Josh Hutcherson Gave His Best Shot To Become Spider-Man

July 27, 2010 | by The Infamous Billy The Kidd | 1 Comment

Andrew Garfield may have ultimately landed the role of Spider-Man in Sony’s 3-D reboot of the franchise, but that doesn’t mean he was their top choice all along. There were all sorts of rumors along the casting front as the search for Peter Parker continued. We heard Logan Lerman for quite some time. Jamie Bell’s name seemed to be the front-runner towards the end. And Josh Hutcherson was right there in the mix as well.

Now you can see why.

Latino Review managed to get their hands on the Josh Hutcherson’s audition tape, showing him in a mock scene as Peter Parker busting out with some of his Spider-Man abilities against a bunch of douchebags. Oh, could you imagine a Spider-Man reboot where our friendly neighborhood webslinger throws down with a guy in an Affliction?Hell… I might have given Hutcherson the role on the spot had I viewed this tape and seen him kicking the ass of some guy wearing Ed Hardy.

I’m still not sold on Garfield as Parker or Spider-Man for that matter, but then again, I’m not crazy about this reboot idea either. However, I know for sure that Hutcherson was not the guy. I really appreciate the passion he showed for wanting the role this badly to set up a professionally choreographed fight sequence, but he just doesn’t look the part. I haven’t been a fan of Hutcherson’s in anything he’s done so far, be it CIRQUE DU DREAK or THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT most recently. There’s a certain wit to Peter Parker mixed in with his general awkwardness… and I don’t get that from Hutcherson. What I do get is that he’s an enormous smart-ass. Look… I’m sorry if that’s just his face, but that’s the appearance he’s constantly giving off.

He wasn’t right for the part, no matter how much work he was willing to put in, and I’m glad to see Sony passed on him, regardless of the shiny package he created for them. This still doesn’t mean they made the right choice in Andrew Garfield. That is something we’ll have to sit and wait for evidence on, as the Spider-Man reboot starts to take shape.

This is an interesting look though at the possibility of Josh Hutcherson as Spider-Man. What if…?