Spider-Man star Tom Holland is set to play the lead in season 1 of The Crowded Room, an anthology series from Apple and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman. Holland has quickly become one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood thanks to his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The British actor has now played Spider-Man is five movies, and just wrapped filming on Spider-Man: No Way Home. The busty actor has also appeared in Chaos Walking and Cherry in 2021 and will star in the video game adaptation Uncharted next year.
Cherry showed off Holland’s dramatic range, with the actor taking on more mature material as a veteran who becomes addicted to drugs due to PTSD and is forced into robbing banks to survive. The movie was helmed by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo and released to mixed reviews on Apple TV+, though many praised Holland’s performance. After a punishing filming and promotional schedule, the actor recently said he’d be taking a break from shooting for a while, but that clearly hasn’t stopped him from lining up future projects once his break is over.
Apple TV+ has announced Holland has signed on for his first major American TV series. He’ll lead The Crowded Room, a series developed and written by the Academy Award-winning Goldsman (Star Trek: Picard, A Beautiful Mind). The show is described as “a gripping anthology series that will explore the true and inspirational stories of those who have struggled, and learned to successfully live with, mental illness.” Season 1 of The Crowded Room will run for 10 episodes and adapt the real-life story of Billy Milligan (Holland), the first man to be acquitted of a crime due to what’s now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder. Goldsman is adapting the biography The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes and will executive produce alongside Holland.
The description of the role hints Holland is going to have to stretch his acting muscles even further in The Crowded Room. Milligan committed some horrific crimes and was acquitted of them as they were performed by two different personalities without his knowledge. The part will likely require Holland to inhabit at least three very different personalities for the role, which will really push his range. Holland’s role in Cherry has probably best prepared him for this, with the actor deftly portraying the same man at wildly different times in his life.
Holland’s casting is also interesting as it will be his first prestige U.S. TV series. He starred in the historical BBC drama Wolf Hall, but he will lead this show, and it will certainly be a much more high profile effort. It also signals a shift in the types of roles Holland is taking on after spending the better part of his career in blockbusters. It’s a good move for the actor, as the series description for The Crowded Room makes it clear Holland will be able to show off his full range in the role.
