And Our New 'Spider-Man' Is...

Tom Holland is the new Andrew Garfield is the new Tobey Maguire. It was announced on Tuesday that Tom Holland will be playing Spider-Man in the next film, due in theaters on July 28, 2017. The movie will be directed by Jon Watts, whose film, Cop Car, debuted at Sundance this year. This will be the first Spidey fully integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so expect him to meet up with Iron Man, Captain America and the other Avengers in the future. Which is basically everything the fans have ever wanted to this point.

Marvel Studios Producer Kevin Feige expressed excitement over the new creative direction Watts' Spidey will bring to the screen: “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.” Amy Pascal of Sony Pictures added, “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 adorable, baby-faced Holland is indicative of a slightly different direction that the new franchise will be taking. Holland has previously starred opposite Naomi Watts in The impossible, and played Billy Elliot in Billy Elliot: The Musical on London's West End. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Marvel and Sony made it point to recast Peter Parker/aka Spider-Man as a teenager as the new series will be set entirely in high school."

Holland, just 19 years old, will go up with the franchise. The previous Spider-Men were cast way older, with Maguire starring in the first film at 26, while Garfield was 27. It will be fascinating to see how this particularly young Peter Parker will interact with his fellow Avengers, and how the high school angle will be heightened compared to the other two Spider-Man franchises.

Image: Sony