The search for the new webslinger finally came to an end when Marvel officially announced British actor Tom Holland as the new "Spider-man".
Considering the shoes to fill left by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, the selection of the new Peter Parker was not an easy task for lead casting director Sarah Finn (who also worked on several Marvel movies). And with Spidey's anticipated debut in Captain America: Civil War, which is already set in production, the clock was ticking for the casting crew.
After seeing more than 1,500 potential actors, Hollywood Reporter said that the list was narrowed down to Holland, Asa Butterfield, Judah Lewis, Matthew Lintz, Charlie Plummer, and Charlie Rowe. All the actors were between the ages of 14 and 19 in order to look like the high school Peter Parker.
During the tests in Atlanta, former-Sony-chief-turned-producer Amy Pascal and Marvel Studios Chief Kevin Feige worked with Iron Man lead Robert Downey Jr. in the selection process. Because Iron Man was set to share a couple of scenes with Spider-Man in Civil War, they needed the actor to have chemistry with RDJ.
The selection was then narrowed down to Holland and Rowe. In order to select the lead actor, the producers held another screen test last June 8 with Captain America star Chris Evans. However, sources say that Holland was the only one who tested separately with Downey and Evans.
What's interesting is Marvel and Sony's goal to establish that Spider-Man is not alone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, Cinema Blend reported rumors that the 2017 Spider-Man movie will be titled as Spider-Man: The New Avenger, and would feature RDJ in a supporting role. And considering the fact that the webslinger's first appearance is in another Avenger's movie, the rumors are not that impossible to happen.
As of now, it is officially confirmed that Captain America: Civil War will premiere on May 6, 2016, and the untitled Spider-Man movie on July 28, 2017.
