Logan Lerman, who in February revealed -- prematurely, perhaps -- he was in talks to star in Sony's rebooted Spider-Man franchise, is now "almost 100% locked" for the role, HitFix reports.

The 18-year-old star of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is, according to "a source close to the production," the studio's first choice for the Marc Webb-directed film, although contract negotiations haven't begun.

The reboot, which will take Peter Parker back to high school, is thought to draw inspiration from Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley's Ultimate Spider-Man, rather than the Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comics of the 1960s. Reportedly part of a trilogy, Spider-Man is set for a July 3, 2012, release.

Other rumored contenders for the role of Peter Parker included Jesse Eisenberg, Patrick Fugit, Johnny Simmons and Anton Yelchin. Prior to The Lightning Thief, Lerman was perhaps best known for the films Gamer and 3:10 to Yuma and the television series Jack & Bobby.

UPDATE: Ah, here we go again. According to Deadline.com's Mike Fleming, "insiders at Sony" deny the HitFix report and say Lerman isn't even on the list of candidates being seriously considered. HitFix, however, stands by its story, pointing out the track record on Spider-Man denials -- and Fleming himself notes that writer Drew McWeeny often gets things right.