Sony and Marc Webb are continuing to recast the entire Spider-Man universe this week as they have finally settled on a new actor to play Peter Parker’s best bud Harry Osborn. Webb himself sent out a tweet yesterday announcing that the role will be filled by Chronicle star Dane DeHaan, one of several young actors that had been under consideration for the part. Back in October we learned that Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) had been chosen as the new Mary Jane Watson, while Jamie Foxx appears to have locked down the role of the main villain, Electro. No word yet on whether or not Norman Osborn will be in the film or if Spidey will eventually face The Green Goblin, but it seems that for the time being, they’re trying to avoid repeat villains.

In a way, it’s a bit surprising to hear that they have chosen Dane DeHaan for the role of Harry Osborn. While some felt that Andrew Garfield was too good looking to play a nerdy Peter Parker, this role actually does call for some all-American good looks and instead they went with a nerdier choice. What’s the deal? Obviously DeHaan has experience playing characters with a darker side to them, and it seems like that is probably why they chose him… but still, are they actively trying to piss off fans?

In addition to Chronicle, DeHaan also appeared in Lawless this past summer and had a small role in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. Prior to that, he had roles on HBO’s True Blood and In Treatment. Most of the other actors that he beat out were less recognizable names including Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables), Douglas Booth (LOL) and Boyd Holbrook (The Host), Alden Ehrenreich (Beautiful Creatures) and Brady Corbet (Martha Marcy May Marlene). Do you think Dane DeHaan is an inspired choice to play Harry Osborn and could he actually do a better job than James Franco?

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