'Amazing Spider-Man' Director Marc Webb Talks About His Biggest Challenge: Casting Peter Parker (Video)

What was the biggest challenge of bringing back to the big screen one of the most beloved comic-book characters of all time?

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Webb, who directed Sony’s upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man, told The Hollywood Reporter that his biggest hurdle was finding the right actor to play Peter Parker.

The previous trilogy of Spider-Man films, directed by Sam Raimi, starred Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, but for Webb’s reboot, it was time to find a new actor to wear the suit.

Webb, whose previous work includes indie darling 500 Days of Summer, settled on Andrew Garfield, who most recently starred in The Social Network, to star in hit film

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“He has an everyman quality, he’s got emotional gravitas, he’s funny, he’s very charming, he reacts and acts with other actors very well,” Webb told THR about Garfield, 28.

In The Amazing Spider-Man, a teenage Peter Parker (Garfield) is searching for the reason behind his parents’ disappearance when he’s bit by a radioactive spider and becomes the iconic superhero. At the same time, he’s dealing with falling in love for the first time, with his classmate Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).

Webb also noted Garfield’s physical abilities as an added asset.

“I wanted to create the stunts in a more physical, grounded way, and he was really game for that,” said Webb while on the red carpet at the premiere for the film in Westwood, Calif., on Thursday. “In that suit, you see that it’s Peter Parker, you see that it’s a teenager. And that was something, I didn’t want to just see a stuntman, flexing, it was a kid.”

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In the film, Parker ends up having to deal with a scientist Dr. Curtis Connors (Rhys Ifans) who’s gone a  bit mad with cross-species genetics, which leads to the scientist morphing into a deadly creature called the Lizard.

When THR asked what makes a good villain, Webb said, “That he’s honoring some truth. That you understand why he’s doing what he’s doing.”

“But then you know, you want somebody whose really strong, and is super badass and very scary, and the Lizard kind of fits the bill,” Webb added.

The Amazing Spider-Man opens in theaters on July 3.

Watch THR's interview with Marc Webb above.

Email: Rebecca.ford@thr.com; Twitter: @Beccamford