Skip to main content

The new Spider-Man will be younger, and the spinoff movies are still happening

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game preview
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The news of Spider-Man’s imminent arrival in Marvel’s cinematic universe is still generating a lot of discussion, debate, and questions, but a few recent reports have shed more light on what the move means for the webslinger’s big-screen future.

The initial announcement of the deal between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios indicated that The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 star Andrew Garfield won’t return as Peter Parker, but didn’t offer any details about what sort of actor the studio was targeting as a replacement. However, an update on the news via The Hollywood Reporter indicates that the studios are looking for an actor “much younger” than 31-year-old Garfield, who played high-school-aged Peter Parker in the 2012 film and a recent high-school graduate in the 2014 sequel. Series director Marc Webb will not return either.

Sony will have final say on the actor chosen for the role, according to the deal.

Variety also reports that Sony is still planning to produce the villain-centric Sinister Six movie, as well as the long-rumored Venom movie based on Spider-Man’s infamous enemy. Given that most of the villains who were expected to make up the Sinister Six cast were introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it’s uncertain whether there will be a different lineup for the film or simply new actors cast in the known roles.

The previously announced female-centric Spider-Man spinoff movie is also still in the works, according to the report, but Marvel Studios and president/producer Kevin Feige are not expected to oversee any of the spinoffs at this point.

Editors' Recommendations

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
5 movies to watch if you liked The Marvels
The cast of The Marvels.

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is also the shortest, which means that if you loved the zany, quippy energy of The Marvels, you may be looking for something else worth watching that's in the same vein.

While few superhero movies share the exact time-bending, body-swapping premise as The Marvels, these movies all get at the same vibe, and will be more than enough to keep you busy until you can see The Marvels again at home.
Freaky Friday (2003)
Freaky Friday Official Trailer!

Read more
One of 2023’s best-reviewed movies is now on Netflix. Here’s why you should watch it
The poster for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Just under five months after it hit theaters, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has finally made its streaming debut on Netflix. The heavily-anticipated follow-up to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse did not disappoint as it became one of the top hits of the summer. Given its overwhelmingly positive reception from fans, it should be among the most popular movies on Netflix within its first 24 hours.

Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson co-directed the film from a script by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham. Shameik Moore reprised his role as Miles Morales, with Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy, Brian Tyree Henry as Jeff Morales, Lauren Vélez as Rio Morales, Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, Jason Schwartzman as The Spot, and Oscar Isaac as Miguel O'Hara.

Read more
When is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse streaming?
Miles Morales falls through a multiverse portal in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."

It took almost five years, but the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse finally arrived and was one of the top hits of the summer. And Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is everything you could hope for from a follow-up -- and more. It has a much bigger scale than the first film, with literally hundreds of Spider-Heroes, at least five distinct animated worlds, and a ton of heart that made this sequel a huge success.

The incredible visuals got people into theaters, but the characters are the reasons why moviegoers kept coming back to see it. Shameik Moore reprises his role as Miles Morales, a teenage Spider-Man who has a lot of questions about his future. Also returning from the first film is Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy, New Girl's Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, and Causeway's Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Vélez as Miles' parents, Jefferson and Rio Morales, both of whom have much meatier roles in the sequel.

Read more