- “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, the third film “Spider-Man” by Tom Holland, is scheduled for release in December.
- The publications reported that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are scheduled to appear in the film.
- Additional clues make fans expect “No Way Home” to focus on the multiverse.
- Visit the Insider home page for more stories.
The third installment of Jon Watts’ “Spider-Man” franchise, starring Tom Holland, is scheduled for release in December, and fans can’t help thinking that the film will include Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
Eagle-eyed fans have followed numerous reports about the actors mentioned, who portrayed the webslinger’s icon in separate franchises. The rumors increased significantly after the title of the third film “Spider-Man” from the Netherlands – “Spider-Man: No Way Home” – was revealed on Wednesday.
Here’s what you need to know about the various reports that have gained momentum and how plausible fan theories are based on the direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Reports of Maguire and Garfield’s involvement in the third film began in October 2020
Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker in “Spider-Man”.
Columbia Pictures
On October 12, 2020, FandomWire published an article stating that, according to an unidentified source at Sony (the studio that co-produces the films with Marvel), Maguire and Garfield signed a contract to reprise their roles in the next film. .
Maguire was the first actor to portray Peter Parker / Spider-Man in an important film, starting with “Spider-Man” in 2002. He returned as the title character for the sequences released in 2004 and 2007 as part of the Sam Raimi trilogy .
Garfield played the role in the films “The Amazing Spider-Man” that hit theaters in 2012 and 2014.
Since then, he has talked about feeling “heartbroken” by the direction his franchise has taken, saying to Amy Adams: “Story and character weren’t at the top of the priority list, after all, and I found it very, very complicated.”
Andrew Garfield in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”.
Columbia Pictures
Days after the FandomWire report, a Sony Pictures representative told Entertainment Tonight Canada: “These casting rumors have not been confirmed.”
At the end of October, Holland went to Atlanta to start production of the film.
On a video shared on social media, Holland said he received the script and promised to keep his spoiler habits in check “because I learned my lesson”, suggesting his tendency to distribute spoilers.
Then, on December 9, Collider reported the involvement of several previous “Spider-Man” actors. According to the publication, Garfield will reprise his role and Maguire is still in negotiations with Sony / Marvel.
Collider also reported more castings: Alfred Molina returning as Doctor Octopus from Maguire’s “Spider-Man 2”, Kirsten Dunst reprising his role as MJ from the original “Spider-Man” franchise and Emma Stone returning as Gwen Stacy from “Amazing Spider-Man” “films.
Alfred Molina in “Spider-Man 2”.
Sony Pictures
The next day, Maguire – whose most recent acting credit was the dubbing of the 2017 animated film “The Boss Baby” – was photographed in the parking lot of the Wardrobe Workroom in North Hollywood, California. It is not clear why the actor was in a costume test. In his next project, entitled “Babylon”, he is reportedly serving as a producer.
An interview Holland did with Jake Hamilton to promote “Spider: Man Far From Home” in 2019 too resurfaced while fans noticed that the actor seemed nervous when asked about the possibility of a multiverse in which the Spider-Man versions of Maguire, Garfield and Holland interacted.
Holland was seen turning his thumbs and turning to co-stars Jacob Batalon and Zendaya to deal with the issue.
Then he said, “It would be amazing. It would be really, really cool. And it’s something that the fans really want. So if Marvel and Sony decide to do that it’s up to them. It doesn’t depend on me.”
Holland continued to deny reports, but that does not necessarily mean that Maguire and Garfield will not appear in the film
Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in “Spider: Man: Far From Home”.
Sony Pictures Entertainment
In a cover story for Esquire published in February 2021, Holland said, “No, no, they will not appear in this film.”
“Unless they have hidden most of the information from me, which I think is a big secret for them to hide from me,” he added. “But for now, no. It will be a continuation of the ‘Spider-Man’ films that we are making.”
