John Slattery and Sam Elliott in Consideration to Play J. Jonah Jameson in Upcoming SPIDER-MAN Reboot
With big news regarding The Hobbit, the Avatar sequels, and Christopher Nolan’s now titled Batman film today, it’s only fair that there’s a bit of Spider-Man news as well. Director Marc Webb is currently busy rounding out the cast for his 3D reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, set to start filming in December. With Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) and Emma Stone (Easy A) set to play Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey, and the recent news that Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill) has been chosen for The Lizard, the producers are now turning towards casting Daily Bugle Editor-in-Chief J. Jonah Jameson. Among the names being considered for the part (previously played by J.K. Simmons in the Sam Raimi films) are John Slattery (Mad Men) and Sam Elliott (The Big Lebowski).
What’s Playing reports that a dozen or so actors are under consideration, being brought into the studio under the guise that they’re reading for an “Untitled Teen Action Adventure Movie”. The 3D film is set to hit theaters July 30, 2012. Hit the jump for a bit more, including what we know so far about the secretive project.
Personally, I think John Slattery would be a fine choice for Jameson. He nails zinger after zinger on Mad Men and seems like he’d be ripe to tackle the stubborn and pompous head of the Daily Bugle. Nevertheless, whoever takes the character on is going to have some major shoes to fill. Simmons was damn near perfect in the previous three films, and it’s gonna be tough for the new actor to put his own stamp on the character with Simmons’ iteration so securely engrained in the fans’ minds.
Understandably, Sony’s being rather tight on information regarding the project, but that doesn’t mean we’re devoid of information. We know that Mary Jane will not be the love interest for Peter Parker, and the story is rumored to be set around the high school or college years of the web-slinger’s life. The budget is reported to be around $80 million and the James Vanderbilt (Zodiac)-scripted film will be shot in 3D with the help of James Cameron and Avatar producer Jon Landau.
