Spider-Man actor Tom Holland is having a pretty bad week when it comes to upcoming movie projects. A British actor and dancer, Tom Holland’s Hollywood career began back in 2013 when he performed in The Impossible, a drama featuring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. When he heard that Marvel was recasting Spider-Man for the MCU, he immediately rang his agent - and to his surprise, Marvel had already heard of him.
Holland faced a lot of competition for the part of Spider-Man, with over 7,000 actors trying for Peter Parker and a shortlist included names like Nat Wolff, Asa Butterfield, Logan Lerman and Dylan O’Brien. Still, according to Sony’s Amy Pascal, Holland was a frontrunner from the very first audition. The quality of his performance won him the role, and he swiftly became a fan-favorite. In true Spider-Man fashion, Holland has shown the agility to use the MCU to launch a superstar career, including a starring role in Sony Pictures’ production of video game adaptation Uncharted.
And then, this week, everything has seemed to go wrong for poor Tom Holland. It all began with shocking reports that the partnership between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures had fallen through - which essentially means that Spider-Man will be leaving the MCU. Holland’s time as an Avenger is officially over, and he now stands at the center of a major controversy in the fanbase. Making matters worse, director Dan Trachtenberg has just announced that he’s leaving Uncharted, the latest director to depart from the project.
Of course, all these events are entirely beyond Tom Holland’s control. Disney had taken charge of the Spider-Man negotiations between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, and they reportedly pushed for a tough renegotiation where they wanted to split the Spider-Man costs and profits 50/50. Sony’s Tom Rothman has a reputation for fiscal prudence, and he chose to walk away instead. Meanwhile, there’s currently no information about why Trachtenberg left Uncharted, but it may be linked to a general shake-up at Sony. Sony’s new PlayStation Productions unit has taken over Uncharted, and it will become their first feature production.
The good news for Tom Holland is that, while both Spider-Man and Uncharted are facing unexpected turbulence, he’s still signed up for both. There are reports that Holland is contracted for two more Spider-Man films, while he remains in place as the star of Uncharted. Hopefully, it won’t be long before both projects stabilize, and Holland can breathe a sigh of relief.
More: Spider-Man’s Exit From Marvel Studios Explained: Why It Happened & Who’s To Blame
