Spider-man still not chosen, Don Glover still not screened

I like to believe this Donald Glover for Spider-man movement is bigger than it is. By Dong Lover's own conversations, he's flattered at how far it did get. Hell, Stan Lee acknowledged it, and that was more than enough for DG, who grew up idolizing comic book creators. Stop and think about that for a moment. We're having to try and beg these numb-nutted teenage male douches into considering a role and a guy who is just perfect for it, who has such passion for it, can't get a screen test. Yes, it still pisses me off. I believe the fanboy reaction has been unduly racist but the Hollywood fatcat rationale isn't overtly racist so much as it is "pragmatic." They don't want to court controversy, they want to just make money.

So here's an idea for them: Give him a screen test. "Wait, but Ryan, that sounds exactly like what you were asking for anyway!" I know, that's because I'm a f**king genius. See, all the suits need to do is give him a test and tell the world about it. Whammo, there would be unprecedented publicity for the reboot. Last time I checked, it was a good thing to have free press still, right? I'm not talking about giving him the gig, I'm talking about giving him a very public test screening. Telling fans "we did this for you, because you demanded it" would make them feel empowered and like a part of the process. It would be a chance to make a splash with the casting process in a way they're not going to now. They are demanding it, just check out the awesome art that's still being made:

This whole post came from the fact that Sony is getting real close to naming one of the following people to be Spidey: Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Aaron Johnson, Andrew Garfield, Alden Ehrenreich, and Logan Lerman. Exactly what kind of overwhelming fan response is going to come from "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your new Spider-man: Alden Ehrenreich!!!" Seriously? I mean, yes the Interwebs will fire up with searches for the new lead's name within minutes of his announcement as having the role, but the most intriguing, most talked-about name is the one not mentioned in that sentence. If you give Donny G a shot in the suit, you would satiate the hunger of a vocal minority. You would look classy. You would possibly actually find your Spidey, but that's beyond the point. A guy who loves Spider-man would get a chance to dress as Spider-man and would never forget it. So don't do it because it makes sense, or because it's your best option. Do it because it will make you money down the road from fans who would be instantly supportive after your bold willingness to listen to them. It's not too late to win this one, guys. And don't forget, America: go to twitter and type #donald4spiderman. Let's keep the dream alive.

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List of Spidey candidates grows, but not enough to include a black man

I chose this image for this topic because the casting for Spidey, who I love, has made me as angry as the guy below him here.
Aaron Johnson from Kick-Ass and Anton Yelchin from Star Trek and Terminator: Salvation are the newest young honkeys added to the list of young honkeys being considered for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-man in the upcoming reboot/remake/debacle that needs to start shooting fairly soon. I like both of these guys a lot...like, a lot a lot. Johnson's character in Kick-Ass was so Peter Parker-esque, the actor even mentioned he wasn't sure he'd want to be considered for the wall-crawler because he'd be covering the same ground. Meanwhile, Yelchin was the best part of the abomination that caused me to declare a McWar on McG, and single-handedly sunk the franchise into obscurity. I love Yelchin's general look and feel: He just has "it." However, with new actors being added to the list, despite previous news that the role had been cast, it shows me that they haven't quite gotten what they wanted. And yet, they continue to ignore the very real Donald Glover for Spider-man movement. If they had quickly cast the role after the buzz demanding an audition for Don began, it would have been reasonable to me to exclude him. The process was already underway, yadda, yadda, yadda. But with NEW actors being added, it only makes it more glaringly obvious that one isn't even being considered.

Glover has made me so happy lately with his simple tweets on the subject. When Stan Lee talked about how race shouldn't matter and that Glover is a good actor, Don simply posted that he couldn't believe Stan Lee was talking about him for Spider-man. He later mentioned that someone had stopped on the freeway to shoot him the "Spider-man fingers." Glover loves the character, has great presence, has great comic timing, has the physique that would work perfectly, and is all of 2-4 years older than some of the people being considered for the part. I'm not accusing the people who are casting the film of being too racist to consider him, I'm accusing them of being unable to picture him in the role because he's black. I don't think it's hate at all. I think it's limited imagination.

I know Donald Glover will not be Spider-man. He should be, he'd be the most imaginative casting, but he won't be. I do hold out hope, small hope, that he can get an audition for the role. If nothing else, it would seem to be the right thing to do. Give the vocal group of fans who love both the character and the actor something to cheer for. You're already adding to your list, Sony, why not add the right guy to it?

Oh, and hit up Twitter and drop a #donald4spiderman to let folks know we haven't forgotten.

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I want Dong Lover for Spider-man...I mean, Don Glover. Sorry.

My passion, yes I said passion, for Don Glover dates back to the first time someone showed me a YouTube video for Derek's Comedy. Within an hour, I had watched everything the small-time comedy troupe had assembled and nearly burst my pancreas laughing. To take nothing away from the rest of the boys in that ensemble, there was no question that Glover was going to be stupid-mega-famous (you just don't think up a sketch like "Spelling Bee" and not end up a comedy god). In short order, he was writing for "30 Rock" during their best period and hopped onto my favorite comedy on television ("Community"), where he crafted my favorite moment in NBC comedy history (I won't post it again here, but let me just say "Donde esta la biblioteca?"). I follow him on Twitter, I loved his stand-up routine special on Comedy Central, I thought Mystery Team was perhaps the funniest movie in 3-5 years, and over the weekend I found out his latest ambition: He wants to play Spider-man.

There's every possibility that this started as a joke, but I don't think it is anymore and I don't think it should be. You're talking to a man drinking out of a Spider-man coffee cup, sitting in front of a wall decorated with a Romita Legacy Spidey print, beneath shelves holding various Spider-man mini-busts, and directly below a skateboard hand-decorated by a friend that depicts ME as Spider-man. I love the character just a wee bit...and I don't care if he's black. More than that, I would love it if he was. You could argue that ANY superhero could be given a racial makeover, but that's kind of not true. Circumstances for some really would require bending or changing significant aspects of their identity. Not true with Spidey. He's a smart, nerdy high-school student who is being raised by his aunt and uncle in New York City. Not only is there nothing in his origin that demands white skin...it makes literally just as much sense for him to be black. So now that we've moved past the most obvious element, we can get into the other questions. Don is lean-built, hilarious, and has a baby face that means he can play high-school age easily. The biggest thing missing from these movies has been Spidey's wit, and I can't think of anyone better to incorporate that aspect. Okay, so what now? Well, in the same way that America caught "Bieber fever," we need to leverage social media. It got Betty White on SNL and it can get Don Glover an audition for Spidey. #donald4spiderman is the hash tag you want to dump on Twitter. Also, by now there's a facebook group with a few thousand fans you should join. Do I think that Sony, a studio that jettisoned a profitable franchise, is going to bow to Internet pressure and let a black man who has never been in a major movie and who is way outside their targeted age group play Spider-man? No. Do I think he's the most refreshing and possibly best choice? Hell yes. Let's at least see if we can get someone to entertain such a notion, shall we?

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