Tom Holland cast as the newest Spider-Man!

(Photo: Marvel / Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images North America)

For the third time in the past 13 years, we will see yet another young actor take on the mantle of the iconic character Spider-Man onscreen. After Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, 19-year-old Tom Holland (The Impossible) has been cast by Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios to play young Peter Parker in the next stage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Captain America: Civil War and an additional stand-alone film.

A new director, Jon Watts (Cop Car), has been named for the next Spider-Man film releasing on June 28, 2017. This is a new direction for the web-slinger who will receive the cinematic reboot for the third time. The Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst grossed nearly $2.5 billion worldwide.  The 2012 reboot directed by Marc Webb and its 2014 sequel took Parker back to high school with British actor Andrew Garfield and a new/old flame Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). While the pairing of Garfield-Stone worked mainly due their on and off screen chemistry, the films made half of what the first trilogy grossed.

Sony Pictures abandoned any further sequels planned and instead the character is now set to step into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and fight alongside the Avengers. This new move also means a new backstory for Peter Parker after he will be reintroduced in Captain America: Civil War. There's no doubt that Tom Holland is a fine young actor, but I'm hoping he will be able to stand out in the overly crowded Captain America sequel. As for the new Spider-Man film, I don't know how many times they can spin the same story over and over again, but I'm sure Hollywood will find a way to bring us to Peter Parker's journey into Spider-Man in theaters one more time. 

Spider-Man joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Now What?

The big news to reverberate among Hollywood and movie fans across the globe was the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, namely an old friend called Spider-Man.  It was announced today that Sony Pictures and Marvel reached a deal that would introduce Spider-Man next in a Marvel film, rumored to be the next installment of the Captain America films.  The web slinger would then appear in his own film on July 28, 2017 co-produced by the two studios.   

This indicates that Sony Pictures' Sinister Six plans have been scrapped and Andrew Garfield who played Spider-Man in the current reboots would no longer be a part of the upcoming films. This shakeup also means that Marvel's lineup of films gets pushed back a bit to accommodate Spidey. Thor: Ragnarok which was supposed to release on July 28, 2017, moves now to November 3, 2017.  We will have to wait until 2018 to see Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther which moves from November 3, 2017 to July 6, 2018.  And finally Captain Marvel moves from July 6, 2018 to November 2, 2018 and Inhumans from November 2, 2018 to July 12, 2019.

This agreement was reached after Sony Pictures' many troubles (the hacking scandal, The Interview's release hullabaloo and studio head Amy Pascal's recent exit) and points towards a regrouping within. Pairing up with Marvel (and in effect, Disney) is wise as each of their superhero films has proven itself at the box office. Even Guardians of the Galaxy, essentially a non-popular franchise, was the top grosser last summer and scored on all pop culture fronts (clever lines, '80s nostalgia and a rocking soundtrack). Spider-Man is one of the most beloved, and relatable, comic book superheros in the world and allowing the character to join the world, nay the galaxy's biggest, superheroes in the Avengers is eventually going to pay off.

As long as Spidey gets his own film (and baddies to fight against!), I'm happy. He's been left a very dark place at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. What do you guys think? Is it a yay or a nay on Spider-Man finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe?