After months of searching, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have finally chosen the actor and the director that will bring the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And as the House of Ideas tends to do with their big screen adaptations of their beloved comic book characters, the choices are quite surprising.

In an announcement on Marvel.com today, Marvel and Sony revealed that English actor Tom Holland will star in the currently untitled Spidey reboot. Known for his work on ‘The Impossible’, ‘Wolf Hall’, and Ron Howard’s upcoming film ‘In the Heart of the Sea’ starring Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy, Holland is rumored to have beat out the likes of Asa Butterfield, Chandler Riggs, and Charlie Rowe through “a series of complex screen tests” to win the role of a young, high school-aged Peter Parker. Prior to starring in the web-slinger’s July 28, 2017 solo film, it’s said that Holland will make his MCU debut in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ next year.

As for the director, up and coming filmmaker Jon Watts will be helming the new creative direction for the Spider-Man series. With only a few credits to his name, Watts made a splash earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival with his upcoming thriller ‘Cop Car.’ He won the job over an impressive list of prospects that supposedly included Drew Goddard, Jonathan Levine, Ted Melfi, and more.

Sony Pictures Group Chairman Tom Rothman sang the praises of the newest additions to the next installment of their $4 billion film franchise in the press release:

“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.  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.”

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige also weighed in by comparing Watts to his company’s impressive roster of fresh voices and rising stars behind the camera of such hits as ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, and ‘The Avengers’:

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

What do you think about Tom Holland starring as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Spider-Man? Are you confident in Jon Watts’ abilities as he takes Peter Parker back to high school? Sound off in the comments.