Should Sony Consider A Black Spider-Man?
Not too long ago, DC allowed Christopher Nolan to break the mold when casting one of its most iconic characters, the Joker. Instead of hiring an older, over-the-top clown prince like Cesar Romero or Jack Nicholson, the British director cast a young Australian actor fresh off of making a gay cowboy movie. WTF!? Crazy as it sounded at the time, the brash move allowed Heath Ledger to step out of the shadow of both Cesar and Jack and deliver one of the most memorable villains in film history. Mostly due to this gamble, The Dark Knight racked up the greatest opening weekend box office haul of all time and is widely viewed as the greatest comic book flick ever made.
Not too long ago, Marvel cast an ex-junkie who once spent a year in prison and had never appeared in a blockbuster as the leading man in its $150-mil-a-pop superhero franchise. Even Robert Downey Jr. himself was likely a bit surprised that he was actually cast as Iron Man. The risks involved were great — Woody Allen couldn’t even cast Downey in Melinda and Melinda because of insurance issues, and buddies Mel Gibson and Joel Silver helped with other pricey tabs — but the reward would ultimate be even greater. The franchise’s two films have made over a billion dollars worldwide and Downey is still slated to spearhead both The Avengers and Iron Man 3. Getting an ex-drug addict with a checkered past to play an alcoholic superhero was one of the ballsiest moves in big-budget movie history, and one that paid off big time.
I obviously bring all this up because Marvel turning auburn-haired geek Peter Parker into a web-slinging Steve Urkel would be a HUGE roll of the dice. Nonetheless, the idea of a black Spider-Man is one that is picking up steam. Over the Holiday weekend, 26-year-old Community star Donald Glover caught wind of the #donald4spiderman Twitter campaign that is taking the Internet by storm. He’s been tweeting like Ashton Kutcher locked in a closet with a laptop and a case of Red Bull ever since. He wants an audition and maybe he should get one?
Meanwhile, Tristan Wilds, who killed it as Michael Lee in The Wire, has even gone as far as to say that he is being considered for the part. Rather that is true or not, who knows? But what I do know is that Marc Webb should audition actors of all races and looks for the part. I write this after I listed all traditional potential Peter Parkers in my original Casting Couch post. Why? Because what do Webb, Marvel and Sony have to lose by taking a look at going a different and potentially brilliant different way? Nothing. Chances are they go with another white actor, but someone like Donald Glover could go in there and blow everybody away. There’s only one way to find out, and that’s by auditioning different kinds of actors.
The Spider-Man franchise is in desperate need of a shake-up, which is exactly why it is being rebooted. The filmmakers shouldn’t be close minded during the casting process if they are serious about achieving a fresh Spider-Man series, even if they go in a familiar direction. We’ll get a black superhero at some point, and even if it isn’t Spider-Man it’s time for all superhero directors to start pondering the possibility. It could very well be the next bold move that rocks the comic book movie genre.
(image credit: Slash Film)
Uh, no. Leave shit as is.
Dumbest…idea…ever…
UMM NO. It’s not like this hasnt been done before. There is nothing new about a black guy playing a said white part. Nick Fury in Iron Man is played by Samuel L. Jackson….
Nick Fury is white.
That is all.
Is this a joke? Peter Parker is WHITE. How would the blacks feel if we made Black Panther White? What about Storm? Or Bishop?
They already ruined Nick Fury by removing his entire history just so a famous black man could play the role.
Hmm leave shit as is? So why stop with a black spiderman, we should roll back the clock and start recasting males as womens leads. Because who wants to see shit change? Also, all black leads will return to white actors in black face! Because they should have left shit as is! Amaright!
People really need to open up their minds.
“They already ruined Nick Fury by removing his entire history just so a famous black man could play the role.”
Check your facts before you post your borderline racist garbage. The Nick Fury in the new Marvel movies is based off of the Nick Fury from Marvel’s Ultimate Universe; who is black.
