Spider-Man Alum Joe Manganiello Responds To Those Tobey Maguire Rumors

If the reports are to be believed, the cast of Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man 3 is going to be one of the biggest audiences have ever seen in a superhero movie. So far, a number of Marvel movie alums have been linked to the project, including Spider-Man veteran Tobey Maguire. While his casting is still far from confirmed, evidence is mounting that he could indeed be suiting up on the big screen once again. It’s a prospect that excites and intrigues plenty of fans, and it’s even caught the attention of fellow Spider-Man alum Joe Manganiello.

In the superhero realm, many fans currently know Joe Manganiello for his role as Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke in the DC Extended Universe. But back in the early 2000s, he first entered the genre through his role as resident bully Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. The actor even briefly reprised the role in 2007’s Spider-Man 3.

Manganiello, a comic book fan himself, was recently asked for his thoughts on Tobey Maguire possibly reprising his role as Peter Parker in the new Spidey flick. And it looks like the actor is definitely curious as to how things will pan out:

I am fascinated to see how all of that is going to play. I think Marvel has done an amazing job up to this point. And I know that all of those characters are in very good hands. So, I'm very, very curious to see how that will all work out if that all is indeed true.

Joe Manganiello’s recent comments to Comicbook.com definitely sound like those of a fan. The actor has been known to geek out now and then, especially when it comes to his Deathstroke role. He also shares an occasional story from his time working on Spider-Man, particularly his wild audition for the movie.

Manganiello’s former co-star, Tobey Maguire, could be one of several Spider-Man characters to be revived for the MCU’s latest wall-crawling adventure. As of right now, Maguire’s successor, Andrew Garfield, has also been linked to the movie as have Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane) and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy).

And if that weren’t enough, the movie is also said to feature the returns of Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus. There are even rumors that Charlie Cox will return as Matt Murdock/Daredevil. Oh, and did I mention Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange is also set to appear? So yeah, this is shaping up to be the film event of MCU Phase Four.

It remains to be seen just how much of this actually comes to fruition, though you can bet fans are hoping that every one of the aforementioned stars show up at some point. Like Joe Manganiello, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Spider-Man 3 is currently set to swing into theaters on December 17, 2021.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.