Josh Hutcherson says he would ‘definitely be open to’ playing live-action Spider-Man variant

Five Nights at Freddy’s star Josh Hutcherson was originally one of the top contenders for the lead role in Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012.

During a recent interview with Inverse, Hutcherson recalled auditioning for the part of Peter Parker in the Marc Webb-directed Spider-Man reboot.

Despite his efforts, he lost the role to Andrew Garfield, and Hutcherson still wonders what might have been lacking in his audition.

Hutcherson said, “You never find out.”

“They just end up hiring somebody else.”

“So I never found out why.”

He continued, “I also do know that three weeks or so after I auditioned, I ended up getting Hunger Games, so it kind of worked out.”

Hutcherson’s action-packed Spider-Man audition tape later resurfaced, fueling debates about whether he would make a great Spidey.

Even though he missed the chance to play Spider-Man in Marc Webb’s reboot, his love for the character remains strong.

In the same interview, Hutcherson expressed interest in playing a variant in the Spider-Verse.

”Yeah, potentially.”

“I’ve been a huge Spider-Man fan since childhood, watching the old-school cartoons and all.”

“I’d definitely be open to it and wouldn’t mind slinging some webs around.”

During the casting process for the Spider-Man reboot, Hutcherson was among the short list of young actors, including Alden Ehrenreich and Jamie Bell, who were being eyed to play Spider-Man.

Andrew Garfield ultimately secured the role based on his performance in Sony’s The Social Network. 

Hutcherson is best known for the role of Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games franchise and, more recently, in the hit video game adaptation Five Nights at Freddy’s as Mike Schmidt over for Blumhouse.

His latest film is The Beekeeper, an action thriller from David Ayer, the director of the original Suicide Squad.