When Tom Holland makes his debut as Peter Parker in this summer's Captain America: Civil War, he'll be playing a different kind of cinematic Spider-Man than predecessors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, according to directors Joe and Anthony Russo — one that's more in tune with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"We took a very personal approach to the character," Joe Russo told ComicBook.com, going on to say that Spider-Man was his favorite superhero as a kid. "We had thought back to the things that excited us about him as a character when we were younger, and one of the most important components of that was that he's a high schooler burdened with incredible powers and responsibility. That really differentiates him from every other character in the Marvel universe as opposed to other superheroes."
To that end, Russo went on, it was necessary to cast a younger actor in the role. "The previous films had adults playing a high schooler. We wanted more of an authenticity to the casting. We were very specific about that," he said.
Also important, Russo told ComicBook.com, was bringing a contemporary edge to the character's surroundings. "You go look at the home that Tobey Maguire lived in in Raimi’s Spider-Man was... those were very expensive homes," he said. "A character growing up with his aunt in New York, a single income family… Where would they live? What would that look like? Where could they afford to live? We asked ourselves all those questions. We try to take a very logical and realistic and naturalistic approach to the character."
But while the directors were willing to tease their approach to the character, they were far more guarded when talking about when fans will get their first chance to see the new Spider-Man. Asked if he will be seen in trailers or pre-release merchandise for Captain America: Civil War, Anthony Russo was firm in his lack of answer. "We really can't comment on that," he said.