WhenCaptain America: Civil Warhits theaters next year, it will not only mark the first entry inMarvel’sPhase Three, but it will also feature the debut ofSpider-Manin theMarvel Cinematic Universe. While very little is known about Spidey’s appearance inCaptain America: Civil War, it will set the stage for a new reboot, starringTom Hollandas Peter Parker. While doing press for his new dramaIn the Heart of the Sea, in theaters tomorrow,Tom Hollandreveals details of the lengthy process of landing his role of a lifetime, in an interview withThe Daily Beast. He then goes onto call the movie the biggest independent movie ever made.
The actor revealed that he called his agent after hearing the news aboutSpider-Man, and said he wanted to submit an audition tape, when he learned that the studio had actually requested him to send in a tape. The actor was filming the indie dramaBackcountryat the time, and he submitted an audition tape with the help of that film’s co-starJoel Kinnaman. After doing two sets of self-tapes, he moved on to another film, Pilgrimage, where he enlisted the help of another co-star,Jon Bernthal, to submit even more self-tapes. After sending in a total of five audition videos, the actor finally met with casting director Sarah Finn for an in-person audition. Here’s what the actor had to say about his screen tests with two of the MCU’s biggest stars.
“I went to Sarah Finn’s office and did a reading with her, and after that I got asked to screen-test. I did two-one with RDJ,Robert Downey Jr., who was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a cooler guy. And the second test was withChris Evans, and it was pretty awesome and kind of surreal for me. We had to do a movement test and then I said, ‘Can I just demonstrate some of the things that I can do?’ and they all were a little unsure of what I was talking about, and then I did a series of backflips and landed on the X, and was like, ‘Thank you!’ and then just left.”
After his screen tests, the actor began the “waiting game,” calling his agent every day to see if there were any updates, to no avail. Surprisingly,Tom Hollandactually learned about his casting online, before he got any official word from the studio. After confirming with his agent, the actor reveals he got a call from studio presidentKevin Feige.
“I was having this terrible day and I went home and was scrolling through Instagram, and I saw Marvel had posted a photo ofSpider-Manwith the message, ‘We have cast the new Spider-Man! Go to our website to see who it is.’ I learned about it online with everybody else, and I just went bananas. Then I got a phone call from [Marvel honcho]Kevin Feige, who said, ‘I just want you to know that we’ve cast you asSpider-Man,’ and I thought, ‘I know! I already saw it online.’ But he was very nice and welcoming.”
The news ofTom Holland’s casting was paired with with the announcement of the reboot’s newdirector,Jon Watts(Cop Car). In July, the filmmaker compared his take to aJohn Hughesversion of Spidey, confirming that Peter Parker will be in high school. While he wouldn’t divulge any specific details,Tom Hollandrevealed that this version won’t be a dark superhero adventure, like Warner Bros.‘The Dark Knight, while calling it the biggest independent film ever.
“It’s notThe Dark Knight. One of the special things about what we’re going to try and create is that you’re going to see the biggest independent film ever. It’s not going to be an epic thing; it’s going to be a film surrounded by these incredible things, but that follows this boy and his life. Peter Parker is a favorite of many because everyone can relate to him, and we’re going to attempt to make everyone relate to our Peter Parker. AndJohn Hughesis a perfect example of what we’re going to try and do.”
John Francis DaleyandJonathan M. Goldstein(Vacation) are currently working on theSpider-Manscript, but it isn’t known when production will begin on the reboot. When asked if there was any sort of “initiation” he had to go through, now that he’s part of the MCU, the actor said there was a “process” he went through, but it would spoilCaptain America: Civil War. Here’s what he had to say.
“It’s a secret! No, there was one process that I went through-which I can’t tell you about right now, because it would give some stuff away-but the thing about shooting Civil War is it made me so, so excited to start shootingSpider-Man. And I’ve got to wait so long until we start shooting… But it’s soon. It’s close. And I’m ready.”
TheSpider-Manreboot will be produced by both Marvel’sKevin FeigeandAmy Pascal, who oversawThe Amazing Spider-Manand its sequel as the head of Sony Pictures, before stepping down to work as a producer. Do you thinkTom Hollandwill bring this beloved character to new heights on the big screen? Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for more onSpider-Man.
