Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures announced that Tom Holland has officially been cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the next big-screen film that will be directed by Jon Watts.

Holland is known for his lead role in Billy Elliot the Musical in London, as well as starring in The Impossible (2012), and the upcoming In the Heart of the Sea. The young actor passed a series of screen tests, as well as meetings with producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal, to earn himself the lead role.

"It's a big day here at Sony. Kevin, Amy and their teams have done an incredible job.  The Marvel process is very thorough, and that's why their results are so outstanding," Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group chairman, said. "I'm confident Spider-Man will be no exception. I've worked with a number of up-and-coming directors who have gone on to be superstars and believe that Jon is just such an outstanding talent. For Spidey himself, we saw many terrific young actors, but Tom's screen tests were special. All in all, we are off to a roaring start."

It was previously rumored that actor Asa Butterfield would get the role after the Hugo star teased that he was cast on Reddit.

Pascal said that the team needed to find a "vibrant, talented young actor capable of embodying one of the most well-known characters in the world."

Watts (who doesn't yet have a Wikipedia page!) is the director behind the thriller Cop Car starring Kevin Bacon that debuted at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Sony Pictures will release the latest film in the Spider-Man franchise on July 28, 2017.

Photo: Marvel