It seems that though the amazing Spider-man gets a reboot/revamp/re-imagining every few days, the race to actually become the new Peter Parker has taken an age. Over the last few months there have been many names linked to the part, a role energised by the deal between Sony and Marvel to 'share' the character, allowing him to appear in the same cinematic universe of characters as The Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man etc.
In the last week it all started to solidify with Marvel and Sony Pictures involved in the decision-making, producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal conducting the auditions...and the formal announcement has come that Tom Holland will be the young man spinning the webs - the decision coming early on to make the latest Peter Parker a distinctly younger model than the most recent incarnation, fellow British actor Andrew Garfield. Holland, son of British comedian Dominic Holland,came to fame in the stage-version of Billy Elliot and then tv productions such as Wolf Hall. The deal struck will mean he will make his first appearance as the web-slinger in Marvel's Captain America: Civil War and then go on to star in a solo-effort from Sony.
It was also announced that the director assigned to that Sony project (due for release 28th July 2017) is another relative newcomer Jon Watts (Clown, Cop Car) - Civil War is being helmed by the Russo brothers (Joe and Anthony) and is released over a year earlier on 6th May 21016.
“It’s a big day here at Sony. Kevin, Amy and their teams have done an incredible job," said Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, in a statement. "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.”
“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," Amy Pascal added. "With Tom, we’ve found the perfect actor to bring Spider-Man’s story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
Holland also posted some timely videos on his Instagram account that showed him practicing some distinctly 'Spidey' moves...
