Tom Holland is the new Spider-Man, but it wasn't a quick path to the iconic role. For months, there have been reports of various actors in his age group up for the part, and an article published Tuesday by The Hollywood Reporter shed further insight into the process.

Though it's yet to be officially confirmed, it's widely expected that Holland will debut as Spidey in next year's "Captain America: Civil War," before starring in his own 2017 film, to be released as a joint production between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios. To help prep for the "Civil War" role, THR reports that Holland screen tested with both Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans -- the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Iron Man and Captain America who will head up opposite sides of the "Civil War" divide. The article states that Downey tested with multiple actors, but Holland was the only who also tested separately with Evans.

While it was a long casting process for the high-profile role, THR states that it came together quickly -- with Holland notified in the past 24 hours, and a decision made just week. The outlet reports that he is signed on for "at least" three movies, not counting "Civil War."

Along with the news that Holland will play Spider-Man, Jon Watts was officially announced as the director of the 2017 Spidey solo film. He's a relative newcomer with a background in comedy; his feature film debut, "Cop Car," is scheduled for release on Aug. 7. THR states that Watts was "handpicked" by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, and compares the choice to "Jurassic World" director Colin Trevorrow, whose only prior feature film credit was low-budget indie "Safety Not Guaranteed." Despite being something of a gamble, "Jurassic World" has proved to be extremely successful, passing the $1 billion mark in 13 days.

"Captain America: Civil War" is scheduled for release on May 6, 2016; Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man" solo film is scheduled for July 28, 2017.