Hey guys, Jana here,

After much speculation and a worldwide casting search, Marvel and Sony Pictures can announce they have finally found not only their director, but their Peter Parker/Spider-Man for the upcoming Spider-Man film set to release on July 28, 2017.

Tom Holland won out for the role of the web-slinger after an incredibly extensive search by Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal who were both blown away by his performances in ‘The Impossible‘, ‘Wolf Hall‘ and the yet-to-be-released ‘In The Heart of the Sea‘. Not only did his highlight reel earn him big points, but the complex series of screen tests Feige and Pascal threw at him showed him to be the actor they hoped for.

To direct Holland and bring the newly imagined world to life the studio chose Jon Watts. Watts, like Holland, was tested and went through multiple meetings with, not only Feige and Pascal, but the studio as well. Watts is not new to the entertainment world, his experience has been limited to webisodes for The Onion, a few shorts and TV movies but he wrote and directed ‘Cop Car‘ starring a very pissed off Kevin Bacon, the trailer looks phenomenal, you can check that out here.

The Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, Tom Rothman had this to say, “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. 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.” 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.” Pascal chimed in with ““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.”

The new film will release on July 28, 2017 and be available in IMAX theaters and 3D.

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