Marvel and Sony have announced that Tom Holland has officially been cast as the new Spider-Man.
The 19-year-old actor hails from the U.K. and is best known for his roles in The Impossible, Locke, and How I Live Now. He’ll also be appearing in the Ron Howard drama In The Heart of the Sea this December. A photo of the actor is below:
Marvel and Sony also announced today that Cop Car director Jon Watts will be helming the first Spider-Man standalone movie which opens in theaters in just over two years.
Said Marvel head Kevin Feige on hiring Watts to helm, “As with James Gunn, Joss Whedon, and the Russo brothers, we love finding new and exciting voices to bring these characters to life. We spent a lot of time with Jon and find his take and work inspiring.”
Said producer Amy Pascal, “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. With Tom, we’ve found the perfect actor to bring Spider-Man’s story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
In a statement, Sony Pictures head Tom Rothmans said that Holland’s screen-tests were “special.”
“It’s a big day here at Sony,” he said. “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.”
Spider-Man is rumored to be making his debut in Captain America: Civil War alongside Iron Man and Captain America when it hits theaters on May 6, 2016. He’ll then appear in his aforementioned standalone movie, and probably many more Spider-Man films to come. In other words, we all should get used to seeing Holland’s face — he’s going to be at the forefront of the Marvel/Avengers world for years to come.
There was a report recently that suggested the first solo Spider-Man movie will be titled Spider-Man: The New Avenger, which will hit theaters July 28, 2017. This would lend itself incredibly well to Marvel’s movie lineup, as Spider-Man will likely fill the slot of a dead Avenger once he makes his way onto the big screen.
We look forward to seeing how Tom Holland will play the younger Spider-Man, and how big of a role he’ll have in Captain America: Civil War. Let us know what you think about our new Spider-Man in the comments and poll below!
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