Ultimate Nick Fury, which Samuel L. Jackson is clearly playing, is black. He is hardly a main character. There are no MAIN characters in superhero movies that are non-white… unless you want to count Shaq’s movie Steel.
I’m sick of seeing blacks on screen. Not that I’m racist but they are one dimensional.
Nick Fury is a relatively minor character in the Marvel Universe…Spiderman/Peter Parker is a major character. I’m all for racial diversity in superhero movies, but in some cases you need to stay true to the original.
^^^^^^^
see THAT is borderline racist. it’s not about the actor so much as the script and how well THAT gets acted out. usually a black person is casted as someone loud, brash and gives off an impression that they can only move in certain directions. you give one-dimensional roles you’re gonna get one-dimensional acting.
Okay folks. Nick Fury. He’s African American in the Ultimate comic books. This warrants them casting Sam Jackson (the ultimate version was BASED on him, to boot.)
Casting a black actor to play Spider-man is down right ridiculous. Not because I don’t believe in Diversity.. but because I believe there has to be SOME continuity in these fucking movies. They change enough as is.
I’m black and, so help me, I think this is ridiculous. There certainly is a disproportionate amount of while superheroes, yes, but just randomly turning characters–especially well-established, famous ones–black isn’t the answer. It’s insulting.
Yeah!!!! instead of shooting webs, he can shoot heroin!!
Ya are just a bunch of racist! Where was the outcry when they had a non red head, freckled faced actor playing spider mans best friend! They didn’t stick to the comic book! Just get with it, it’s 2010, but I guess ya are mad as fuck that a half/black man is playing the part of president. I mean it’s been that way for more than 250 some years.
Get over yourselves, you aren’t the shit, ya are just wet farts!
Peter Parker should be a 90-year old Chinese grandmother, that (for some reason) attends highschool and longs for the attractive Mary Jane. I would probably watch that. Also, Green Goblin should be a cucumber with googly eyes.
The fact that they’re rebooting Spider-Man ALREADY means that they better do something different. I don’t want to watch another very, very similar origin story Spider-Man, so, yes, he can be Black, if that helps you make an origin story different enough for me to care.
That’s just not Spidey. Why not make Spidey a midget? Or female? Or confined to a wheelchair? It’s just not the character.
It’s absolutely pathetic that Spidey already needs a reboot eight years down the line. If it’s that limited of a franchise, just hang it up now.
I think JJ had the most credible comment. Yes, I’m white – but I’m far from racist. In my opinion, the same people I think are trying to implement this are the same people who feed off of the celebrity status of Obama, among other things (who was primarily voted in because he was black, and not what he stood for…aside from his “change.”) I’m all for equality, but some things need to be left alone. I mean it’s like Green Lantern. He was white, then in one of those Justice League series they made him black. I mean, I guess it worked, but it just wasn’t Green Lantern. You can’t take 30-60+yrs of character development and throw it out the window.
wow!!! this is ridiculous.. i mean no offense… but like.. wow! if they want a change up… cut the drama add more action and comedy or make it a little darker damn… and i mean mood darker not the cast.
Spawn was a lead, black hero character. His family and friends were black characters. There was some grumbling when, for the movie, DB Sweeney (a white actor) was cast as Terry Fitzgerald (a black character).
In the 1989 Batman movie, Billy Dee Williams (a black actor) was cast as Harvey Dent (a white character). It was a very limited role, but the cross-color casting was there.
There are other black lead hero characters (see Black Superheroes in Wiki / Google), but obviously there are many more mainstream white hero characters than black.
It’s funny how many of you say “I’m not racist” and then follow up with something racist.
Why is this so ridiculous? Making Spider-Man black changes NOTHING in terms of story or character. He will be EXACTLY THE SAME, BUT BLACK.
What if Donald Glover nails the audition? Seriously, of all things to fight for, making sure the protagonist of a movie that has nothing to do with race is, in fact, racist. And before you argue: Yes, it is. You are claiming that race is important when it isn’t important at all, in this context.
