Don Glover wants to be Spider-Man!
Yes. Donald Glover is a natural leader. Someone we'd trust our babies and kittens with. And not be shocked by when he told us a vulgar joke or two after saving the life of a drowning hobo. He's exactly the type of glowing presence the New Testament claimed would lend a helping hand during the apocalypse. His voice could be one hundred loud. Which calls his sincerity into question. Is he devil? Or be he an angle? Or is he just a cool dude looking to play one of the greatest super heroes of all time?
Heck, he may very well be all of the above.
Over the course of the Memorial Day Weekend, Donald Glover set a viral campaign in motion that finds the young comedic actor vying for the coveted role of Peter Parker in Marc Webb's upcoming Untitled Spider-Man Reboot. Or, at the very least, a chance to audition. There are a dozen younger names in the hat. Jamie Bell. Josh Hutcherson. Alden Ehrenreich. Though, none of them have the charisma or winning spirit that Donald Glover wields within his nimble fingertips. But is he right for this role? At first, I didn't think so. Because he looks quite goofy in those retrofitted, costumed pics currently hitting the net.
Then I watched his performance in Mystery Team. And it all came into sharp focus. The kid is hyper-intelligent, and brings just the right whiff of nerd to the screen. He's also athletic enough not to be threatening. He'll fit into that costume very well. He's not very tall. But he's taller than Jamie Bell. He's also a lot funnier than anyone else trying out for the role. That's what Spider-Man needs. A strong sense of intelligent humor. And an original, affable edge. The huge elephant in the room is that Glover is an Angelino. And the role was clearly written for a native New Yorker. Couch that noise right now. The vast majority of these other wanks volleying for a bit of web juice are BRITISH! Don't call me a xenophobe, but I don't want to hear some young toothbrush thespian trying to struggle through a Brooklyn accent that was never meant to be found crawling around inside his mouth. Sure, Donald has a bit of that Valley Boy flair. Have you seen him on Community? But this Childish Gambino also has a real, valued charisma that plays like a young John Ritter. And Ritter was the perfect Spidey archetype back in his day. Though, they didn't have those kinds of special effects in the 70s, and poor John had to settle for Hero at Large's Steve Nichols. The upside is, Donald hails from NYU. He knows his way around any sorted turnpike accent.
Glover is nerdy enough to be Parker!
At the very least, Donald Glover has obtained and gloriously showboats the type of "all-eyes-on-me" electricity that a young Eddie Murphy once used and then threw away. As decrepit and stalled as a new Untitled Spider-Man Reboot has the potential to be, at least Glover would make it watchable. He'd be able to bring some edge to it. Mark my words. The guy is an inherent entertainer. A worldly gentleman and a scholar. He has it within his bones to become a huge star. And Spider-Man is the perfect fit for someone like him, who hasn't yet sprayed the world with his glorious piss. He's tuned in at mega wattage. And this could be the avenue he needs to spread that yumburger chickenjoy to the world!
When I look at the main contenders for Spider-Man, my bones say, "Blah!" When I see Donald Glover in the suit, and the potential he could bring to this limping franchise, I have to say, quite loudly, "Whoop-doo!"
Eat food! Kill Grandma! Join #donald4spiderman or become a fan of the Donald Glover 4 Spiderman!! Facebook page today! This might be the only cool thing to ever happen to this rendition of the Spider-Man mythos.
The Amazing Spider-Man comes to theaters July 3rd, 2012 and stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Denis Leary, Chris Zylka, Irrfan Khan, C. Thomas Howell. The film is directed by Marc Webb.
Comments (59)
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Monkeyiron
Ok I agree with @bigrobfun2020....He will be good 4 a static shock actor but not marvel super hero spider-man
2 years agoby @monkeyironFlag
bigrobfun2020
WTF??!! HES...HES...HES...HES...HES...Hes Not er, the right type of background!! Static Shock, great choice!! Mal that horn blowing guy in the TEEN TITANS even! But Spiderman?? Nooooooooooooooooo!!!
