The new Spider-Man (that would be Andrew Garfield, in case you hadn’t heard) has a villain to face (Rhys Ifans), a love interest in Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone) and a director to tell him what to do (Marc Webb) and now he’s got an Uncle Ben, whose death inspires him to stop larking around and use his powers to help people. Step forward… Martin Sheen.
Yes, in the words of Stephen T Colbert, he is our TV president and he deserves our TV respect, but Sheen is an acting legend who has appeared in one or two films you might have heard of. Apocalypse Now, say. Or The Dead Zone. Wall Street. A few others.
He’s surely a solid choice to play Ben Parker, one half of the couple that take Peter under their wing to raise him after the death of his parents. And it’s Ben who gets to deliver the immortal line that with great power comes great responsibility. We can’t wait to hear The Sheen deliver it.
Every Ben needs a May, and according to the Heat Vision Blog, this new take on the Spidey story is after Sally Field to play the part. She’s in early talks, unlike Sheen who is close to locking in his deal.
With an Oscar (and an infamous speech) under her belt, Field has had a storied career that began at a young age, but these days is more likely to be found on the small screen, playing the matriarch of the squabbling Walker family on Brothers & Sisters. Still, she’d lend the necessary vulnerability with just a hint of steel that Aunt May needs…