British Actor Tom Holland Is the New Spider-Man

Sony/Columbia(NEW YORK) — Marvel announced Tuesday that a new actor will be stepping into Spider-Man’s suit — Tom Holland.

The British actor, known for playing the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical, will follow in the footsteps of Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire on the big screen.

In a release posted to Marvel.com, Sony Pictures and Marvel stated, “Tom Holland will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the next Spider-Man film, in theaters in IMAX and 3D on July 28, 2017. The film will be directed by Jon Watts.”

The release continued, “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.”

This is a huge break for a 19-year-old actor who’s first credit on IMDB dates back to just 2010.

As for director Watts, Marvel producer Kevin Feige said, “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.”

The release did not comment on whether or not Spider-Man will be featured in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War — in the comics, he’s a main character caught in the middle of a major showdown between Captain America and Iron Man.

In February, Marvel announced that after years on the big screen, Spider-Man was coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, meaning he could join franchises like The Avengers.

While Spidey has always been a Marvel character, a 13-year-old licensing deal had allowed only Sony to release movies featuring the web-slinger.

The new deal will let Spidey join Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk and his fellow Avengers on the big screen for the first time.

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