Actor Rhys Ifans PIC: AP Photo/Misha Japaridze

Superhero fans will get their first glimpse of British actor Andrew Garfield as The Amazing Spider-Man tonight, with the 3D Hollywood blockbuster’s UK premiere kicking off in London’s Leicester Square.

The 28-year-old and co-stars including fellow Brit Rhys Ifans and American Emma Stone - Garfield’s girlfriend who also plays his love interest in the film - are due on the red carpet before the screening at the Odeon cinema.

Directed by Marc Webb, the franchise’s fourth instalment follows Peter Parker - the high school student who develops superpowers after being bitten by a radioactive spider - as he attempts to unravel the mystery of why his parents disappeared.

Garfield and Stone, 23, have become one of Hollywood’s hottest young couples after meeting on set.

Born to Anglo-American parents in the US but brought up in Surrey, Garfield first grabbed the British film industry’s attention with his portrayal of a young child killer in Boy A, for which he won a best actor TV Bafta in 2008.

But it was his role as Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in the 2010 film the Social Network that thrust him onto the international stage, yielding him several awards and nominations.

The Amazing Spider-Man opens in cinemas on July 3.