It finally happened! After months of rumors and false confirmations (none of which we ran) the new Spider-Man/Peter Parker of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been crowned and his name is Tom Holland, from films such as The Impossible and Wolf Hall. He’s set to appear first in Captain America: Civil War and then take on the leading role in his solo film, yet to be titled.
Additionally, that solo movie, a coproduction between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, will be directed by none other than Jon Watts whose films Clown and Cop Car, both thrillers, makes him an unusual choice for the director of the new film, considering rumors surrounding the script that has been described as John Hughes-esque. Still, Cop Car had audiences and critics raving about it out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, so it will be great to see another unique voice take on the Spider-Man film legacy. I mean, it’s not like we haven’t already had one tremendously successful horror filmmaker take on the character in film already.
The goal in the casting was to find someone to play a younger version of Peter Parker than had ever been seen before, so that a series might be set in high school. Tom Holland is 19 years old so he looks capable of capturing that spirit far better than two men approaching 30 ever could.
Weirdly enough we even have several demos of him showing off his acrobatics:
More fun more fun A video posted by ✌️ (@tomholland2013) on
Here is the press release from Marvel and Sony about the casting and directorial choices:
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios Find Their ‘Spider-Man’ Star and Director
Tom Holland Cast as the Web-Slinger, Jon Watts to Direct the Next Spider-Man Adventure
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios are proud to announce that after a full worldwide casting search, Tom Holland will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the next Spider-Man film, in theaters in IMAX and 3D on July 28, 2017. 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.
Marvel and Sony Pictures, and producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal conducted an extensive search for both the actor and the director. The studios and producers were impressed by Holland’s performances in “The Impossible,” “Wolf Hall,” and the upcoming “In the Heart of the Sea,” and by a series of complex screen tests. Following Marvel’s tradition of working with the brightest next wave of directors, Watts also went through multiple meetings with Feige, Pascal, and the studio, before winning the job.
Commenting on the announcement, Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, said, “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.”
Sony Pictures will finance and release worldwide the next installment of the $4 billion Spider-Man franchise on July 28, 2017, in a film co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the Web-Slinger.
Spider-Man, embraced all over the world, is the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films having taken in more than $4 billion worldwide.
Stay tuned for more updates (posted here) as they break.
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