With the rumor last week that Jamie Bell was at the forefront of Sony's list to play Spider-Man in Marc Webb's reboot came the expectation of a quick confirmation. Details and rumors on the film began to fly, especially in regards to the potential villain in the story. Usually talk like that doesn't occur until the lead has been cemented.
Looks like we might have to wait a bit longer now as the LA Times is reporting that two more big names have been added to the shortlist: Aaron Johnson(Kick-Ass) and Anton Yelchin(Star Trek). I think you can make these three plus Josh Hutcherson your only serious contenders.
Johnson has been coming on strong ever since his lead role in Kick-Ass, although it can be argued the film was stolen from him by Chloe Moretz. He's getting good reviews for his performance in The Greatest, due out later this year.
Yelchin is kindof a surprise, but he might be my favorite choice now. I've been following his career ever since the Showtime TV series, Huff, and he's almost always a high point of anything he's in. Even a mediocre film like Terminator Salvation he was probably the best part. I think he's got the look, and can play a kid of Peter Parker's age as he did in Charlie Bartlett a couple of years ago.