Spiderman star Tom Holland is set to return to London’s West End for his first major theatre role since his childhood stage debut in Billy Elliot: The Musical in 2008.

Holland, who has been in a long-term relationship with Dune actor Zendaya, is set to portray Shakespeare’s titular doomed romantic lead, Romeo, in director Jamie Lloyd’s new production of Romeo & Juliet, which will run at the Duke of York theatre for 12 weeks.

Unsurprisingly, Holland's fans are waiting in their thousands today to buy tickets to see their leading man as the leading man.

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In a statement, Lloyd described Holland as ‘one of the greatest, most exciting young actors in the world’ and said ‘it is an honour to welcome him back to the West End’.

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The news comes after London native Holland announced last year that he was taking a break from acting after starring in last year's Apple TV+ series The Crowded Room, a psychological thriller in which the protagonist Holland portrayed was eventually diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, or Multiple Personality Disorder.

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Confirming his hiatus in an interview, Holland, who also produced The Crowded Room, said the role found him ‘exploring certain emotions that I have definitely never experienced before’, while the off-camera responsibilities had added an ‘extra level of pressure’.

‘I’m now taking a year off, and that is a result of how difficult this show was. I am excited to see how it turns out. I feel like our hard work wasn't in vain.’

Lloyd, who last year directed Taylor Russell and Paapa Essiedu in a revival of Lucy Prebble’s play The Effect at the National Theatre, is known for his commitment to making theatre more accessible and affordable for younger audiences. For Romeo & Juliet, 10,000 tickets will be priced at £25 and under, with 5,000 of these exclusively reserved for those under the age of 30, key workers and those receiving government benefits.

Tickets for Romeo & Juliet are available to buy from midday on February 13 (or 8am if you signed up for priority booking). Prices start from £25.

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Naomi May
Acting News Editor

Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.