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:
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.