn't really matter as long as the story and script is really good, and the movies are made well.

  • Spiderman is a teen not an old shit from england.
    Electro is a WHITE MAN not a stupid unfuny neggroe comedian . P.s. this monky is an old nigger 2.