Tom Holland is the New Spider-Man and Will be Directed by Jon Watts

Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have announced that, following a lengthy casting process, actor Tom Holland (The Impossible, In the Heart of the Sea) will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in their next Spider-Man film, which is set to hit theaters on July 28. 2017. In addition, director Jon Watts, director of the upcoming thriller Cop Car, will helm the feature.

Marvel and Sony Pictures, and producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal conducted an extensive search for both the actor and the director. The studios and producers were impressed by Holland’s performances in The Impossible, “Wolf Hall,” and the upcoming In the Heart of the Sea, and by a series of complex screen tests. Following Marvel’s tradition of working with the brightest next wave of directors, Watts also went through multiple meetings with Feige, Pascal, and the studio, before winning the job.

“It’s a big day here at Sony. Kevin, Amy and their teams have done an incredible job,” Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, said. “The Marvel process is very thorough, and that’s why their results are so outstanding. 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.”

“As with James Gunn, Joss Whedon, and the Russo brothers, we love finding new and exciting voices to bring these characters to life,” Kevin Feige added “We spent a lot of time with Jon and find his take and work inspiring.”

Amy Pascal added, “Sony, Marvel, Kevin and I all knew that for Peter Parker, we had to find a vibrant, talented young actor capable of embodying one of the most well-known characters in the world. With Tom, we’ve found the perfect actor to bring Spider-Man’s story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

Sony Pictures will finance and release worldwide the next installment of the $4 billion Spider-Manfranchise, in a film co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the Web-Slinger.

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Tips for Playing Batman: Arkham Knight

Even if you’re a ninja billionaire with a massive underground cave, diving into a beefy title likeBatman: Arkham Knight can be daunting. Think of Kotaku as your Alfred, delivering helpful info to your pointy ears. Read our tips, Master Bruce, and woe betide anyone who stands in your way.

As the third game in developer Rocksteady Studios’ long-running superhero series, Batman: Arkham Knight comes laden with a ton of new and old gameplay mechanics. Players will have lots of new gadgets, martial arts moves and plot points to keep up with. Consult the list of ideas to make the most of the Dark Knight’s latest video game outing.

The newest Batman game caps off a trilogy that started way back in 2009 with Arkham Asylum. (Arkham Origins doesn’t count as it was a prequel made by a different studio.) Even if you’ve played Asylum and its sequel Arkham City, you may not remember every detail or secondary character that moves through the plot. Hit up a wiki and re-familiarize yourself with the plots of the preceding games. No shame in that. Not everyone has time to replay that stuff!

Gotham City Is Dark. Make Sure You Can See.

Arkham Knight is a super-detailed game but it’s also a very dark one. In your rush to play, don’t forget to adjust your brightness settings. Doing so will make a big difference in what you’re able to pick out in the environment, which can be crucial when navigating in stealth or combat.You’ll also want to toggle subtitles on, so you don’t miss the best bits of dialogue.

The Batmobile Takes Some Getting Used To

It doesn’t handle like a normal video game car. Buttons that you expect to do things like braking actually launch weapons. It’s a good idea to run through the Batmobile tutorials that teach you how to use the Dark Knight’s ride a few times to get a feel for the car/tank hybrid.

Environmental Puzzles Involving the Batmobile Will Be a Pain in the Butt

Sometimes, you’ll need to remotely control Batman’s car so he can use its weapons or tools to get out of a tight spot. But figuring out exactly where you need to go can be a nuisance. One clue: if you see ramps or big movable platforms, you’re probably looking at an area that the Batmobile needs to get to.

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