British actor, Tom Holland has been cast as the new Peter Parker in Marvel’s next Spiderman film.
The actor – who is best known for his performance as Lucas Bennett in the 2012 film, The Impossible – was selected for the role, following a lengthy casting process by Marvel and Sony. Marvel producer, Kevin Feige and Sony’s Amy Pascal were impressed by Holland’s performances in The Impossible, Wolf Hall and the upcoming drama, In the Heart of the Sea. The Marvel website also reported that Holland excelled at a “series of complex screen tests” for the role.
Holland is the latest actor to play Marvel’s infamous web-slinger
The director for the as-yet-untitled Spiderman movie was also revealed in the announcement; Cop Car’s John Watts will be at the helm of this new interpretation of the infamous comic book story.
Speaking of the choice to hire Watts, Feige said: “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.”
Sony’s Chairman, Tom Rothman, also commented on the announcement:
“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.”
This is the third time the Peter Parker/Spiderman character has been rejuvenated in recent years, with previous portrayals including American actor Tobey Maguire in the Spiderman Trilogy (2002-2007) and British actor, Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spiderman series (2012-2014).
As well as starring as the web-slinger in the upcoming standalone, it has been reported that Holland will also make an appearance in Marvel’s next big venture; Captain America: Civil War – which is set for release in April next year.
The as-yet-untitled Spiderman film will be released in the US on 28th July 2017.
Watch the trailer for Holland’s most well-known film, The Impossible, below.
