Moments ago, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures unveiled the star and director of the forthcoming Spider-Man standalone film. Sliding into the director's chair is Jon Watts, whose Sundance-approved thriller Cop Car will be available later this year. As you might have guessed, the new Spider-Man will sadly not be Donald Glover — with the esteemed title instead going to Tom Holland:
In a statement, Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman expressed understandable excitement regarding the announcement — the result of a long and much-discussed vetting process:
"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."
The announcement comes in the wake of two compellingly disparate bits of news involving Marvel — both within the last month. Leaked documents outlined the very specific guidelines any future incarnations of the Spider-Man movie franchise must follow — including the fact that Peter Parker must be heterosexual and white. Shortly after, news broke that Miles Morales — the biracial star of the Ultimate offshot series — would officially become the new Spider-Man when the original comic book series is relaunched later this year.
The non-Tobey Maguire, non-Andrew Garfield, non-Donald GloverSpider-Man swings into theaters via IMAX, 3D, and standard viewing experiences on July 28, 2017.
