The casting of the virtually new face ends months of frenzied speculations surrounding the role after Tobey Maguire walked out of the fourth film. The new 'Spider-Man' takes on the younger days of the web-slinging superhero and begins production in early December. Marc Webb, known for his indie superhit '500 Days of Summer', will helm the project while the screenplay is by James Vanderbilt. Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios.
"Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor's work understand his extraordinary talents. He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker," Webb said in a statement.
The 'Spider-Man' franchise is one of the most successful in film history and the three previous motion pictures have collectively grossed more than USD 2.5 billion in worldwide box office.
Garfield was seen last year in Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' and Robert Redford's 'Lions For Lambs', where he starred alongside Redford, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep. He will next be seen in David Fincher's upcoming film 'The Social Network.' He also plays the lead male opposite Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan in Mark Romanek's 'Never Let Me Go", due for release later this year.
The last three 'Spider-Man' movies have collectively grossed more than USD 2.5 billion in worldwide box office.