He made a similar comment during a virtual appearance on “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” the same month, saying:
“It would be amazing if they were, because they haven’t told me yet, and I’m Spider-Man and I read the script from start to finish,” said Holland, referring to Marvel. “So, it would be a miracle if they could hide it from me, but at the moment there is no special participation from the two boys.”
Tom Holland in “Spider-Man: Away from Home”.
Marvel / Sony
Given Holland’s story of spoiling details about previous Marvel films for fans and even his co-stars, it is possible that after starring in five MCU films, he is better at keeping secrets.
Still, he may be lying because Marvel’s projects are typically shrouded in mystery before their launch, so they probably wouldn’t allow anyone to confirm such an important aspect. He may also be unaware of these castings and story lines.
Even stars like Paul Rudd and Benedict Cumberbatch, who play Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Steven Strange / Doctor Strange at the MCU, previously denied their involvement before making their debut as superheroes.
The title revealed for the third film further fueled fan speculation about the possible appearances of Maguire and Garfield
Holland, Batalon and Zendaya posted fake titles for the third “Spider-Man” movie – “Phone Home”, “Home-Wrecker” and “Home Slice” – before revealing the official name in late February 2021.
Although the titles were a joke, fans over-analyzed the phrases and colors used for each logo.
People theorized that the fake titles may be referring to the three large-screen versions of Spider-Man.
Fans said “Home Slice” could be a nod to Maguire’s character being a pizza delivery man, while “Home-Wrecker” could refer to Garfield’s Spider-Man driving a wedge in Gwen Stacy’s family. Meanwhile, the “Phone Home” in the Netherlands may be referring to your version of the young webslinger who often asks others for help.
—True Verdict (@_TrueVerdict) February 24, 2021
—Lyanna ᱬ ۞ (@strangewiccan) February 24, 2021
On a viral tweet, another fan said that when the logos are organized in a specific order, the color schemes align with the image of the popular Spider-Man villain Green Goblin from the comics, standing on his silver glider and holding his pumpkin bombs.
—Jake Taylor (@ jaketaylor5454) February 24, 2021
The actual title, “No Way Home”, also implies that perhaps Spider-Man will be trapped in the multiverse.
The multiverse will be a key aspect of the MCU going forward
Benedict Cumberbatch in “Avengers: Endgame”.
Disney / Marvel
The concept of multiverse – the existence of more than one universe – appeared in “Doctor Strange”, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and in the animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”.
It will continue to be explored in phase four of the MCU, especially since the programs and films are interconnected.
Cumberbatch will appear in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, which makes sense because the two superheroes live in New York. In addition, new photos from “No Way Home” suggest that Peter and his friends may pay a visit to Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum.
The multiverse could also explain why Molina and Jamie Foxx (Electro in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”), who played Spider-Man enemies who were apparently killed, are supposedly scheduled to appear in “No Way Home”.
Further evidence of the multiverse can be seen on Marvel’s “WandaVision”, currently streaming on Disney Plus. The mysterious mention of the Nexus in the series may point to the multiverse at play.
“WandaVision”, in turn, sets up the Doctor Strange sequence, which is entitled “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and presents Elizabeth Olsen reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch.
If ‘No Way Home’ ends up not including Maguire, Garfield or other previous stars, it’s likely to still have some impressive moments
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in “Spider-Man: Far from Home”.
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Holland described “No Way Home” for Variety as “the most ambitious autonomous superhero film ever made”. He also said Yahoo that he was filming an “impressive” fight scene for about a month, which is a significant amount of time to spend on a sequel.
He even released the film with a shared Instagram post in late January 2021, showing him and his younger brother Harry Holland (who has a minor role in the film) together.
“Today was easily one of the highlights of my career”, caption the post. “For those of you who were there, you know what I’m talking about and for those who weren’t, you better tighten your belt !!!”
Fans will have to wait until “Spider-Man: No Way Home” hits theaters this Christmas to see how many (if any) of the theories and speculations will prove to be true.