- Marvel (DIS +0.6%) and Sony (SNE +1.4%) have made their major casting decision for a high-stakes set of films by tapping English actor Tom Holland (The Impossible, Locke) as the latest Spider-Man.
- The move was an eagerly anticipated decision as the companies look to another reboot of the popular character (this time set in high school) for two stand-alone films in 2017 -- the first directed by Jon Watts, and set to bow July 28, 2017 -- as well as a debut appearance in Marvel's Captain America: Civil War.
- Spider-Man was previously portrayed by Tobey Maguire in three films directed by Sam Raimi, and Andrew Garfield in two Amazing Spider-Man films directed by Marc Webb.
- “For Spidey himself, we saw many terrific young actors, but Tom’s screen tests were special," says Sony's motion-picture chairman, Tom Rothman. "All in all, we are off to a roaring start."
- The move follows February's deal between Sony and Marvel to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel universe, a move long awaited by fans. Sony is hoping for a reinvigoration of the franchise after last year's Amazing Spider-Man 2 drew "only" $708M worldwide.