Marvel Star Kirsten Dunst Reveals She Wasn’t Asked Back for Spider-Man: No Way Home

Kirsten Dunst is confirming that she wasn’t asked to be a part of Spider-Man: No Way Home – a statement that will seem crazy to many fans. 

In a new GQ interview, Dunst was asked directly if she got asked to do Spider-Man: No Way Home. “No,” she said, “No.” She then added, “I would have.” 

Spider-Man: No Way Home leaned heavily on Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man Film Trilogy to carve out its story. Original Spider-Man (2002) movie villain Norman Osborn/Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) came back, as did Spider-Man 2 villain Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) and Spider-Man 3 villain Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church). Ironically, when initial leaks broke about No Way Home being a milestone Spider-Man event film that would bring the Spider-Man Trilogy, Amazing Spider-Man films, and Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man movies together, it was rumored that both Kirsten Dunst and Emma Stone could also return, as Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy (respectively). 

Stone’s absence was understandable: her Gwen Stacy was killed at the end of Amazing Spider-Man 2, and that loss was mined to create the story arc for Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man in No Way Home. It’s a shame, because there would have been room for Dunst’s MJ in the story, serving as both the distinctive difference between Maguire’s Peter and Garfield’s Peter, Dunst’s presence would’ve also created an understated counterpoint to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and Zendaya’s MJ, who were still in the “Honeymoon Phase” of their love, while Maguire’s Peter, and Dunst’s MJ would have experienced much more mature challenges of love and commitment. 

Missed opportunity aside, No Way Home broke open the doors for Sony to develop any number of new Spider-Man projects – in both the past and present eras of the franchise.  Rumors are swirling about who is directing Tom Holland’s next MCU Spider-Man film, there is buzz within the camp of Raimi’s Spider-Man crew about finally doing Spider-Man 4. Even Raimi hasn’t dismissed bringing back Tobey Maguire and doing the next installment of their film series – so maybe Kirsten Dunst nees to be keeping her phone on? The actress has made it unabashedly clear: she is down to do superhero movies again. 

In the same recent CG interview, Dunst described what she would like to see in a new Spider-Man film: “It would be funny to be like, OK, let’s take Tobey [Maguire] and I and do it in a weird indie way where it’s like a different kind of superhero film. Like how they did that movie Chronicle. It could be cool.”

Our ComicBook Nation comics show The Pull List has also found a great source for Raimi, Maguire and Dunst to pursue: Jonathan Hickman’s new Ultimate Spider-Man comic series, which imagines Peter and MJ raising two kids while Peter tries to balance fatherhood and heroism. That would be the natural next step… 

Spider-Man: No Way Home is streaming on Disney+.