Hollywood can add one more Internet campaign to its radar. With the help of Facebook and Twitter, “Community” star Donald Glover is campaigning to audition for the new “Spider-Man” reboot. Though Peter Parker has always been portrayed as white in the comics, Glover wants the chance to prove he has what it takes to play the part, and thousands of people on the Internet are voicing their approval.
The idea first began when Marc Bernardin, a writer for the sci-fi Web site io9.com, wrote a piece titled “The last thing Spider-Man should be is another white guy.” A few commenters suggested Glover, and word apparently reached the actor himself. Glover then pitched the idea on his blog on May 30, promising fans that “If this happens, I’ll buy each and every one of you a mini cooper.”
Since then, he has already gained nearly 6,000 supporters on the Facebook group “Donald Glover 4 Spider-Man.” On June 1, he also organized a “Twitter bomb,” in which supporters repeatedly tweeted the hashtag #donald4spiderman. The campaign is already gaining the attention of media outlets like Entertainment Weekly and Yahoo, both of whom compare it to the recent successful social media campaign to land Betty White a hosting gig on SNL.
Glover only has a handful of credits to his name, most notably his role as oblivious former jock Troy Barnes on “Community.” He also starred in, wrote, produced and composed the indie flick “Mystery Team” and served as executive story editor of “30 Rock” during its third season. He’s clearly funny and multi-talented, but does he have what it takes to play a superhero in what will likely be a multi-picture franchise? Will his age (26) automatically rule him out since Spidey’s back in high school? Will too many people be concerned that changing the character’s race goes against comic book canon?
Personally, I don’t see why Glover shouldn’t at least be given a shot. After all, he’s not asking to be given the part – he’s asking for an audition. I don’t think he’s been in enough movies and TV shows to show the full range of his acting abilities, so I can’t say whether or not he’d be a good fit for the part. But on “Community” I find him to be a charming scene-stealer, and if he nailed the audition, I would support him in the role.
What do you think? Should Glover be given the chance to audition for “Spider-Man?” Could you see him as the new Peter Parker? Sound off in the comments section.
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Follow Alexa Milan on Twitter at http://twitter.com/alexamilan.
He seems to be a cool guy, and i have nothing against the guy. But i see no way they are going to turn peter parker/spider-man into a black guy. No offense and i am not trying to be racist at all.
He seems to be a cool guy, and i have nothing against the guy. But i see no way they are going to turn peter parker/spider-man into a black guy. No offense and i am not trying to be racist at all.