Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel could be where the studio explores a crossover between the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spidey (Tom Holland) and predecessor Spider-Men played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
The Multiverse — host to an infinite number of parallel dimensions and continuities — was explored in Spider-Verse when teenager Miles Morales (voice of Shameik Moore) teamed with Spider-People from alternate realities, and will be widened further in Far From Home when Peter Parker (Holland) encounters Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), who comes from a different Earth ravaged by elemental monsters.
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Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal is “definitely” interested in a crossover teaming Holland with Maguire, who headlined Sam Raimi’s trilogy, and Garfield, who starred as a rebooted Spidey in the Marc Webb-directed Amazing Spider-Man and its 2014 sequel.
Through the Multiverse “everything is possible” and such a crossover would be “very interesting,” Pascal said in a recent interview.
“In this sense the multiverse is a winning idea, because it opens up endless possibilities,” Pascal added. “We can literally do everything.”
Pascal also recently confirmed a sequel to the Academy Award-winning Spider-Verse is in development, expected to reunite Miles and budding romantic interest Spider-Gwen (voice of Hailee Steinfeld). Because the concept of numerous Spider-People has already been embraced by audiences, Spider-Verse 2 is a viable option for a meeting that could prove tough — if not impossible — to make possible in live-action.
Spider-Verse co-director Rodney Rothman previously revealed Maguire was considered for the role of Peter B. Parker (voice of Jake Johnson), an older and out-of-shape Spidey who acts as mentor to Miles’ Spider-Man when he’s displaced from the universe where he’s divorced from Mary Jane Watson.
“There were many thoughts about where we could put Tobey Maguire and others,” Rothman said in December. “I think after this film, those thoughts might have a little more traction.”
The 43-year-old Maguire in recent months said he’s open to another superhero role and praised both his successors, calling Garfield and Holland “super talented.”
Recruiting Maguire to lend his voice to a reprisal of a character he last played in 2007 could prove an easier feat than tapping him to suit up in the red-and-blues once more; and Garfield, who parted from his role on bad terms, may be out of reach should Sony attempt to sway him back for a third outing — even if the Spidey super-fan has loved the character since he was a child.
But the critical acclaim of Spider-Verse, and the advantage of a voice-only role that doesn’t require physicality, could be enough to convince Maguire and Garfield to participate alongside Holland in what could web up a hefty box office return: fans were audibly disappointed when it was learned a recently unveiled Marvel Comics project, at first believed to be related to Maguire’s abandoned Spider-Man 4, was not connected to Raimi’s beloved trilogy.
“Of course I would love to make a movie with those guys, it would be so cool,” Holland told Jake Hamilton when asked about a team-up with Maguire and Garfield.
“It would be amazing, it would be really, really cool. And it’s something that the fans really want. So whether Marvel and Sony decided to do that, it’s up to them. It’s not up to me, I can’t walk in like ‘Kevin [Feige], this is what we’re doing on the next one.’ But it would be really awesome.”
Loud fan support, and now signs of interest from Holland and Pascal, could very soon make that Spider-Men crossover a reality. Sony will first release Spider-Man: Far From Home July 2.