2 years agoby @bigrobfun2020Flag
internetwin
he'd be a good choice, but I dont wanna get racist so, yeah
2 years agoby @internetwinFlag
DS177
He should play static shock instead. If there ever was a movie for him.
2 years agoby @ds177Flag
T.Clark
"Don Glover will NEVER be Spider-Man. Why? Heres an example: I am going to film a Martin Luther King Biopic starring Tom Hanks. See my point? Its not gonna happen Don! Give it up!"
haha Wow. I don't know who posted that, but it's a horrible argument. MLK Jr. was a black civil rights leader. Being black and fighting for fair rights defines his remarkable story. Peter Parker is a fictional character who has never been defined by being white. He could just as easily be black and still the same character.
Seriously, Marc?
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
Marcusx
Logan Lerman for Spiderman! Facebook Fan Page!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Logan-Lerman-for-Spider-Man/127755537252551?ref=mf
Click for you Facebook Support!
2 years agoby @marcusxFlag
SCREENWRITER
Actually, why not make this guy Harry? I can see him in that role more than the role of Parker. Cast Logan as Parker and this guy as Harry!...if he can act, of course.
2 years agoby @the-screenwriterFlag
SCREENWRITER
I dont even know who this is. Anyways, I could care less what color Peter Parker is but I still think Logan L. should get the role. He seems perfect.
2 years agoby @the-screenwriterFlag
T.Clark
True, Sly...they'd have to slip that into the script somehow.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
slysnide
One could be black, and the other white. Or since they're not his parents, one can presume he had a white mom or dad & a black mom or dad, and that May & Ben are relatives of the white parent, and it would remain the same. But their characters wouldn't change if the ethnic background did.
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
T.Clark
I think a black Peter Parker could still date a white Gwen and Mary Jane. The only characters they'd have to also change the race of are Aunt May and Uncle Ben.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
ejk1
I think Obama had no idea what he was getting into when he ran for president. He thought he could change Washington, but instead it looks like he is being eaten alive there. I remember during the election Obama talked greatly about the Guantanamo situation, but I can't remember once during the last six months where he made any comment about what he'll do with the captives. To be fair, he had so much hype heaped on him, that it was impossible to live up to it all.
Before Masta_Chiefed and I got into an argument, I asked a question about how much they will change about Peter Parker's world, and if the changes will be so great that it would be unrecognizable. If the Parker's are black, does this mean that the Stacy and Watson families change as well? My only concern is that by changing so much, they may take away the charm that was originally there. This isn't a black and white issue for me, but rather a "can they keep it faithful to the material?" issue. I'm equally concerned with the Warner Bros. adaptation of Bleach, which was announced months ago. This project has even more difficult decisions to make that the Spider-Man execs. If they use primarily white American characters, then what are they going to do with the names of the characters? A character named Ichigo Kurosaki shouldn't be played by a white actor, but if they change the names, is it really Bleach? This is something that troubles me greatly.
2 years agoby @ejk1Flag
CBF
News Flash: The left/right paradigm doesn't exist. It doesn't matter who's who in politics. Computer voting is fraudulent. They are all puppets, and they will pick Obama again when the re-election comes. He has spent more than all presidents combined, running up the country's debt even more causing hyperinflation, and gone back on everything he promised and said he was going to do in his campaign. He has done the exact opposite. This is not his will, as I said he is a puppet. The next thing is Internet censorship and I really hope that doesn't take. And don't get me started on who really runs the country, the trillions being spent on banker bail-outs every year and Geithner saying they "don't have to tell us" where it went.
