As fans have been patiently waiting for Tom Holland’s confirmation of his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the upcoming fourth installment of the Spider-Man franchise, it turns out the actor is gearing up for a West End performance of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.
The famous stage play has been cherished by fans all over the world, the testament of a timeless tale of love, betrayal, and sacrifice that survived for many centuries. Holland will take on the lead role of Romeo in the Jamie Lloyd Company production.
Tom Holland Joins West End For Romeo & Juliet Stage Performance
Tom Holland announced his upcoming project on Instagram with a poster of himself and a short video clip advertising to the fans to sign up now for a chance to watch him perform at the Duke of York’s Theatre.
Romeo & Juliet will run from May 11, 2024 to August 3, 2024. So far, only Holland has been cast for the production. Director Jamie Lloyd stated:
“Tom Holland is one of the greatest, most exciting young actors in the world. It is an honour to welcome him back to the West End.”
The production is described by West End Theatre as “Jamie Lloyd’s pulsating new vision of Shakespeare’s immortal tale of wordsmiths, rhymers, lovers and fighters”.
The 27-year-old star is no stranger to theater. He made his stage debut as the lead role in Billy Elliot The Musical at the West End’s Victoria Palace Theatre. Soon after, Holland became known in the Hollywood arena as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
While many fans felt excited to see the actor venture into another project outside of the superhero realm, some definitely felt devastated as there has not been any official announcement on Holland’s return as Spider-Man.
Will Tom Holland Ever Return For Spider-Man 4?
The development of the upcoming Spider-Man 4 film has been delayed due to the writer’s strike last year, but Tom Holland confirmed in the latter part of 2023 that he has been actively engaging with Marvel executives about his possible return. He only has one condition in order for him to reprise the role (via Collider):
“I feel very protective over Spider-Man. I feel very, very lucky that we were able to work on a franchise that got better with each movie, that got more successful with each movie, which I think is really rare, and I want to protect his legacy. So, I won’t make another one for the sake of making another one. It will have to be worth the while of the character.”
Still, he is not closing his doors if the opportunity knocks, admitting that he “would be a fool not to put the suit back on again.” Well, it seems like fans have to wait a little longer again as Holland will become much busier in the coming days as he prepares for his stage performance in West End’s Romeo & Juliet.
Meanwhile, the Spider-Man trilogy is available to stream via Disney+.
