Teenage actor Tom Holland, best known for starring in ‘Billy Elliot the Musical’, will impersonate Peter Parker aka Spider-Man in the next film of the popular franchise, based on the Marvel comic character.
Holland, 19, has been chosen by Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios after a full worldwide casting search.
‘Spider-Man’, to be directed by ‘Cop Car’ helmer Jon Watts, will hit theatres in IMAX and 3D on July 28, 2017.
Before the young actor, the fascinating superhero was played by Tobey Maguire in the original ‘Spider-Man’ films and Andrew Garfield in the reboot series, titled ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, respectively.
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.
Watts also went through multiple meetings with Feige, Pascal, and the studio, before winning the job.
“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,” said Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, said, “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.”
Pascal called Holland the perfect choice for the titular role.
“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 instalment of the Spider-Man franchise.
‘Spider-Man’ is said to the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films apparently having taken in more than USD 4 billion worldwide.
Source: PTI