2 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag
T.Clark
Maybe you should make your comments less vague, then. Can you really blame me for thinking that? This article is about the idea, not confirmation or rumor, but the idea that a black man could be Spider-Man. This isn't about casting, or production, or anything but the possibility of Spider-Man being a different color. Of course I'd think you were talking about race since you weren't specific and Catwoman was, after all, a half-black woman in that movie.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
Tug
@ (Insert Username Here)
The only idiot here is you since there was absolutely no reference to race in my statement. Did it ever cross your mind that maybe what I was referring to was how badly conceived and rushed this production is beginning to sound? Of course not, because like a true idiot you jumped to conclusions and posted without thinking.
2 years agoby @tug417Flag
T.Clark
So you're basing your opinion of a race on how a politician does his job? It has nothing to do with his skin color.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
slysnide
@ejk1: @Masta_Chiefed: You're both right in your arguments. Just leave it at that.
@Vanboy: I agree that all the spending is getting us nowhere, and that Mccain really blew it with both Palin and selecting the same cabinet as Bush Jr. I was like wtf? She's an idiot and they're not advising at all. Her rants are plenty evidence of that, and Iraq is evidence to the latter. But if huge companies go down, tens of thousands are out of a job all at once. It's like playing Devil's Advocate by rewarding their mismanagement, yet to save a lot of jobs, though without axing the guys who f*cked up their companies, like with that AIG thing. I didn't care for either canidate though. But the fact that he's mulatto doesn't have any effect, and if you think it does is beyond comprehension. It's all about the financiers behind the campaigns, the allies they have, and their ability/inability to get things done.
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
Vanboy
Insert, Whose still respecting that man in the White House, who happens to be living there and currently going under the title as President? It was a sentimental heart bleeding gesture to vote for that guy, when the country needed stability, instead of emotional gestures. I don't see anything remarkable done this past year, except all of the spending, for people to get new cars and to bail out major companies who should have thought about rainy days, all on your and my dime.
I pay a mortgage every month, and I haven't gotten any bail out. This guy has done nothing for me, except allow some exemption of, $800.00 I think it was. Great, spend a dollar to save a dime. See ya in three years, when we vote for a guy who doesn't care to be "Americas' Next Top Model" or the cover boy for GQ Magazine.
I'm surprised he hasn't had The White House walls all covered with mirrors, so he can see himself swagger into the Oval Office. He's a pimpish media whor*.
He talks a good talk, that's it.
Nobel Peace prize winner, my ass.
Thanks a lot Sarah Palin! John McCain, what were you thinking?
What this dork above needs to do, is to campaign for the role as Erkle in a movie version of the TV show, and he'll be perfect. Give him the role of Venom. He'd be a great Villain.
2 years agoby @vanboyFlag
Masta_Chiefed
News flash there Socrates, Im an English major as well. Written for a few publications. Actually had a circulation of 20,000 reading my garble every Monday. Been published in a mediocre literary journal, but enough about what you cant do.
Once again this is an internet message board, not ure favorite professor's workshop. My insulting of Vanboy's intelligence was more of a shot at his misguided political leanings.
To log onto the internet and play grammar nazi is a task far beyond ure capabilities. So make an appearance on a dif site if u want 2 bitch about the 'Texting' dynamic of today's semantics.
GAME OVER.
2 years agoby @masta-chiefedFlag
ejk1
You're right, Masta_Chiefed, I don't text people, mainly because I find that it is retarding the communication skills of people. Obviously, you're a great piece of evidence in my reasoning. You're also right about me reading a lot--I am an English major, so that's kind of required. It doesn't seem that college is something you need to worry about, since you type everything like you text. I mean after all, if you try to give a paper to a professor with the words "ure," "cus," and "tho" in it, you're likely to get laughed off the campus. But that's okay Masta_Chiefed, because you don't need typing skills to ask people "Do you want fries with that?" Seriously though, all I was saying is that if you're going to call anyone uneducated, you may want to not use the "texting method" of typing and use actual words. That way, you don't end up looking like the moron. Read your sentence again. Was it really hard to write "your" instead of "ure?" Typing the way you text doesn't show how cool you are, or how many friends you have, it shows laziness.
