On Thursday, 18-year-old actor Logan Lerman let slip that he has been in discussions about taking on the role of Peter Parker in the Marc Webb-directed reboot of “Spider-Man.” By the next day, at the junket for “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” the young star’s lips were tightly sealed about all things arachnid.

That’s what happens when an innocently spilled bit of casting gossip blows up and PR reps and studio suits get nervous. Still, when MTV News had a chance to chat with Lerman, we did our best to get to the bottom of the story. Is he really in talks?

“To be honest, it’s a role that any young actor is dying to play and I’m just hoping to be considered,” Lerman replied. “I’m just a huge fan.”

Okay, we understand you can’t talk specifically, but generally what is it about Peter Parker that makes you such a big fan?

“I’m just a huge fan,” he said. “That’s all I can say. ‘Spider-Man’ is just an awesome comic book series. There’s millions of actors out there who want to play the role. I’m just one of them.”Lerman’s “Percy Jackson” director, Chris Columbus, was considerably more forthcoming about the possibility, going so far as to compare Lerman to three-time, big-screen Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire.

“He’s the real deal,” Columbus told MTV News. “He’s a phenomenal actor. Tobey Maguire is a phenomenal actor and if you see ‘Brothers,’ Tobey delivered an amazing performance. I’m a ‘Spider-Man’ fanatic. To me, that second ‘Spider-man’ film is probably the best superhero film ever made. It’s a natural progression to reboot with someone who has the ability to become as great of an actor as Tobey Maguire.”

That’s a ringing endorsement from a man who knows a thing or two about selecting the right actor for an enduring and lucrative franchise (see the first two “Harry Potter” films). What does Lerman think about such high praise coming from the man who made Daniel Radcliffe a star?

“That’s very nice,” the actor said.

Source: MTV