Sorry, Spider-Man fans but we aren’t getting a live-action Spider-Verse. At least not yet. Sony has declared that recent rumors surrounding Spider-Man 3, particularly the casting of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, are not true. This comes as Tom Holland, our current Peter Parker, is gearing up to reprise the role once more following last year’s Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Recently, reports have run rampant suggesting that both Tobey Maguire, who played Spidey in Sam Raimi’s live-action trilogy, and Andrew Garfield, who starred in The Amazing Spider-Man movies, were set to return for the currently untitled Spider-Man 3. Sony Pictures has stepped in to pour a bucket of cold water on the situation. A representative for the studio released a brief statement on the matter, which reads as follows.
“Those rumoured castings are not confirmed.”
So, for now, our two previous live-action versions of the beloved Marvel Comics superhero are not getting ready to suit back up in an official capacity. This is not to say that it couldn’t happen down the line. And it may still happen in the upcoming sequel. It’s just that the actors have not officially signed on for the project. But there is good reason to think Sony is building toward this as an endgame.
Recently it was revealed that Jamie Foxx will be reprising his role as Electro in Spider-Man 3, which will see Jon Watts return to the director’s chair. Foxx, as fans may recall, played the part in the ill-fated Amazing Spider-Man 2. The relative disappointment of that movie paved the way for Sony to strike a deal with Disney that allowed for Spider-Man to make his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s when Tom Holland stepped in. This has led to widespread speculation that the studio is building toward a live-action Spider-verse of some sort. Given the success of the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, that would make sense.
Adding further fuel to the fire is the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch. The actor is set to return as Doctor Strange alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-Man sequel. Meanwhile, Cumberbatch is also gearing up for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will fully introduce the Marvel multiverse into the MCU. All of the pieces are in place to bring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield back.
Tobey Maguire played the role in 2002’s Spider-Man, 2004’s Spider-Man 2 and 2007’s Spider-Man 3. After plans for Spider-Man 4 fell apart, Sony rebooted the series with 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man. Andrew Garfield took on the title role, reprising the part only once more in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.
FIlming on Spider-Man 3 is expected to get underway any day now, if it hasn’t begun already. Plot details are largely being kept under wraps. It is currently set to arrive in theaters on December 17, 2021. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This was previously reported by ET Canada.
