Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have announced today that after a full worldwide casting search, Tom Holland will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the next Spider-Man film. That’s set to reach the big screen on July 28th, 2017, and in an unsurprising revelation, it has been confirmed for a 3D and IMAX release.
The film will be directed by Jon Watts, director of Cop Car, the upcoming thriller that made its debut earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. According to the press release sent out by Marvel, Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal embarked on extensive search for the new Spider-Man, and were left impressed by Holland’s screen tests and performances in The Impossible, Wolf Hall, and the upcoming In the Heart of the Sea.
There’s no mention of Spider-Man’s rumoured appearance in next year’s Captain America: Civil War though.
Commenting on the announcement, Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, had this to say about their new wall-crawler, “It’s a big day here at Sony. 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.”
Feige commented, “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.” Pascal added, “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.”
This is a great casting decision, and marks the second time a British actor will play Spider-Man on the big screen. Watts is something of an unknown at this point, but Marvel has never steered us wrong before…
