When Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hit cinemas in 2014, it was widely expected to be merely the latest installment in an ever-expanding web of Spidey-related cinematic efforts.
Garfield was expected to return for at least two more sequels, while the second movie laid the groundwork for a Sinister Six spin-off featuring some of the webslinger’s most iconic foes. There were also plans afoot for a Venom movie that would have been decidedly different to the Tom Hardy trilogy.
However, everything changed in February 2015 when Sony Pictures, the studio with the rights to Spider-Man and the various characters attached to the comics, struck a deal with Marvel Studios to share those rights and, in doing so, integrate Spider-Man into the highly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In doing so, it was decided that all of the plans surrounding Garfield’s version of Peter Parker and The Amazing Spider-Man sequels would be scrapped in favor of a fresh, new approach with Tom Holland cast in the central role as the world famous wall-crawler.
At that point it was widely assumed that Garfield, who had begun to explore more artistic endeavors such as the Martin Scorsese film Silence, was done playing the role of Park. However, things took another unexpected turn in 2021 with the film Spider-Man: No Way Home, which utilized the comic-book concept of multiverses to integrate both Garfield and previous incumbent Tobey Maguire’s versions of Spider-Man into an epic finale to the first trilogy of Holland movies.
The decision was viewed as a masterstroke, with No Way Home earning rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, and going on to not only become the highest grossing movie of 2021 but the sixth highest of all time.
While seeing the likes of Maguire and the likes of Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina returning as villains Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus was an obvious delight for many fans, for some, getting the chance to see Garfield back in a performance that allowed his version of Parker some sense of closure following the death of his girlfriend, Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy, in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, was the biggest pay-off
So much so, in fact, that rumors persist that Garfield may be given another shot at playing Spider-Man in the next Sony/Marvel installment in the franchise. Some of those rumors are down to the fact Holland appeared hesitant to resume the role, unless an intriguing premise was pitched.
In a 2021 interview with GQ to promote No Way Home, Holland said: ““Maybe it is time for me to move on. Maybe what’s best for Spider-Man is that they do a Miles Morales film. I have to take Peter Parker into account as well, because he is an important part of my life…If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong.”
Two years later, during a press conference with the Critics Choice Association, Holland appeared similarly coy on the subject of returning. “All I can say is that we have been actively engaging in conversations about what it could potentially look like for a fourth rendition of my character,” he said, as per Deadline.
“Whether or not we can find a way to do justice to the character is another thing. I feel very protective over Spider-Man. I feel very, very lucky that we were able to work on a franchise that got better with each movie, that got more successful with each movie, which I think is really rare, and I want to protect his legacy. So, I won’t make another one for the sake of making another one. It will have to be worth the while of the character.”
However, earlier this year, it appears Holland was finally convinced to sign on with Deadline reporting both he and Zendaya would be returning for an as-yet-untitled Spider-Man movie.
What was the pitch that convinced Holland to sign on for a new Spider-Man movie, due in 2026? The internet rumor mill appears convinced it will involve the return of Garfield and potentially Maguire in another multiverse outing.
Given the runaway success of the previous effort involving all three, Sony and Marvel would be forgiven for wanting to drink from that particular well again, especially with the latter enduring a relatively difficult run at the box office of late.
That might only be the beginning too, with some on the social media rumor mill claiming Garfield could be back for Spider-Man 4 and the next two Avengers movies.
Garfield, for his part, has been coy on the speculation.
“I mean, like the internet is a big place,” he told IndieWire in September 2024. “I think there’s a lot of people who will just say anything to get clicks. So you might have been duped, I’m afraid.”
However, it’s worth keeping in mind that Garfield was going around telling everyone he wasn’t in No Way Home prior to the film’s release. More importantly, despite those denials, in another notable media appearance Garfield appeared to actively leave the door open to a return.
Speaking in an interview with People, much like Holland before him, Garfield appeared to set out the ground rules for his return. “I think what it would take is a great idea, a great concept. Something that is surprising and odd and fun, joyful. It has to be worthwhile,” he said. “I think we had such a great time on that last one that you want to just go, “Okay. Leave it. It was great. It worked. It was a risk and it really, really worked.”
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It might well be that Garfield is sending a message to Sony and Marvel indicating that he is open to a return, provided it’s on the right terms. His version of Spider-Man certainly has more left in play than Maguire’s. In fact, Maguire has largely retired, save for a recent appearance in Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, which he also produced.
Last time we saw Garfield’s Spider-Man he was preparing to swing into battle against Paul Giamatti’s Rhino. With that and so much more of The Amazing Spider-Man universe tantalizingly unresolved, it could be a case of “watch this space.”
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