(UPDATE: Jeremy here. According to ComingSoon.net, Sony has denied that they are looking to replace Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 4. But, please, keep speculating!)

Today our good friends at Latino Review reported that Patrick Fugit is on the short list for the role of Peter Parker in the next Spider-Man movie. It just so happens that I’m on the set of Cirque du Freak, Fugit’s latest film, and while he’s already wrapped, one of the producers dropped Patrick an email to get the scoop.

Turns out that email was the first Patrick heard of it. Which doesn’t mean Latino Review was flat out wrong but does point out the problem of some of the insider reports we see too often online. The truth is likely that someone compiled a list of ALL possible actors who could be Peter Parker in terms of age and looks. That list might be used to do some testing of names with focus groups or for producers to argue over, but being on it is generally meaningless. Michael Cera may well be on such a list.

And so another rumor shuffles off. And now I shuffle off to Bourbon Street.