Following the announcement that Sony Pictures was sharing Spider-Man with Marvel Studios, Hugo star Asa Butterfield's name came up a number of times as the frontrunner for the role. The role, however, went to Tom Holland, who made his debut as the webslinger in this year's Captain America: Civil War and will return next year with his standalone movie.
In a recent interview with Flickering Myth, Butterfield makes it clear that he keeps his options open. While he does admit that it’s "great" to be given an opportunity to portray an iconic superhero like Spider-Man, he also believes that playing an original character is "just as fun". And he reveals that he personally liked Holland's performance in the May 6 release. He says, "I think Tom Holland did an incredible job; I think he nailed it."
The 19-year-old actor may have once been a contender for the role of the iconic Marvel superhero, but he is more of a DC fan. He likes its grittiness, "just from the comics and the cartoon series". He is also "a big fan" of the DC Extended Universe ventures, and is looking forward to seeing Justice League next year.
When the interviewer asks if he would like to play a superhero like Robin or Nightwing in the DC Extended Universe, Butterfield responds:
Don't jinx it! I'm maybe a bit too tall for Robin, and about the same height as Ben Affleck, but maybe someone who's taller and sleek and a little sneaky!
The version of Lex Luthor portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, and introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is much younger than we’re used to seeing. If the DC Extended Universe does the same with The Riddler, who is tall and sleek like him, in one of their future projects, would Butterfield say "Yes"? In response to such a question, the English actor exclaims, "Stop, you're getting me excited!"
