Despite the fact that we’ve been telling people for several weeks that Marvel was looking at legitimate teenagers as they cast their net for the next Spider-Man, some have continued to discuss actors that are in their early 20s. Well, yesterday reports flooded the net that 16-year old Mateus Ward had auditioned for the film. The actor and model is best known for his roles on the CBS series Hostages and Showtime’s Weeds.

Devin Faraci over at Bad Ass Digest says that the audition was so secretive that it was actually held at a private home, instead of at an office or a studio. There’s no word on how it went, or if he’s still a frontrunner, but it’s further proof that Sony/Marvel want an actual, literal teenager to play their new high school-aged Spider-Man.

As for which character he auditioned for (was it Peter? Was it MILES?!), well…it’s pretty obvious Ward would’ve read for Parker. So if the reports are true, this should put to bed the discussion of whether we’d be getting a third Peter Parker six films into Spider-Man’s cinematic career, or Miles Morales. One person who’s likely happy to hear this is Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada. 

Despite being more connected to their comic book wing than their big or small screen divisions, Quesada recently answered a question from a fan about what the key to creating a new Spider-Man film is. Quesada said, “The trick to making any incarnation of Spider-Man great, whether comics, animation or film is Peter Parker. Get Peter’s character right and the rest falls into place.“

It’s definitely looking more and more like the Parker v Morales: Dawn of A Reboot debate can be put to bed. From the initial Sony press release announcing the deal with Marvel, to these new casting rumors, and Quesada’scomments, the official “company line” is that Peter Parker is their man. Could that change? Of course. This is Hollywood. But they’d have to figure it out pretty darn soon. Captain America: Civil War begins production in just a couple of weeks.

What do you think of all this?

SOURCE: Bad Ass Digest / THR