Andrew Garfield (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Marc Webb's Spider-Man reboot.  Garfield's casting follows months of speculation about who would don the webs.  Garfield was among the final list of contenders along with Jamie Bell, Anton Yelchin, Aaron Johnson, Logan Lerman, Alden Ehrenreich, Frank Dillane, Michael Angarano, and Josh Hutcherson.  Hutcherson had reportedly been offered the role yesterday.

Whether that's true or if he turned it down is irrelevant (although I can't imagine anyone turning it down).  Columbia Pictures has sent out a press release confirming Garfield as Spider-Man.  I liked Garfield in Parnassus, and he's going to get a lot more exposure later this year when he's seen in David Fincher's Facebook movie The Social Network and Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go.  Hit the jump for quotes from Webb and the producers regarding Garfield's casting.  Spider-Man is set to open in 3D on July 3, 2012.

Update: We've been given some pictures and video from today's event in Mexico where director Marc Webb and producers Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin made the big announcement.  You can see Andrew Garfield looked shocked as he stepped onto the world stage.  Hit the jump to check everything out.  It's after the highlights from the press release:

Here are quotes from director Marc Webb, producers Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, and Columbia Pictures top brass Amy Pascal and Matt Tolmach.  To the surprise of no one, they're all positive about the casting and nowhere will you find the words: "Dear Lord, what have we done?"

Director Marc Webb:

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.

Producer Avi Arad:

I’m incredibly excited about Andrew Garfield. In the Spider-Man tradition, we were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer. We believe we have found the perfect choice to take on this role and lead us into the future.

Producer Laura Ziskin:

We are thrilled to have Andrew Garfield for this new incarnation of Spider-Man under Marc Webb’s direction.  We were fortunate enough to meet with a group of fantastically talented young men.  In the end, we all agreed that in addition to being an extraordinary actor, Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth, and pathos, along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen.

Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, President of Columbia Pictures:

Spider-Man is a classic superhero -- a young man who balances his responsibility to serve humanity and crush evil with the shyness and normalcy of someone struggling to find himself. The role demands an extraordinary actor. You need someone who can magically transform himself from Peter Parker into Spider-Man. An actor who will  depict the vulnerability of youth and the strength and confidence of a legendary figure at the same moment. We have found that actor in Andrew Garfield. From the first time we saw him in the upcoming film The Social Network, to his glorious screen test, which floored all of us, we knew that we had found our new Peter Parker.

Garfield will begin preparing for the role immediately.  Here's video and images from today's event in Mexico where director Marc Webb and producers Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin made the big announcement.  Garfield looks a bit dazed.  Apparently he was only told moments before walking out that he got the part.

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