Tom Holland already has a new home at Sony Pictures after the success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and his next project there is a thriller called Penthouse. Sony pre-emptively picked up the original idea earlier this week, and it has been developed from the ground up as a starring vehicle for Holland.
The project comes from Drew Pearce, the writer behind Iron Man 3, who is writing the script. Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, so all that is known is the genre and the fact that the story was built with Holland in mind.
Tom Holland Is Shaping Penthouse Behind The Scenes Too
Holland is doing more than just showing up on set for this one. He and his partners at Billy17, his brother Harry Holland and Will South, are producing, and the trio is said to have played an instrumental role in developing the project alongside Pearce. Pearce is also producing through his company Point of No Return, while Ian Fisher serves as executive producer.
Billy17 has a producing deal with Sony, and Penthouse is the latest sign that the studio wants to keep Holland busy well outside of Peter Parker's suit. The production company was set up by the Holland brothers and South to develop projects for the actor to star in, and this is one of the clearest examples yet of that plan in action.
No director has been officially announced. There has been some chatter online that Pearce could direct as well as write, but that has not been confirmed, so it is best to treat it as unverified until Sony says otherwise.
Drew Pearce Knows His Way Around Big Action
Pearce is a familiar name for Marvel fans. Along with co-writing Iron Man 3 with Shane Black, he co-wrote the screenplay for Hobbs & Shaw, and he penned The Fall Guy, the Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action comedy from David Leitch. He also wrote and directed Hotel Artemis, the 2018 crime thriller starring Jodie Foster and Sterling K. Brown, which took place almost entirely inside one building.
His next big credit is the new take on The Thomas Crown Affair, which stars and is directed by Michael B. Jordan and is scheduled for March 2027. A thriller set inside a penthouse would fit right in with his track record of slick, contained action and heist stories, though that is speculation until the logline is revealed.
A Busy Stretch For Holland
Holland is coming off one of the biggest runs of his career. Spider-Man: Brand New Day crossed $2 billion at the global box office, making it one of the most successful films in Sony's Spider-Man history, and he also had a key role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.
He is also lined up for Sony's long-gestating Fred Astaire biopic, which will see him play the legendary dancer opposite Margaret Qualley, Sabrina Carpenter and Talia Ryder. Penthouse adds a very different kind of project to that slate, and an original one at that, which is a rarity for an actor of his profile right now.
Sony moving quickly to buy the idea before it went out to other studios says a lot about how much the studio values Holland after Brand New Day. Pre-emptive buys like this usually happen when a studio does not want to risk a bidding war, and pairing one of its biggest stars with the writer of several major action hits is an easy package to get excited about.
What Comes Next
There is no release window for Penthouse yet, and with no director attached and the script still being written, it is likely a while before cameras roll. Holland's schedule is also packed, so the timing will depend on when he can fit it in between his other commitments, including whatever comes next for his take on Spider-Man.
For now, Penthouse joins the Fred Astaire film as one of two big Sony projects with Holland's name on them outside of the web-slinger. Once a director is set and casting starts to fill out, the story should start to come into focus.
Are you excited to see Tom Holland lead an original thriller from the writer of Iron Man 3 and The Fall Guy?
Sound off with your thoughts in the comments below.