Andrew Garfield out as Spider-Man to be relaunched as teen

BURBANK, Calif., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A day after Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios announced they would be collaborating on upcoming Spider-Man films, details are already emerging about early ideas for the direction of the franchise's third reboot in less than 20 years.

Although Sony has yet to release an official statement confirming the casting change, both Variety and The Wrap are reporting 31-year-old Andrew Garfield is out as the titular web-slinger, as the studios look to go younger, bringing Spider-Man back to high school.

CONFIRMED: Andrew Garfield is NO LONGER Spider-Man. Someone new will be cast. First appearance in MCU, then solo film.

— Linda Ge (@lindazge) February 10, 2015

Citing "sources with knowledge ofthe studio's plans," Variety reports, "The plan is to spend more time in the setting and explore his awkward relationship with other students while fighting crime out of the classroom. Midtown [High] is a major setting in the comic books, and Peter Parker also returns to the school to become a science teacher in storylines."

Marvel and Sony plan to introduce the new Spider-Man in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, before relaunching the character's own series of films for the third time.