At long last, Marvel and Sony has officially announced which actor is next in line to don the red and blue lycra -- Tom Holland. He will be the third actor to play Peter Parker and his alterego Spider-Man, nabbing the headline role for the studios’ collaborative Spider-Man solo movie due in 2017.
Holland’s name first appeared on an early shortlist for the role alongside the likes of Asa Butterfield, Nat Wolff and Liam James. After a series of screen tests conducted by producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal, The Impossible actor was declared the victor for what will no doubt be a life-changing role.
“Sony, Marvel, Kevin and I all knew that for Peter Parker, we had to find a vibrant, talented young actor capable of embodying one of the most well-known characters in the world,” said Pascal in a statement. “With Tom, we’ve found the perfect actor to bring Spider-Man’s story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
In addition, Marvel announced who will go behind the camera for Spider-Man’s next outing. Previous rumors implied that studio brass were after either Ted Melfi, Jonathan Levine, Jason Moore, Jared Hess or Jonathan M. Goldstein & John Francis Daley for the gig - but none of those featured in today’s press release. Jon Watts, the man behind this year’s Sundance hit Cop Car and the Eli Roth-produced horror romp Clown, is now confirmed to direct.
“It’s a big day here at Sony,” said Sony Group Chairman Tom Rothman. “Kevin, Amy and their teams have done an incredible job. The Marvel process is very thorough, and that’s why their results are so outstanding. I’m confident Spider-Man will be no exception. I’ve worked with a number of up-and-coming directors who have gone on to be superstars and believe that Jon is just such an outstanding talent. For Spidey himself, we saw many terrific young actors, but Tom’s screen tests were special. All in all, we are off to a roaring start.”
Holland’s version of Spider-Man is rumored to make his first MCU appearance in Captain America: Civil War, due to arrive in theaters on May 6, 2016. The as-yet untitled Spider-Man solo movie opens on July 28, 2017.
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