Since the new version of Spider-Man was announced, it was clear Marvel was looking for a younger actor who would portray a high school-aged Peter Parker, and Tom has beaten fellow Brits Charlie Rowe and Asa Butterfield to the role, after a world-wide casting search.
Marvel and Sony Pictures, and producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal conducted an extensive search for the new Spider-man and the studios and producers were impressed by Holland’s performances in The Impossible, Wolf Hall, and the upcoming In the Heart of the Sea, and by a series of complex screen tests.
Sony Chairman commented "For Spidey himself, we saw many terrific young actors, but Tom’s screen tests were special."
Pascal 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.”
Tom (represented in the UK by Curtis Brown) is from Kingston-upon-Thames, and is the son of comedian Dominic Holland, he started his acting career aged 12 when he spent nearly two years playing Billy Elliot in the West End.
The new film is due out July 2017.