Sony and Marvel unveil new Spider-Man star and director

Tom Holland
(Image credit: Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)

The identity of our newest friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has finally arrived. After a fairly exhaustive casting effort, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios revealed Tuesday that Tom Holland will be the next actor to play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the upcoming reboot of the franchise, which will hit theaters in July 2017. The up-and-coming Jon Watts, who helmed Cop Car, will direct.

Producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal took interest in Holland after his impressive performances in a series of "complex" screen tests, as well as in series like Wolf Hall and films like The Impossible and In the Heart of the Sea, which premieres this December.

Spider-Man's five films have grossed more than $4 billion worldwide, making it Sony's most successful franchise.

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