2 years agoby @ejk1Flag
Masta_Chiefed
Yeah I know. I cry for the young people all the time... And if that's the extent of your insult, then you might want to consider flaming on someone else. Most people, regardless of age, type like they text. Maybe you have no one to text. There are plenty of dating websites for lonely trolls like yourself. Now go read another book. W/e your dumbass name means.
2 years agoby @masta-chiefedFlag
ejk1
I like that Masta_Chiefed is cracking on someone for perceived lack of intelligence and using the words "cus," "ure," and "tho." That's funny. And also very sad.
2 years agoby @ejk1Flag
Masta_Chiefed
@Vanboy you are a moron. You can say whatever u want cus its an internet message board. Not cus ure a hardass. And it seems as tho ure political opinions stem from uneducated friends and family. Oh the school system has failed so many the last decade.
2 years agoby @masta-chiefedFlag
TheMime
If they did cast him... they suck grass
2 years agoby @themimeFlag
Emmytt
could work
2 years agoby @emmyttFlag
slysnide
True Insert, there aren't many Asian or Mexican actors out there for the role. I just through it out there for a point. But to me with the decades of source material, there's a lot of interesting things they could cull from it to forge a new franchise. And one that doesn't necessarily have a long origin piece since it'd be the same as the original film. Having browsed through numerous Spidey Comic descriptions online, and in the old comic store that's since gone, then it'd be cool if they went solely with old fashioned source material with new characters and dilemmas that aren't love related. But yeah, Ultimate sounds interesting too. Just seems a bit out there. But I guess it could work if Vanderbilt f*cks up the screenplay as an early news story suggested he would. Not that Ultimate is a f*ck up, but it'd fit with the idea he has without ticking off alot of people. So yeah, actually I guess it wouldn't turn out as well. But who knows. I'll check up on the other news story. I recall he wanted to take it in yet another teen angst direction, which is primarily what f*cked up SM3.
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
T.Clark
Also, there's a lot of aspects from the Ultimate line thrown into the Marvel Studios films. Yes, they're true to the original stuff, but the similarities to the Ultimate universe aren't lacking either. I think a Spider-Man movie could just as easily follow that trend.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
T.Clark
Can you really picture an Asian or Mexican in the role? I can picture a black guy, but it's not like there's a crap load of Mexican and Asian actors clamoring for the role of a superhero. It would just be unnecessary and way too obvious that they're trying to receive attention. I think a black Spider-Man is totally possible, but there's no need to push it any further.
If you haven't noticed, Vanboy, there's a highly intelligent and respected black man in the White House right now. They don't all fit your stereotypes. A black Spider-Man would be pretty powerful-an intelligent, black teenager rising above racial stereotypes in a low-income New York setting by working towards a successful future and helping others.
The Ultimate line is the perfect starting point to work this franchise from the ground up. There's always the possibility that they could f*ck it up, but let's see what happens. They could just as easily f*ck up the 616 Spidey, and Raimi already tried that. Time for something different if they really want to reboot.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
CBF
@Insert: I know its only a movie, and that we'll never see a true adaptation. As a matter of fact that's exactly what I said. No I don't need to be more open-minded at all, because look at the Marvel Studios films. They are true to their source material. And that's all I meant. So yes, doing an Ultimate Spider-Man story IS the wrong direction because its very far from Spider-Man. Also so is an African American Peter Parker. I am not basing anything on race, mind you, only on the true source material. Like I said, this is just a ploy to rush out a reboot and use Ultimate to appeal to a young demographic so Sony keeps making money off the name. Because if they didn't, then it would go back to Marvel and Marvel Studios where -gasp!- we might actually SEE a true adaptation.
2 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag
slysnide
why? just cuz he's black it's the end of all hope? when they made the decision to base this off Ultimate rather than the decades of original material, that was the loss of all hope.
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag