After an extensive search for both an actor and director, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have finally found their new Peter Parker, with The Impossible and Wolf Hall’s Tom Holland stepping up to the plate to take on the role of a much younger Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his first big screen appearance coming next year in Captain America: Civil War. Holland’s name has been on the radar for some time now, being on a shortlist that also included Asa Butterfield (Ender’s Game, Hugo) and Natt Wolf (The Fault in Our Stars, the upcoming Paper Towns). Holland is said to have impressed both studios and producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal with his screen work and a series of complex screen tests.
While Holland will be swinging his way onto the big screen next year, a solo Spider-Man movie won’t come our way till 2017, and it has been announced Jon Watts, whose upcoming Kevin Bacon starring thriller, Cop Car, made its debut earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, will take the helm for Spidey’s latest big screen outing. Watt’s hiring follows the Marvel formula of tapping talent who mainstream audiences would have very little experience with for their big tentpole projects. As we all know, it has worked wonders before, so there was no reason they should stop now.
Spider-Man (i’m sure that name is subject to change) comes our way July 28th 2017.