My goodness, have they not noticed that changing the race of the main character is a bad idea? Prince of Persia was bad enough, now they want to change Peter Parker? Heck if this happens there is no way I would watch this movie, I couldn’t bare myself sitting in a movie theater for two hours watching a black man play the naive nerdy white peter parker
Definitely not a black Spider-Man. We’re ready for a gay one.
Why do we need a black spiderman? So when white people say the movie sucks this time, people will call them racist?
@kcccc
I bet statistically WAY more white people shot heroine you moron.
Otherwise, changing an established characters race just for the sake of it is probably the most racist thing you could do.
Here’s looking at you Franco.
Its a stupid idea. Maybe if Spiderman dies/retires and they replace him (re: Green Lantern) then it would make sense.
Now, untwist your panties Franco. Spaz doesn’t look good on you.
It was a risk casting Ledger as the joker because he was young and… well, wasn’t that about it? It was a risk hiring Downey Jr because he was a former addict. It’s a risk hiring Glover because he doesn’t look anything like Peter Parker. Playing the part of a comic book character requires a few things, and physical appearance is pretty important. The same type of risks apply to Glover, in that he hasn’t done action, and he’s a comedian. Similar risks, except Glover doesn’t look anything like Peter Parker.
This is a really stupid idea. I like Donald Glover- he’s really funny, but he doesn’t look anything like the part.
I’d watch a black Spiderman. I don’t really care anymore, as long as the story is good.
I just think it’s stupid that they already have to “reboot” spiderman. Why don’t they make another superhero movie instead?
Why does it matter what race he is. The last spiderman was not exactly accurate to the franchise. As long as the key factor like: Boy, late teens, grandfather deceases and has spider powers what difference does it make if he is white, black, or asian.
“Yes I am black. lets keep our mines open people. I know stereotyping is just human nature and it helps us process information quicker, BUT MAYBE WE SHOULD ALL JUST TAKE A MINUTE TO ANALYZE THING SO WE CAN SEE WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON IN THE WORLD WE LIVE IN.”
Yes that was a life lesson
Will Smith would be okay for this role
Yeah, there’s never been a black superhero lead in a movie… Not in Blade, or Hancock…
I agree that changing the race of Spiderman just to change the race is actually a bit racist. But seriously, I don’t think we need another spider man movie anyway so I really don’t care.
It’s spelled heroin fyi. Did I mention they have poor vocabulary also? so we’ll have a heroin* shooting illiterate African who’s only form of shooting things is masturbating on the 61st ave metro bus. After he gets a 40 of O.E. that is.
http://memegenerator.net/Question-Spiderman/ImageMacro/1254714/Question-Spiderman-how-do-i-shoot-heroin.jpg
AGREED ^^ WE DO NOT NEED ANOTHER SPIDER-MAN MOVIE, just leave it alone and move on to the whole host of other superheroes out there you greedy bastards.
also, remember halle berry in catwoman? DON’T FOOKIN DO IT.
This is why I wanted the black Green Lantern staring Will Smith…but then Hancock happened. That being said, i think Donald Glover could be an interesting Spider Man, other than the fact that he comes off too cool (that being said, the actual short list for this part looks like cr–). I dont think that Peter Parker’s race is all that important. If the story is done right no one will care if Petey is a nerdy black dude, a nerdy white dude or a nerdy indian dude.
Peter Parker is white not black…white not black. Why would they want to change Peter Parkers race? Why did they change Green Lantern black in the cartoon? Why do people think it’s ok to change a characters race? Whats wrong with being white? There’s not many black superheros, but theres also not many asian, hispanic, iranian, superheros. Peter Parker is white since I was 1 yr. old that was 43 yrs. ago he’s white not black… wtf is happening to the world??? bannana is yellow not red…yellow!!! would it taste any different maybe not? would I want to eat it no… because it’s not yellow… soulja boy and keisha kill young youths minds, throwing that out there.
I don’t see why not…It may be more interesting to watch…
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