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Judging by all the talk we’ve heard regarding The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it’s hard to believe that the first film only came out in theaters four months ago. Yeah, I guess this happens when a studio fast tracks a project through development—things jump into gear quicker than hell. We already know the director, the new love interest, the bad guy, and who could possibly be playing the bad guy. And today, we got confirmation from The Hollywood Reporter about who would be playing Peter Parker’s best pal Harry Osborn in the sequel. Harry’s a complicated character with an interesting background in pretty much every iteration of the Spider-Man mythology, so getting a good actor for the part is pretty damn important. Thankfully, I don’t think we’ll have to worry so much, since the three candidates so far more than fit the bill. We’ll break down all three after the break.

First up…

Alden Ehrenreich

Of the three, I have the least experience with Ehrenreich. With less than a dozen films to his name, it’s pretty obvious that Ehrenreich is a newcomer to the industry. But considering that, his resume is pretty sound—he’s one of the main leads in the upcoming literary adaptation Beautiful Creatures, and is also one of the stars of Korean director Park Chan Wook’s English language debut Stocker. He’ll also be in the next Woody Allen movie, which I guess still means something (what actor HASN’T been in one?) But before all that, Ehrenreich starred in two modern day films from director Francis Ford Coppola; Tetro and (the still unreleased) Twixt. So even though I know little about Ehrenreich and can’t tell you if he’d make a good Harry Osborn, his resume seems solid enough. And at the very least, we know he’s never done a BAD movie. Unless Twixt is as horrible as people said it was. Alas, we’ll probably never find out.

Brady Corbet

Brady Corbet had the most credited roles of the trio, but ge’s nowhere near the most famous. He was in Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia last year, and has a relatively clear slate for the future. But for me at least, I know him from his supporting role in Martha Marcy May Marlene as one if the male cult members, Wyatt. He was pretty great in the limited amount of time he got, and certainly has the inklings of a star in the making. And hey, he can look the pretty boy part pretty well.

Dane DeHaan

Dehaan career exploded in 2012, with roles in three pretty high profile movies: Chronicle, Lawless, and Lincoln. And it’s no question as to why; he’s a great actor, and his three films this year prove it. Of the other guys on this shortlist, Dehaan is my number one pick because, honestly, he’s perfect for the role. His performance in Chronicle really grounded that film, and I could easily see him take on the role of Peter Parker’s frenemy Harry Osborne. Cast Dehaan in the role, Marc Webb. You won’t regret it.

And those are the three people Sony has in mind for the role. Granted the role seems to be ever changing as the script countinues to evolve, and THR warns that more could be added later. But from this list alone, our pick has to be the aforementioned Dane DeHaan. He’s really perfect for the role, plain and simple. And honestly, he seems to be the frontrunner for the part at this point. I’m sure we’ll here more in the coming days about who will ultimately get the part, so stay tuned!

Shortlist Analysis is a recurring column written by the Geek Binge staff focused on the concept of the Hollywood shortlist…and the people who are on them. We’re here to syphon through the mess of the shortlist system, and ultimately find the best person for the job. To read past entries in the column, click here.

–Matthew