British actor Tom Holland has been cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the next Spider-Man film.
Holland, 19, began his career appearing in Billy Elliot The Musical in London’s West End from 2008 to 2010. He has since notched up roles in films including 2012’s The Impossible and this year’s forthcoming In The Heart Of The Sea starring Chris Hemsworth. Earlier this year Holland was also seen in BBC Two’s Wolf Hall, in which he played Gregory Cromwell.
Marvel and Sony, who are working jointly on the next Spider-Man film, confirmed Holland’s casting earlier today (June 23). They also announced that Jon Watts, director of forthcoming thriller Cop Car starring Kevin Bacon, has been hired to direct the next Spider-Man film, which will be another franchise reboot.
Marvel’s Kevin Feige said in a press statement: “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 Amy 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.”
Following a landmark deal made between Sony Pictures and Marvel in February, Spider-Man’s next big-screen appearance will be in an upcoming Marvel film. Which one has yet to be announced, but it is widely expected that the new Spider-Man will make his screen debut in May 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.
The webslinger will then star in the next instalment of Sony’s Spider-Man series, which is set for release on July 28, 2017. For the first time, Marvel’s president Kevin Feige will serve as a producer on one of Sony’s Spider-Man films, working alongside Sony’s Amy Pascal, a veteran of the studio’s Spider-Man movies.
Feige revealed in April that the new Spider-Man will be a “15- or 16-year-old” Peter Parker. Before Holland was cast, other actors rumoured to be in contention for the role included Charlie Plummer, who has appeared in Boardwalk Empire; Judah Lewis, who will appear in the forthcoming Point Break remake; Charlie Rowe, whose screen credits include recently axed US sitcom Red Band Society; Matt Lintz, who will be seen in this summer’s Pixels, and Hugo/Ender’s Game star Asa Butterfield.