Spider-Man re-casted for Sony, Marvel reboot

It was announced earlier this year Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios would be teaming to reboot the Spider-Man franchise. Today, they made a joint announcement to reveal they’ve found their new web-slinger as well as the person who will be calling the shots behind the camera. Peter Parker will be played by Tom Holland and the yet-to-be-named new adventure will be directed by Jon Watts.

If these names don’t sound familiar, don’t worry you’re not missing anything. Holland is an English actor who most recently appeared in the BBC mini-series, Wolf Hall, and portrayed Naomi Watts’ son in 2012’s The Impossible. He’s best known for playing the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical in London. Apparently he really impressed everyone with his screen tests. He will replace Andrew Garfield, who played the superhero in the last two franchise pictures. Watts recently grabbed people’s attentions with his thriller, Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The partnership between Sony and Marvel came on the heels of Marvel announcing it would be introducing its comic mini-series Civil War in next year’s Captain America. Spider-Man plays a significant role in the storyline, so it’s likely he’ll make his debut in that film before appearing in his standalone picture set for release in IMAX and 3D on July 28, 2017. Marvel has already rearranged its 2017 slate to make room for the Spider-Man reboot.

Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, said “It’s a big day here at Sony. [Producers] Kevin [Feige], Amy [Pascal] 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.”

Produce Kevin Feige added, “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 has owned the feature film rights to the comic book character since 1999, when Marvel sold it to them for $7 million. Sony will continue to distribute, finance, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man movies.

Similar Posts

  • ‘It’ trailer may be too scary for audiences (Includes first-hand account)

    The remake of Stephen King’s It hit a significant roadblock in 2015 when writer/director Cary Fukunaga left the project due to differences regarding the film’s vision and budget. His departure delivered a major blow to those intrigued by his take on the story about a tightknit group of friends who take on an alien devourer as children — and then adults — in their small New England town. But New Line was determined to move ahead with the production. A couple of months later, they tapped director Andrés Muschietti, who made waves with his horror feature Mama, to take over the two-part film adaptation. This announcement was followed by the casting of Bill Skarsgård in the title role, a.k.a. Pennywise, which was originally played by Tim Curry. Recently, a series of disturbing photos featuring the otherworldly, evil clown were released. And now finally, the first trailer has arrived.

  • Review: ‘Captain America: Civil War’ delivers on the big things (Includes first-hand account)

    Even though the team found a way to put their differences aside, cracks in The Avengers‘ armour began to show in the last ensemble film. Superheroes no longer exist in a world in which there are no consequences for their actions — Batman v Superman recently dealt with similar themes. But who gets to decide when and where they’re deployed? And if they disagree, whose decision has greater authority? There’s a fine line between regulation and control; and while one may appear essential to co-existence, the other is a significant and probable risk. Captain America: Civil War addresses these questions, dividing The Avengers into opposing factions.

  • Legendary screen villain & horror icon Christopher Lee dies at 93

    Sir Christopher Lee never truly embraced his title as a “horror legend,” but it’s probably safe to transpose that to “screen legend” — a label to which no one could object. The prolific actor’s IMDB page lists 281 acting credits, including a film completed last year and another set for release in 2016. It’s for this reason that in spite of his advanced age, many people may view the 93-year-old’s death over the weekend as a surprise. Lee passed away after being admitted to hospital with respiratory difficulties and heart failure.

  • Asgardian hero not having a good day in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ trailer (Includes first-hand account)

    It’s been four years since the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth) starred in a standalone film and he made his last big screen appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron two years ago. His absence from the Captain America: Civil War team-up has been explained via a couple of amusing YouTube videos. But Thor’s Australian vacation has ended and he’s returned to Asgard where he’s needed — and the teaser trailer for Thor: Ragnarok shows just how much.

  • Chris Cornell provides original song for Armenian genocide movie (Includes first-hand account)

    A great story has the ability to attract exceptional talent who are excited to contribute in any capacity. The Promise was an official selection at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and is set in 1914 during the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The film stars Academy Award winner Christian Bale and Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac, and is directed by Academy Award winner Terry George who also helmed Hotel Rwanda. And now it features a new original song by multi-Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Chris Cornell.

  • Peter Capaldi’s last season of ‘Doctor Who’ gets trailer (Includes first-hand account)

    It feels like only yesterday Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary, but a lifetime since season nine concluded in December 2015. Now the show is in a new phase of transition as both the 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and long-time showrunner Steven Moffat have announced the 10th season will be their last. The April 15th premiere is a little more than a month away and BBC America is ramping up its promotional campaign with the release of a one-minute official trailer.