In the last decade, we've had three actors come in and paly Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but Marvel is confident that the latest film "Spider-Man: Homecoming," which is top billed by up and coming actor Tom Holland, would renew fans' love for the franchise.
Toby Maguire played the role in three "Spider-Man" movies, while Andrew Garfield took on the role in two "The Amazing Spider-Man" movies. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is a reboot of sorts, focusing on the younger version of the hero.
Speaking at San Diego Comic Con 2016, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that the goal of reintroducing Spider-Man as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was to have "people leave the theater saying 'I love that Spider-Man. I wanna see more of him.'" This goal was achieved when Holland's Spider-Man made a cameo appearance in "Captain America: Civil War".
"The next step is making a great Spider-Man: Homecoming and a great film that showcases Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and makes everybody fall in love with him all over again," Collider quoted Feige as saying.
When asked if Feige intends to keep Peter Parker in high school in the sequels, he shared that he's taking cues from the "Harry Potter" franchise, particularly with respect to what the students go through in each year of school.
When fans meet Peter in "Spider-Man: Homecoming," he will be in his sophomore year. It would be interesting to see the character's development on an annual basis, instead of fast-forward his growth as seen in the previous "Spider-Man" films.
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" distinguishes from the other MCU movies in the sense that it's a superhero movie set in high school, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Unlike the grander, more grown-up Marvel movies, director Jon Watts described the new "Spider-Man" flick as offering a ground-level view of the superhero universe. Basically, it goes back to its comic book roots, showing a teenager juggling between school and fighting crime. It's not an origin story, unlike its predecessors. Much of its meat will focus on the character's growth and his future with respect to the entire MCU.
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" release date is on July 7, 2017.