Tom Holland is Spider-Man

Spider-Man is finally going to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his own standalone film on July 28, 2017 and will more than likely play a role in Captain America: Civil War on May 6, 2016. The Spider-Man reboot will be directed by Jon Watts, who made Clown and Cop Car. What everybody really wants to know, however, is who’s going to star as Spidey. That honor goes to 19-year-old Tom Holland, who previously played Naomi Watts’ son in The Impossible. Marvel stated:

“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.”

Feige noted, “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 also said, “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.”

Previously, Spider-Man/Peter Parker was portrayed by Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s blockbuster trilogy from 2002-2007 and Andrew Garfield in Mark Webb’s attempted reboot franchise from 2012-14. Audiences are still split on which of these actors played the web-slinger better. Some assert that the definitive Spider-Man is Maguire, who did a wonderful job at capturing Peter Parker’s dorky, humble side. Others have stood up for Garfield, who did an unappreciated job at capturing his wise-cracking, hipster side. Here’s hoping that Holland will encompass all of Peter Parker’s attributes to create the best on-screen Spider-Man yet. Worst case scenario: We’ll have to find a forth Spider-Man for another reboot in another couple years.