Rumor Mill: Fassbender Choosing Between X-men or Spider-Man

Those who haven't jumped onto the Michael Fassbender bandwagon best start gearing up now. The actor, who was flung into the mainstream last year as part of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, is about to up his profile in a major way. Showbiz411 has the rumor that Fassbender is currently being courted by two rival studios to play serious roles in two Marvel comics superhero films.

Fassbender is said to be up for the role of a young Magneto in Fox's upcoming X-men: First Class. That project is being helmed by Matthew Vaughn, and tells the early days of the rivalry between Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto. James McAvoy(Wanted) has already signed on to play Xavier.

His other option comes from Sony Pictures, who want him to play whomever the villain may be in their Spider-Man reboot. Since there's no story in place yet, it's uncertain who that character would be. My guess is either Elektro or the Green Goblin. Who cares if it's been done before? You can't have a Spidey flick without the Goblin there in some fashion.  Yesterday it was revealed that Jamie Bell(Defiance) is likely the choice to play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in that film.

Other than Basterds, Fassbender's impressive resume of late features star making turns in Steve McQueen's Hunger, and he'll be appearing in Jonah Hex in a couple of weeks. He most recently starred in one of my favorite films of the year so far, Fish Tank.